Noventiq (formerly Softline) and Adobe Hold a Student UI/UX Design Championship
From March 1 to April 21, students of Saint-Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design (Moscow, Russia) participated in the Adobe UI/UX Design Championship. The competition was organized by Softline, a global IT solution and service provider, and Adobe Systems, a world-leading developer of web design software.
Softline Holding plc began trading under the brand name Noventiq after divesting part of its business in October 2022.
"I'm glad that we united business and students under the auspices of this event, giving the youth a chance to demonstrate their practical skills not only to teachers but also to experts, and maybe even future colleagues. Being a strategic partner of Adobe in the academic segment and a holder of Education Elite Partner status in Russia, Softline is delighted to fulfill its educational mission. In the future, we plan to continue the cooperation with Saint-Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design (SPSUITD) and other universities in Russia and other countries,"—says Ekaterina Antipina, business development manager for Adobe products in the academic sector in Russia and EECA, Softline.
During the competition, participants split into teams of three, which proposed ideas for IT startups that would help make our world a better place. In the first stage, students developed a logo and design concept for their project. In the finals, contestants presented either a prototype website or a no-code mobile app prototype developed in Adobe XD.
Competition works were evaluated remotely by the representatives of Adobe. The main assessment criteria were the novelty of the idea, creativity, style, relevance of the chosen topic, originality.
"I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the prototypes for this final round of design work. The standards were very high, and I’m so impressed to see the way many of you have really pushed the boundaries of prototyping in Adobe XD. The future of design is in good hands!," said Lisa Ann Reeves, Strategic Development Manager for Design (International) at Adobe.
Offline performances were evaluated by a special jury composed of experts from Softline, Space307, Distillery, and Dostavista Global.
The face-to-face defense of the project took place in the creative space of SPSUITD in Moscow named Boiling Point—Industrial and Technical Design. The Scaneco team was the winner. The students successfully defended a design project of an eco-friendly startup that simplifies sorting recyclables: by scanning the product packaging, the user will know where to dispose of it.
The first three teams received OZON certificates for a sizable amount, and the winning team was invited to a 6-month internship at Distillery. Inspired by the contest's idea, the experts from Space307 decided to give dedicated awards "from Space." The company gave the best teams sets of original merchandise and souvenirs.
"The contest turned out to be very captivating and amazing. We enjoyed being part of the jury and assessing this diversity of original works. The guys impressed us with their future-proof ideas, youthful energy, and commitment. Some of the attendees knew more than high-skilled applicants for the Senior Product Designer position. This was an amazing discovery! Thank you for the opportunity to immerse into the vibrant student life for a few unforgettable hours,"—shared her impressions Maria Sedelnikova, Product Owner at Space307.
It is noteworthy that most teams attempted to solve important social and environmental problems: helping people with disabilities, sorting waste, cleaning streets, fighting unemployment, and ensuring public safety.
