Can you please introduce yourself and describe your role within the winning team of RevolUX 2021?
Hey, I am Abdullah Jasmin, a 3rd year CS undergrad at UCSC and the founder of ZaVolt, a Design, Marketing and Development Company.
I was the team leader of Team RANDoms in RevolUX 2021, along with my colleagues Ravindu Sasanka, Nisura Indisa, and Dilanga Harshani.
Talking about the team, we were a bunch of freshers navigating through an online environment without seeing each other during a global pandemic, but I did know Ravindu and Nisura before from my school days.
My role in the winning team was mostly working with the others to create a user-friendly UI and presenting it to the judging panel.
Could you provide a brief description of the project that your team worked on during RevolUX 2021?
Sure, so we actually worked on 2 projects which we built using Figma. In the first round, we were given multiple industries to choose from and to come up with a solution for a problem in that industry with the UI.
So, we chose the transport and health industry and decided to make a cycling application with a loyalty system and a marketplace where you can redeem loyalty points. Of course, it was a primitive UI (we were noobs, after all), but the ideas that we had as a solution and the UX factors made the app stand out.
We were selected for the final round, where we were actually given a problem statement, which was a hospital system with reports, treatments and so on. In this project as well, we actually focussed on not just the UI design but also the UX factors like simple switching between family profiles, UX writing, easily accessible sections and so on, which was instrumental to our success.
What motivated your team to participate in RevolUX 2021?
Back then, everything was virtual, and we didn’t really meet anyone… so the only way we could catch up with our friends was through clubs and societies… I literally joined every club that opened applications in the first year, and I got to know about RevolUX as it was organized by IEEE and AIESEC, two of the clubs I was a member of…
I had heard about UI/UX from my IT teacher back in school. I was also familiar with designing things as a marketing enthusiast… I noticed that workshops were planned as well. So I decided why not try this competition and learn something from these workshops… Apart from all these, the prize money was also tempting; I mean, why not participate and win something.
I contacted Nisura and Ravindu, who were also interested in learning UI/UX, and got them to join the team because they had some experience with tools like Adobe XD. We also took Dilanga on board to help us with the psychological aspects and documentation of the project.
All in all, what motivated me was that it was organized by the clubs I was a part of, the interest in learning and understanding UI/UX, and the prize money.
How did participating in RevolUX 2021 contribute to your personal or professional growth, and what valuable lessons did your team learn?
Truth be told, I actually learned UI/UX from those workshops. Most of the things I know about Figma I attribute to RevolUX. I am pretty sure that even the other teammates learned a lot from those workshops. The judging panel was also very supportive and gave us some good feedback, which was very useful to us as beginners.
This was the first 12-hour competition I had attended, and it was the first competition in which not just our team but a team from our entire batch had ever participated in. This was a starting point that propelled me towards my other victories like Tech Triathlon, Tech Trek, and RealHack in my university journey.
In fact, participating in this competition was another factor that led me to start my own design startup, which I began with Nisura and Ravindu, and it has helped me to grow as a UX designer in general.
There are a lot of things we learned from this competition, not just design skills but also teamwork, time management, and presentation, amongst other things.
So yeah, we learned a lot from this experience, which helped us all in our respective journeys.
For those considering participating in this year’s RevolUX 3.0, what aspects of your experience would you highlight to encourage them to get involved?
In my experience, it was actually virtual, so we took a Zoom meeting and worked together for 12 hours online; it was a fun experience as we were having a good conversation amongst ourselves to boost morale… But the subsequent ones were a 24-hour physical competition, which I heard was even more fun because you get refreshments, enjoy a game of carrom, and even sleep if you feel like it… RevolUX 3.0 will also be physical, I guess, so you will have more fun than we did…
We also got free t-shirts in the final round, which is another perk of participating in the competition… (So if u want free swags, do register)
And yes, you will get to work together with your teammates and build a good bond, which will help you in the future as well…
Unfortunately, I cannot express the experience in words… because you actually have to take part to have the feel of participating in a designathon, and trust me, it is a fantastic experience that will leave you talking about it for days, the first time you participate in it…
Is there anything else you would like to add or share about your experience in RevolUX 2021?
In my experience with RevolUX, we were actually freshers back then (noobs, to be exact), and yet we managed to defeat even final-year participants and emerge as champions… So, if you are a fresher, definitely do apply because this will be an excellent start to your uni journey.
To those of you who are stuck deciding whether or not to participate, I suggest you give it a shot because you may end up as winners.
Whether you win or not, you will still learn a lot of valuable things, not just in a design sense but also in other aspects, and who knows, the lessons you learn may inspire and drive you to succeed in whatever else you do…
So do take part and enjoy the process… It will be a fun and memorable experience that you will cherish…
For more info visit: revolux.ucscieee.lk
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