Designathon

August 29–30 2026

Online

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Agenda

9:30 AM

Welcoming & Networking

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Opening keynote

10:30 – 10:40 AM

Break / Q&A

10:40 – 11:00 AM

Poster session, student

11:00 – 11:30 AM

Mindset / Communication

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Gavin's talk

12:00 – 12:45 PM

Intro + team formation + mentor intro

12:45 – 1:00 PM

Break

1:00 PM

Hackathon starts

2:00 – 2:30 PM

Tiffany / Linda

2:30 – 3:00 PM

Matt / Leo

3:00 PM

Continue + mentor help

12:00 PM

Hackathon ends

12:00 – 12:30 PM

Buffer

12:30 PM

Presentations by teams, 10 min max each

3:30 – 4:00 PM

Closing keynote

4:00 – 4:30 PM

Gifts

Sessions

SAT | AUG 29, 2026 | 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Speaker Name

Gavin Lew

UX Talk

SAT | AUG 29, 2026 | 11:00 – 11:30 AM

Speaker Name

Carolyn Tang Kmet

Storytelling Talk

SAT | AUG 29, 2026 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Speaker Name

Leo Hoar

Strategic Prompting for Better UX Insights

SAT | AUG 29, 2026 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Speaker Name

Linda Borghesani

UX Talk

SAT. | AUG 29, 2026 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Speaker Name

Tiffany Liaw

UX Talk

SAT | AUG 29, 2026 | 2:30 - 3:00 PM

Speaker Name

Matt Karakilic

Designed Forward Talk

SUN. | AUG 30, 2026 | 10:00 AM

Speaker Name

TBD

Session

SUN | AUG 30, 2026 | 3:00 - 4:30 PM

Speaker Name

TBD

Session

Speakers

Gavin Lew

Gavin Lew

Managing Partner at Bold Insight

Carolyn Tang Kmet

Carolyn Tang Kmet

Associate Professor at Northwestern University

Leo Hoar

Leo Hoar

Founder, UXR Institute

Linda Borghesani

Linda Borghesani

Senior UX Researcher at Think Company & Lecturer at Tufts University

Tiffany Liaw

Tiffany Liaw

Senior Product Designer at Harvard Medical School

Matt Karakilic

Matt Karakilic

User Experience Consultant at Omani Consulting

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Mentors

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Judges

Alex Schulko

Alex Schulko

UX Architect at NVISIA

Derek Desormeaux

Derek Desormeaux

Sr Associate Designer at Workday

Linda Borghesani

Linda Borghesani

Sr UX Researcher at Think Company & Lecturer at Tufts University

Kerry Chang

Kerry Chang

Product Manager at Northern Trust

Leo Hoar

Leo Hoar

Founder, UXR Institute

Tiffany Liaw

Tiffany Liaw

Senior Product Designer at Harvard Medical School

Sponsors

Team

Sri Lasya

Sri Lasya S

Founder

Get Involved

Designathon runs on people who show up. Here's how you can help make it happen.

1

Sponsor

Back the event and help us keep it free and accessible for students and beginners.

Get in touch →

2

Mentor

Guide a team through the weekend. No teaching experience needed, just a willingness to help.

Become a mentor →

3

Support Team

Help run things behind the scenes, logistics, communications, and everything in between.

Join the team →

FAQ

No. This event is built for beginners as much as professionals.

No, we can match you with one, or you can bring your own.

It's all free, Make sure to attend those talks!

Save your seat

Spots are limited. No experience required.

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