On October 21, 28 and 29, the UJI co-creative days were held.>LAB UX Challenge, an initiative framed in the UJI activities program.>LAB Espaitec, the Living Lab of the UJI Scientific and Technological Park, financed by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI)
Espaitec has organized the UJI.>LAB UX Challenge with the objective of improve the usability of digital products from different companies in the province of Castellón through co-creative processes with the user. The initiative has made it easier for companies to become aware of the benefits of using methodologies and techniques to improve user experience, both in the design of high-tech products and services.
The firms have participated in the initiative Eventscase, Orbel Group, NRS GROUP and the entrepreneurial project of the UJI Emprèn OnSocial program, SEMANTICS AI, together with the students of the degree in Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development; Informatics Engineering; Advertising and public relations; Engineering in Industrial Technologies; Audiovisual Communication; double degree in Business Administration-Law from the Universitat Jaume I; and former student body of the SAUJI Alumni association.
In the opinion of EventCase's product manager, Oswaldo Zaera, «it was a great opportunity to recruit talent and make contacts with the students. In the end, seeing the students work for a couple of days is much more effective than any interview or selection process. On behalf of the Project Assistant of Orbel Grupo, Maria Serra, "we arrive at the UJI.>LAB UX Challenge "With a fairly precise idea of what we were looking for, however, thanks to the contact with the solvers/students and the exchange of information of ideas and opinions, new ideas emerged, expanding the possibilities of solutions for the challenge we posed." Lastly, the CEO of SEMANTICS AI, Diego Hidalgo, «participate in the UJI.>LAB UX Challenge It has allowed us to receive valuable feedback on our prototype, so we are going to accept some of the recommendations to make improvements to our minimum viable product. "It has been an interesting experience that should continue because I observed a lot of creative talent in the students who participated in the challenge."
On UJI.>LAB UX Challenge It is a dynamic of livinglab of Espaitec in which the participating students (solvers or solvers) Working in multidisciplinary groups, they develop improvement proposals through proofs of concept or prototypes, and relying on different collaborative work tools and methodology. INNOVATION CAMP based on co-creation dynamics. Each of these groups is accompanied by a mentor from the Association of Spanish Seniors for Technical Cooperation (SECOT Castellón), who guide teams in creative processes and collaborative approaches, in order to provide realistic and value-added proposals to entities, institutions or companies that share their challenges. During these activities, students acquire knowledge of the so-called soft skills: leadership, team management and conflict management, among others.
UJI.>LAB Espaitec
UJI.>LAB Espaitec, Living lab of the Scientific and Technological Park of the Universitat Jaume I is a space for experimentation, innovation and demonstration of new technologies and methodologies, such as INNOVATION CAMP, and aims to promote what we know as the third mission of the University, a dynamic that brings society closer the knowledge generated at the University, in a bidirectional manner through initiatives that provide solutions to key challenges of society. UJI.>LAB Espaitec has a FabLab (Manufacturing Laboratory), a rapid prototyping laboratory that allows its materialization in the form of prototypes, thus seeking to provide solutions to the possible challenges posed. The UJI.>LAB Espaitec is a program that is financed by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI).
