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We are proud to celebrate a significant achievement at , where students from the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) MSc programme at UCL secured joint-first place in the . This outstanding accomplishment underscores the exceptional talent and effort of our students at the premier international HCI conference.Ìý

Winning ProjectÌý

• . Team Members: Julia Wernersbach, Douglas Ng, Sophie Ka Ling Lau, Wenqi Zhu, and Ziyue Lai.Ìý

EcoWatt, the joint-first place team in the CHI 2024 Student Design Competition, addresses the critical issue of rising energy consumption. The team developed an innovative mobile app enhanced with a community dashboard, providing real-time data and educational resources. Using anthropomorphism and gamification, EcoWatt transforms energy management into an engaging and accessible activity, effectively motivating students to adopt sustainable energy usage behaviours.Ìý.ÌýÌý

Runner-Up ProjectÌýÌý

• . Team Members: Bokyung Um, Catarina Santos, Sharihan Abdirahman, Aoife Power, and Zainab Uddin.Ìý

The EcoFashion Scanner project earned the runner-up position at the CHI 2024 Student Design Competition. This project addresses the disconnect between environmental values and consumer habits among Gen Z and Millennials in the context of fashion and shopping. The app provides sustainability information on fabrics, promoting eco-conscious purchasing decisions and contributing to responsible consumption and production.Ìý.ÌýÌý

UCL FinalistsÌý

We congratulate the three other UCL teams who were selected as finalists to present their work at the CHI 2024 Student Design Competition:Ìý

• . Team Members: Sarah Shokr, Yvonne Chang, Stella Loukeri Woestman, Hugo Roman Ward, and Tang Rongzeng.Ìý
• . Team Members: Michelle Muller, Rita Luis Costa, Jenna Kam, Anya Emmons, and Zhiqing Zhang.Ìý
• . Team Members: Roshni Wadhwa, Xin Xu, Yanting Liu, Zeyu Chen, and Ziqi Han.Ìý

Each project showcased innovative, user-cantered solutions that directly addressed the , challenging teams to create designs that contribute to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.Ìý

Celebrating Excellence and Innovation in HCI Education at UCLÌý

This year, our HCI MSc programme at UCL achieved its first-ever win at the CHI Student Design Competition, highlighting our students' creativity and UCL's robust mentorship and educational excellence. A key to our success is the mentoring scheme led by UCLIC's Martin Dechant, alongside Yvonne Rogers, Amid Ayobi, Cathy Holloway, and Fahad Ahmed. They guided the Interaction Design module, providing weekly one-on-one support through postgraduate teaching assistants, including Elahi Hossain, Andreas Polydorides, and Wen Mo. Further our invited guest speakers Ansgar Depping (Meta)Ìýand Jade Pickering and Jo Evershed (Gorilla) supported our students through their professional expertise. This team's dedication has been crucial in securing this international acclaim.ÌýÌý

Looking Ahead to CHI 2025Ìý

As we celebrate our achievements at CHI 2024, we look forward with anticipation to , where we aim to harness the theme of 'Ikigai'—finding one's purpose—to replicate our success and contribute to the global HCI community.Ìý