News DeskDubai, UAE – Emirates NBD, a premier banking group in the MENAT region, proudly announced the winners of its challenge in the 2024 Project Design Space (PDS) today. This initiative, conducted in partnership with the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), underscores Emirates NBD’s commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the next generation of talent in creative problem-solving within the financial services sector.
Recognized as the UAE’s largest design competition for high school students, PDS provides a dynamic platform for young innovators to gain hands-on experience by tackling real-world design challenges posed by industry leaders. This year, Emirates NBD collaborated with DIDI to enhance design thinking and develop innovative user experience (UX) solutions that inspire and empower customers. The competition united aspiring student designers from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge’s (ADEK) RizeUp programme and young creatives at Bon Education, an educational consultancy and programme design studio. The challenge was to create banking solution prototypes utilizing AI technologies for seamless customer experiences.
2024 Project Design Space – Emirates NBD Challenge Winners:
Gold Category:
- Aisha Bint Abi Baker School: Developed an AI-powered financial education app to help users achieve their financial goals.
Silver Category:
- Abu Dhabi Indian School: Created an app focused on financial well-being, tracking financial targets with budgeting and debt management features.
Most Innovative:
- Applied Technology Schools: Designed TBMECA, a user-friendly, in-built rewards system for savings, incentivized with personalized gift cards integrated into the existing ENBD X mobile banking app.
Saud Al Dhawyani, Group Chief Platforms Officer at Emirates NBD, stated: “As a leading financial services brand, Emirates NBD is dedicated to shaping the future of banking and helping customers achieve their goals by providing innovative and empowering digital banking solutions. Our participation in DIDI’s Project Design Space resonates with our mission to nurture promising students by providing a platform to advance their skills in developing innovative tech solutions for real-life challenges. We are immensely proud of the young changemakers in Abu Dhabi whose groundbreaking AI concepts and bold ideas will drive positive change for Emirates NBD’s customers and stakeholders.”
Hani Asfour, Vice President of Innovation and Institutional Partnerships at DIDI, added: “Skilled, solution-oriented designers are needed on the frontlines as we shape a digital, inclusive, and sustainable future for all. DIDI’s partnership with Emirates NBD for this year’s Project Design Space helps bridge academia and the private sector, ensuring students can benefit from the guidance, insights, and experiences of industry giants. By doing so, we equip youth at an early stage to collaborate, think innovatively, and develop viable, impactful solutions for real-world challenges that will benefit their careers and empower the world with experienced innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs.”
The 2024 edition of PDS, which ran from January to May, engaged over 350 students from Abu Dhabi schools recruited by DIDI. Participants faced challenges set by Emirates NBD, LG, and TAQA, with Emirates NBD focusing on AI-powered solutions to help customers achieve their goals. Students received specialized training and guidance on designing innovative solutions to meet Emirates NBD’s customer needs. Each team submitted a three-minute video pitch showcasing their working prototype, key research findings, and how their design enhances the customer journey and user experience. The top eight teams, recognized for their design thinking, collaboration, and innovation, advanced to a virtual boot camp and presented their final prototypes before a panel of judges from Emirates NBD, LG, and TAQA.
