iOS Design
Challenge

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Thank you for your interest in the iOS Design Challenge. 2023 submissions are now closed.

Watch this space for details of the next edition later on in the year.

iOS App Design Challenge

Made possible by

Our Partners

We challenge you to design apps to help communities within the UAE.

Technology for Tolerance!

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover from setbacks or adapt to change and adversity. Build an app prototype that helps to promote personal growth and development.

Compassion

Compassion is our ability to recognize the suffering of others and then take action to help. Build an app prototype that inspires people to make a difference in the lives of others.

Teamwork

Teamwork occurs when diverse abilities and insights come together to work towards a common goal. Build an app prototype that supports people to create diverse and inclusive teams.

Dialogue

Dialogue means more than just talking. It is the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions. Build an app prototype that guides people to solve life's challenges through constructive dialogue.

Let's go!

How it works...

The iOS App Design Challenge runs during the academic year of 2022-23. Along the way, there are exciting events and training sessions for teachers and students. Teachers must register their school for the iOS Design Challenge and attend the five-day teacher training workshops during November 2022 and January 2023. Read more about teacher training below.

Stage 1

October 2022

REGISTER
Teachers register their schools for the iOS Design Challenge Club. Teachers sign up their students for the iOS App Design Challenge.

Stage 2

November 2022

KICKOFF
Get up to speed with the Challenge by attending a teacher or student kickoff session. Teachers attend iOS Design Club teacher training.

Stage 3

Nov 22 - Feb 23

TEACHER & STUDENT TRAINING
‍Attend ongoing training sessions with Apple Professional Learning Specialists, Apple Distinguished Educators and Industry Specialists.

Stage 4

March 2023

SUBMISSION
Put down your devices! Time to submit your app prototype design. Upon submission, a panel of judges will evaluate each project. Good luck! May the best designs win!

Stage 5

April 2023

AWARDS CEREMONY
All finished projects will receive certificates. An Awards Ceremony will be held to honor the top participating schools and student projects. The Top 200 students will be invited to take part in the Sandooq Al Watan Swift Accelerator Program in Summer 2023 .

Get excited!

The Student Journey

Want to be an app designer? These workshops will launch your design journey. Students have the opportunity to attend workshops to build their skills throughout the year. These workshops are led by Apple certified trainers, covering core topics that are essential for successful app design.

Session 1

Building Winning Design Teams

18 Jan 2023
05:00 - 06:30 PM

Find your problem and find your team!
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By now you should have an idea of what app you want to create. How do you build a team that delivers a solution everyone is proud of? What does it take to align your vision with your teammates? The key is to use empathy as your guide for inclusive collaboration! In this workshop, you will learn how to work together as a team to create amazing app designs.

1/7

Session 2

Building App Prototypes for iOS

25 Jan 2023
05:00 - 06:30 PM

Make it work, test and revise.
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You only have a few seconds to capture your users’ attention when they open your app. Building prototypes helps you test what works and what doesn’t! How can you make your user experience stand out?In this interactive workshop, you will learn how to create a seamless user experience.

2/7

Session 3

User Interface Design for All

1 Feb 2023
05:00 - 06:30 PM

Learn about user interfaces!
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We are excited that you are creating an app to solve a need in your community, but have you thought of everyone? How will a blind user or person with limited mobility use your app? What color scheme and features will you use to ensure all users can navigate your app? In this workshop, you will learn about accessible and inclusive app design.

3/7

Session 4

Storytelling for Your App Design

8 Feb 2023
05:00 - 06:30 PM

A good pitch is everything!
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You have built an app prototype that you are proud of. You know that it solves a problem, but how do you convince others about what your app has to offer? In this workshop, you will learn how to promote your app prototype. You will learn how to articulate your idea and convince people that your app is the best app for the problem you are solving.

4/7

Session 5

Visual Design for Arabic

15 Feb 2023
05:00 - 06:30 PM

Design is more than meets the eye.
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Designing apps for Arabic language speakers presents exciting opportunities and unique challenges. How do you plan app layouts that read from right to left? In this workshop, you will learn how to create beautiful right-to-left layouts. You will explore UI components and iconography, while discovering the nuances of Arabic script, numerals and typography.

5/7

Your Guide to iOS App Design

Student Workbook

The workbook will take you through each step of the process and provide you with tips and tricks to design the best app possible.

6/7

An exciting new initiative

Swift Accelerator 2023

All student submissions will receive an iOS Design Challenge 2023 Certificate, and your school may also be recognized. If your iOS app design is judged to be in the Top 200 submissions, you will have the opportunity to attend Swift Accelerator 2023.

7/7

Let's learn to teach app design...

Teacher Training & Support

Teachers sign up for the challenge and take part in the teacher training program to become iOS Design Club Leaders. Teachers establish either an in-school iOS Design Challenge Program for their students, or else run an after-school iOS Design Club as an extra curricular activity for students.

‍Workshops to Guide You Each Step of the Way
‍Teachers are invited to attend a five-session teacher training program in November 2022 (3 days) and Jan 2023 (2 days) led by our team of Apple Distinguished Educators and Apple Professional Learning Specialists. Upon completion of the teacher training program, teachers will earn an iOS Design Leaders Certificate. Teachers will be able to start running the program with students from mid-November 2022.

‍What competences will students gain?
‍Critical Thinking | Digital Fluency | Entrepreneurship | Cognitive Flexibility | Collaboration

‍What skills will students learn?
‍Computational Thinking and Logic | Creativity | UI Design | UX Design | Coding Principles | Project Management | Goal Setting | Real-World Problem Solving | Communication and Teamwork

Workshop 1

Problem Scoping

How you start matters!
‍Tuesday, 15 November
Workshops:
English 04:00 - 05:00 PM
Arabic 05:30 - 06:30 PM

Learn how the program works and understand the project themes. Help students scope their projects and frame the challenge that they want to solve. An introduction to all materials and student resources will also be presented.

