IX 24, the 4th edition of Design IX, Sri Lanka’s premier XR-based designathon organized by the IEEE Student Branch of IIT, concluded with great success, highlighting the creativity and innovation of young designers across the country. Kicking off in August 2024, IX 24 attracted over 160 teams with more than 600 participants from 21 universities. This year’s competition, supported by 20 industry partners, focused on revolutionizing green urban living by the year 2050, challenging participants to push the limits of design thinking and technological innovation.

The competition was structured into two phases. In the initial phase, participants were tasked with submitting innovative design concepts aimed at reshaping urban living through sustainable solutions. These submissions were carefully evaluated by a panel of 20 judges from prominent organizations, including 99x, Atmoz, IFS, Ascentic, Virtusa, and Corzent. Following this rigorous assessment, the top 12 teams were selected to advance to the final design challenge.

In the lead-up to the finale, four workshops were held to help participants hone their skills and gain critical insights into the field of user experience (UX) design and extended reality (XR). Each workshop saw over 200 participants and was led by industry experts, including Ms. Lishni Tilakaratne from Atmoz, Ms. Oshadhi Vanodhya and Ms. Sanduni Kariyawasam from IFS, Dr. Piyum Fernando from Amazon Lab126, and Ms. Sajani Lokuge and Mr. Mino Gallawatta from IFS and Atmoz, respectively. These sessions provided invaluable guidance, preparing participants for the demanding challenges of the competition.

The grand finale, held on the 7th and 8th of September at the IIT auditorium, was the most intense phase of the competition. The top 12 teams engaged in a 24-hour designathon, where they were challenged to bring their ideas to life under significant time pressure. After the designathon, the teams presented their futuristic design solutions to a distinguished panel of judges., including Mr. Hiran Karunananda, Senior Technical Lead UI/UX at Ascentic; Mr. Mino Gallawatta, UX Lead at Atmoz; Ms. Sajani Lokuge, Senior UX Designer at IFS; and Mr. Mark Goonewardene, Senior UI/UX Lead at Surge Global. The competition concluded with a grand awarding ceremony that celebrated the remarkable achievements of the participants.

The success of IX 24 was acknowledged by the organizers, who  thanked the sponsors, partners, participants and everyone involved for making this event a success. With each passing year, IX continues to grow as a leading design challenge, positioning itself as a catalyst for groundbreaking solutions that can transform the world of tomorrow.