For one intense day, our students worked in teams of four to five, acting as mini-agencies and tackling real briefs from international start-ups incubated at Unicorn Factory Lisbon. They were guided by seasoned mentors from Pixeled Eggs, ClearScore, and alumni consultancies, who supported them from the moment they accessed their client briefs on Monday through to the final presentations.
Unlike classroom projects, where deadlines and expectations are clearly defined, UXathon mimics the unpredictability of industry work. Students had to negotiate deliverables, prioritise tasks, and prototype rapidly, all while working with limited resources. This is exactly the kind of resilience and adaptability we want to nurture in our future designers.
This year, we partnered with innovative start-ups including Amp Assist, To Be Honest, GYST, Equivalence, Zwim, Sentivue, TruMarket, and The Pillow Life.
The resulting designs impressed both clients and mentors, often sparking future collaborations, job opportunities, and LinkedIn recommendations. In fact, four paid job offers have already been made to our students, two from GYST, one from To Be Honest, and one from Equivalence.
We celebrated the creativity and dedication of our students with the annual UXathon awards:
- Best Prototype
- Best Concept
- Best Branding
- Best Client Relationship (client)
- Best Client Relationship (mentor)
One of the highlights came from Amp Assist, whose CEO and Co-Founder, Patrick Roelke, praised his student team:
“They had to quickly understand the E-Mobility industry, figure out the various customer profiles we serve, and grasp what we’re actually building. Their questions were sharp and detailed. That dedication earned them the Best Client Communication award. The output? A design lift we badly needed and a UI direction I’m excited to implement.”
We were delighted to see our students and partners share their experiences online:
Mel Tsiaprazis, Chief Revenue Officer at GYST, reflected:
“Most hackathons are about building. UXathon25 at Loughborough University is about challenging assumptions - especially ours.”
Moitraee Gayan, one of our MA User Experience and Service Design students, said:
“It was really an intensive, inspiring, and enriching experience.”
UXathon25 was co-organised by André Brito, Val Mitchell, and Garrath Wilson, with support from Matt Smith and Alis Iacob. Together, we continue to strengthen the bridge between academia and industry, ensuring our students graduate not only with skills but with real-world experience and connections.
For us at School of Design and Creative Arts, UXathon is more than just an event. It is a launchpad for careers, a celebration of creativity, and a testament to the power of collaboration between education and industry.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our industry partners, mentors, clients, and collaborators, who gave their time, expertise, and trust to make UXathon25 such a success.
Next year will mark 10 years of UXathon and we are extremely excited to begin planning the celebration to mark this occasion. We're really looking forward to 2026!