Workshop 2

App Planning

Understanding iOS devices
‍Thursday, 17 November
Workshops:
Arabic 04:00 - 05:00 PM
English 05:30 - 06:30 PM

Understanding the core functionality built into iOS devices is an essential step at the beginning of any app design journey. This workshop will explore all the things that are possible with iOS devices and how to teach them to your students.

Workshop 3

Design & Prototype

Time to get building...
Tuesday, 22 November
Workshops:
English 04:00 - 05:00 PM
Arabic 05:30 - 06:30 PM

Prototyping and designing an app requires considerable skill across many disciplines. Teachers will understand core design principles and prototyping strategies and processes they can teach to their students.

Workshop 4

Evaluate & Refine

Testing and iteration
‍Tuesday, 24 Jan 2023
Workshops:
Arabic 04:00 - 05:00 PM
English 05:30 - 06:30 PM

Testing and improvement is a vital part of the app design process. Learn how to assist students with developing effective test scripts and how to convert their user feedback into actionable steps for improving their prototype.

Workshop 5

Pitch Your Solution

Sell your creative ideas
‍Tuesday, 31 Jan 2023
Workshops:
English 04:00 - 05:00 PM
Arabic 05:30 - 06:30 PM

Coach students to sell the story of their app design by preparing a presentation video. Discover some helpful pitching strategies, as well as important pointers about presenting design work in a clear and effective manner.

iOS App Design Challenge

Teacher Guidebook

Resources for Educators
The teacher guidebook will provide detailed instructions on how to lead students through the various phases of app development.

More Information

Frequent Questions

Basic Program Information

1. What is this program all about?
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The iOS Design Challenge is an app design challenge for high school students that takes place over four months. Students will use free online resources and tools from Apple to develop an app prototype that supports and enhances tolerance and understanding within the multicultural population of the UAE .

2. Who can participate?

This challenge is open to all students aged 13-18 currently enrolled in private and government high schools in the UAE.

3. Is the competition free?

Yes, it is free to participate in the iOS Design Challenge. This initiative is fully funded by Sandooq Al Watan and supported by Apple Distinguished Educators in the UAE.

4. What are the dates?

Register:
Teacher register on the competition website by 31 October 2023.

Virtual Sessions (Teachers):
Virtual sessions will run from November 2022 to January 2023. Exact dates/times are reflected in the Program Guidebook and on the competition website.
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Virtual Sessions (Students):
Virtual sessions will run from January 2023 to February 2023. Exact dates/times are reflected in the Program Guidebook and on the competition website.
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Competition Submissions:
All final submissions are due on 27 February 2023. There will be milestones to complete along the way. Please see the Program Guidebook and the competition website for details.

How to Participate

5. Can I work in a team?

Students can participate individually or in teams of 2-4 students. Teams do not have to be from the same school. Students must form their own team if they want to participate in a group.

6. Can I submit as an individual if I registered as a team?

Yes, you can submit as an individual if you initially registered as a team, provided the work that you submit was created by you only.
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7. Do I need to know coding to participate?

Students do not need to have prior experience in coding to participate.

8. What type of support is offered to participants?

Students will be provided with free virtual sessions throughout spring, a comprehensive Program Guidebook and a number of free resources related to design thinking, iOS app design, coding principles and more.

9. Do you teacher need to sign up?

Yes, teachers must sign up for the Challenge in order for their students to take part.

10. Can students sign up for this challenge?

Students need to sign up for the Challenge through their respective teachers.

Other Information

11. Are teacher workshops in person or virtual?

All teacher workshops will be virtual.

12. Are student workshops in person or virtual?

Student workshops with Apple/industry experts will be virtual.
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13. Are the live sessions recorded?

Yes, most live sessions are recorded. Videos can be viewed here: https://training.iosdesign.ae/

14. Will teachers receive a certificate for taking part in the iOS Design Club program?

‍Teachers who attend the training sessions will receive official iOS Design Club Design Leader certificates (digital) for participating in the professional development program.

15. Will students receive a certificate for taking part in the challenge?

Students who successfully submit their final project by 27 February 2023 will not only receive an iOS Design Challenge 2023 certificate, but will get the opportunity to compete for a place in the Swift Accelerator 2023 program.

16. Can I apply with a previous project that I made?

No, you need to create a new solution/app design for this challenge.

17. What is the last day for submissions?

27 February 2023.

18. What do I have to submit as a final product?

You have to submit a three-minute video pitch demonstrating your app design solution.

19. What is the best way to interact with the student workbook?

We recommend using Adobe Acrobat. You can download it here.

20. What is the purpose of the student workbook?

The student workbook is a portfolio of work that will provide supporting documents for your final presentation.

21. What format can the video be in?

.MP4
.MPEG-4
.MOV
.WMV

22. How do I submit my final project?

2023 submissions are now closed. Watch this space for details of the next edition later on in the year.

23. What devices are required?

Any of the following devices can be used to participate in the challenge:
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Apple Mac
iOS
Android
Windows PC
Tablet

24. What downloads are required?

Optional - create a free iCloud account to download Apple resources from PC andAndroid devices. https://support.apple.com/en-ae/HT204316

Optional - create a free Figma account to create app prototypes from Mac and PC devices https://www.figma.com

25. What if I have other questions?
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Please send questions to: iosdeign@swatan.ae

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iOS Design Challenge

iOS Design Challenge

Technology for Tolerance!

How it works...

The Student Journey

Teacher Training & Support

Frequent Questions

iOS App Design Challenge

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iOS Design
Challenge