Emirates NBD, a prominent banking group in the MENAT region, is pleased to reveal the champions of its challenge within the 2024 Project Design Space (PDS). In partnership with the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), this initiative highlights Emirates NBD's dedication to fostering innovation. It aims to nurture regional talent, empowering them to creatively solve challenges within the financial services sector.
PDS, recognized as the UAE's largest design competition for high school students, provides an interactive learning platform for young innovators to gain hands-on experience tackling real-world design challenges presented by industry leaders. This year, Emirates NBD partnered with DIDI to advance design thinking and explore innovative user experience (UX) solutions that inspire and empower customers to achieve their objectives. The competition united aspiring student designers from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge's (ADEK) RizeUp program and young creatives from Bon Education, an educational consultancy and program design studio. Participants were tasked with creating prototypes of AI-driven banking solutions aimed at delivering seamless customer experiences.
Saud Al Dhawyani, Group Chief Platforms Officer at Emirates NBD, said, “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 overarching mission to nurture promising students by giving them 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, Innovation and Institutional Partnerships at the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, said, “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, running from January to May, involved more than 350 students from Abu Dhabi schools selected by DIDI. These students tackled challenges posed by Emirates NBD, LG, and TAQA, with Emirates NBD focusing on AI-driven solutions aimed at empowering customers to achieve their objectives. Participants received specialized training and mentorship to develop innovative solutions tailored to meet Emirates NBD's customer needs. Each team presented a three-minute video pitch showcasing their functional prototype, key research insights shaping their design, and how their solution enhances the customer journey and user experience. The top eight teams, acknowledged for their design thinking, teamwork, and creativity, progressed to a virtual boot camp where they presented their final prototypes to a judging panel comprising representatives from Emirates NBD, LG, and TAQA.
