Boys find smart solutions to Huawei’s design challenge
Tonbridge’s Lower Sixth students had the opportunity to work with a world-leading company as part of their Design and Technology A-level course.
Huawei, the consumer technology giant, developed a product design challenge in conjunction with the School’s Design, Technology and Engineering department. The brief was to design and prototype a new piece of smart technology that reflected Huawei’s core values – in particular focusing on sustainability, innovation and seamless integration and connectivity between devices.
Students were given a blank canvas and encouraged to be as innovative as possible, while ensuring their chosen technology was feasible and in keeping with the brand.
Some amazing prizes were up for grabs in the form of latest Huawei products, which helped to inspire the boys even further.
Following some in-depth research into both the brand and the marketplace, each student was able to identify a specific target market and USP (unique selling point) for their product. They then began the design iteration process, coming up with a range of potential solutions.
Richard Day, Head of Design and Technology, said: “I was extremely impressed with the way that the boys embraced the challenge and by their original and innovative products. Working with real-life clients, on genuine design problems, gives them some invaluable experience not just for their studies, but for their future careers too.”
He added: “The designs were hugely diverse in their approach, with some focusing on the Covid pandemic, others developing completely new products and some drawing from new technologies such as bone conduction headphones.”
Louisa Leung (Huawei UK Senior Channel Marketing Manager) and Nicky Nahar (Huawei UK Marketing Manager) viewed the presentations and products via Teams. Each student was given a five-minute slot to pitch their design and show their completed model.
With the aid of a Powerpoint presentation, they tried to persuade the judges that their vision for Huawei was the best one. After questioning from Ms Leung, Mr Nahar and the teachers present, the prize winners were decided.
Ms Leung added: “As a leading global brand in the technology market, it is exciting for Huawei to see young students pushing the boundaries of design. It was great to see so many creative ideas and approaches to the brief, and to hear the different presentations.”
The winners were as follows:
1st: James Watts (OH4) was awarded ‘the most complete package prize’ for his family home speaker with multiple device charging. James wins a 5G Phone.
2nd: Ryan Cheung (PH4) was awarded ‘the most innovative solution’ prize for his wireless ear buds. Ryan wins a modular smart camera/watch for extreme sports.
3rd: Dhani Lynch (FH4) was ‘highly commended’ for showing attention to detail and for solving a genuine problem, in creating headphones that allow the user to attach a face mask. Dhani wins a fitness smart watch.
Pictured above: From left, Ryan, James and Dhani, with their products and prizes.
Below: All entrants in the design challenge.
