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In November, over 100 students from UWaterloo, University of Toronto, and Wilfrid Laurier participated in a Financial Fluency design event. The goal was to empower young Canadians with financial tools and education. Students worked through the weekend to develop solutions and pitch them to judges from Sun Life and UWaterloo.

Winning Team: Fund Forward - Visualized financial goals and life milestones. Runner-Up: Mula - Created a community of financial advisors. Honourable Mention: Sprout - Used gamification to engage users with financial goals.

Professors Karen Cochrane and Daniel Harley from Stratford are using Generative AI (GenAI) to create customizable gaming controllers for individuals with complex disabilities. Dr. Cochrane's collaboration with caregivers plays a crucial role in designing these accessible solutions, ensuring they meet the unique needs of users. Their project, awarded by the Google Academic Research Awards (GARA), aims to enhance accessibility and social inclusion through low-cost, user-friendly technology. By leveraging their combined expertise in physical computing and gaming interaction, Dr. Harley and Dr. Cochrane are developing innovative solutions that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The project will receive up to $150,000 USD in funding and support from Google, highlighting a future where technology fosters a more inclusive gaming experience.

Stratford School’s 2024 Design Jam challenged students to design digital platforms where the user experience (UX)  can help destigmatize mental health.

Map the System is a global challenge hosted by Oxford University that tasks students with mapping a problem using systems-thinking tools. Students will pitch their completed "map" of their problem to a panel of judges, with the winners receiving cash prizes and the opportunity to represent the University of Waterloo at the Canadian Finals in Calgary.

A chat with CPI member Leah Zhang-Kennedy about making her own mark in the globally impactful field of cybersecurity and privacy as an Assistant Professor in interaction design and user experience research, and director of the Safe Interactions Lab at the University of Waterloo’s Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.

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Waterloo’s Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business launched its professional graduate program way back in 2011. Today, the Master of Digital Experience Innovation (MDEI) is offered entirely online while continuing to deliver a unique, project-based experience combining creativity, technology and business.
 
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The University of Waterloo's Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business will be hosting CBC IDEAS: Visionaries in Conversation on November 16. Billed as "an opportunity to explore how we reshape the future of our tech-driven world," the event will feature speakers Cory Doctorow and Vass Bednar.

Cryptocurrency has rapidly increased in popularity and is changing the way we conduct business and make transactions. Cryptocurrencies provide certain advantages over traditional systems

As we increasingly seek connection in a virtual world, privacy and security breaches remain a constant threat. It isn't just a challenge for legal teams and security experts – privacy should be a priority right from the start.

NEXT: Immigration Services app, finalist in World’s Challenge Challenge and Concept $5K

Kent Chin (GBDA ’22) and his team, Leo Liu (Science & Business), Miley Xu (Environment & Business), and Geoffrey Qin (Electrical & Computer Engineering), are one step closer to developing comprehensive immigration support. NEXT: an Immigration Services All-In-One App has been developed by Kent and the NEXT team to make the transition to living in Canada more approachable to immigrants.