For informatics junior Sheena Vaghela, hackathons almost fulfilled what she sought. However, the tech-focused aspect of the competition proved to be too big a gap from the future she seeks in design.
“When I saw that there was a design-a-thon being organized (at UT), I felt very interested in participating in it because it’s heavily design related,” Vaghela said.
The organization Design at UT will be hosting its first-ever design-a-thon this Saturday at the Robert A. Welch Hall, where both design and non-design students will work on the clock, creating a design in response to the competition’s prompt. In addition to the opportunity to win free design tools, participants have the chance to connect with fellow designers, career advisors and working industry professionals.
Aubin Miles, director of operations for Design at UT, said the competition’s purpose lies in creating a space for people who don’t have regular access to resources.
“What Design at UT is interested in is unifying this community in one event,” Miles said. “To really get to learn these tools, get to know people who have made it work in the design industry and also talk to each other as a student body.”
Vaghela said having an event that brings students of all disciplines together with the same purpose to design feels exciting.
“(Students coming together) was something I was always looking for here at UT, especially within the design community,” Vaghela said. “I think this is a great way to foster that community.”
The competition welcomes all skill levels and hosted workshops before the competition with the purpose of recruiting competitors and equipping unsure participants with their competence. Miles said these events give those with no experience the tools needed to design.
“We provide them with software tutorials, working with Figma, but also a lot of reassurance and encouragement,” Miles said. “You don’t need experience to participate. You just (have) to be open to the idea.”
Throughout the event, company ambassadors for brands such as Claude and Framer, will teach interactive lectures ranging from how to structure a page to the use of artificial intelligence in design and career prep. Jamil Hooper, competition keynote speaker, said events such as the design-a-thon are valuable opportunities to meet with peers and establish a strong network.
“The content and work they’re creating is extremely important,” said Hooper, associate director of Career Services for the College of Fine Arts. “Not only (for students) to be able to showcase what it is they can do, but to sharpen their skills and to create content that is going to be, maybe, employer-facing.”
Since Design at UT’s first operational semester in spring 2025, the team has worked on building a theme and storyline as part of the competition’s design guidelines, shaping the theme of the hidden prompt, which is planned to be revealed on the day of the event. Miles said although the information available to the public on the prompt remains vague, participants should enter on Saturday with an open mind.
“Just leave everything at the door and get ready to build off our prompt with no expectations,” Miles said. “Get weird with it.”
