Students bold designs earn global recognition
Brian Ncube and Ester Terblanche were recently named finalists in the globally recognised UX Design Awards. Their innovative projects, which showcased and address real world challenges, are among 69 international New Talent category entries received from respected institutions including Harvard University and Politecnico di Milano.
Both graduates from IIE-Vega School, an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (IIE), are 2024 alumni.
Hosted by the International Design Centre Berlin, an independent design association, the UX Design Awards celebrate meaningful digital solutions that tackle pressing social and environmental issues. From over 440 submissions spanning 38 countries, 162 nominees in total were selected this year in the New Talent, Concept, Product and Vision categories.
Ncube, from Johannesburg, who is employed as Design Practice Lead by Standard Bank, earned two nominations for his projects which stem from his passion for solving societal problems through innovative design.
His first, “Mpho, SA's First Virtual Presidential Candidate”, is a transmedia campaign designed to combat voter apathy in South Africa.
Using Mpho, an AI powered virtual electoral candidate, the project engaged citizens through visual storytelling, digital platforms and social media, inspiring civic participation.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the campaign, Ncube said: “At the time of the 2024 elections, I had voter apathy and so did my friends. I was sure others felt the same way too. So I thought to myself: ‘What if we had a candidate to vote for?’ That’s how Mpho was born.”
Inspired by Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, Mpho was designed to embody the ideal leader, showing politicians how to connect with younger generations digitally. Ncube even explored turning Mpho into a comic book character, drawing inspiration from Madam & Eve and Calvin & Hobbes.
Ncube’s second nomination, “AgriLove, Uganda’s Farmers Marketplace”, aims to support small scale farmers in Uganda by providing a digital platform for collaboration, resource sharing and financial access.
“Uganda is a key market for Standard Bank’s Africa division and I noticed small scale farmers were often excluded from opportunities. This project focuses on giving them a voice, showing how they can access funding and improve their livelihoods. It’s a concept that could work in South Africa too, where agriculture has untapped potential for economic growth,” he explained.
While both projects remain in the prototype stage, Ncube is determined to develop them further. “My lecturer, Dr Ria van Zyl (Dean IIE-Vega School), encouraged me to refine these ideas and turn them into tangible solutions. I hope to present AgriLove at work and to finish my Mpho comic book by the end of the year,” said Ncube.
Terblanche’s nomination, “Disfluency Even Humans Stutter”, uses a custom designed font to visually simulate the experience of stuttering. Paired with an immersive website, it raises awareness through interactive storytelling.
The font distorts letter forms using waveforms, mimicking speech disfluency. Launched on World Stuttering Awareness Day via Google, the website lets users download the font and experience the challenge of typing with a stutter - building empathy through participation.
Terblanche, also from Johannesburg, credited her Experience Design lecturer, Farrell West, for encouraging her to enter the awards.
Her inspiration came from a personal encounter: “One weekend at home, my dad’s friend - who stutters, tried to greet me but struggled. It caught me off guard. Months later, I thought ‘What if I created a font to raise awareness?’”
Her research revealed that 81 million people worldwide stutter, including public figures like Ed Sheeran, Samuel L. Jackson and the late Marilyn Monroe. She incorporated their stories into the website to show that stuttering doesn’t limit success.
A key feature of the website is its tagline “Just Wait”.
“You must go through each step. If you try to skip ahead, a message says ‘Just Wait’ - reinforcing the importance of not interrupting someone who stutters,” explained Terblanche.
The website also includes sound bites of real-life experiences, highlighting the insensitive remarks people with speech disfluencies often face.
Christiaan Graaff, Head of Communication Design IIE-Vega School, expressed his pride at the students nominations: “This is only the second time that IIE-Vega School has entered the UX Design Awards. We are thrilled that our students excelled, securing three nominations this year. What makes this even more remarkable is that two of the nominated projects come from the distance programmes. The UX Design Awards align perfectly with the IIE-Vega School way and what we instil in our students when crafting solutions for real-life challenges. We are incredibly proud of Brian and Ester and their guiding lecturers and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for an excellent outcome,” said Graaff.
Ncube and Terblanche are thrilled to be finalists and have rallied friends and family to vote for them on the UX Design Awards website (https://ux-design-awards.com/winners?grouped=&search=&filter=&year=). Public choice voting closes on February 25 and the winners will be announced via a live stream on the UX Design Awards website on March 5.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE