Have a question about the Student Design Challenge? Read below for answers to frequently asked questions regarding this student competition.

My team has been chosen as a finalist to present in-person at the virtual SDC. What are the specific requirements of my team?
You will be expected to attend a virtual judging event with the SDC judges, where you will provide a 10 minute presentation of your design followed by opportunity for Q&A with the judges. The top three winners will be announced at the RESNA awards ceremony on Thursday, July 11 at 5 p.m. ET after the judges have time to deliberate.

Should I have my design with me for the virtual event?
Yes! It is always beneficial to bring your physical product for a live demonstration.

If my team has been selected as a finalist to present, how many team members may present?
Your full team may present at the virtual event.

Since uploading our design brief, we have worked more on the project and have improved the design. Would it be recommended that we show the new content in the final presentation?
You are allowed to and encouraged to present on any updates you have made since your initial design submission.

Regarding content:

• Each finalist team is allowed to and encouraged to present on any updates you have made to your project since the original submission. The overall idea is to cover the contents of your submitted Design Brief and focus on areas that may highlight why your design is: innovative, adaptive, accessible, beneficial, and unlike available designs.
  • Historically, judges like to know that market research has been done by the team and that the team is able to defend why the submitted design is different from the current products on the market. It is also beneficial to show any user testing done – the judges always love seeing that the team is remembering to design for the people they are serving each step of the way. 

Would the students own the rights to the design?  For example, if a company shows interest in the design as a real product, are the students contacted about that interest?  How are the students' designs protected?  Have any of the previous competition winners experienced companies wanting to advance their idea?
SDC teams still own the rights to their design though if they are pursuing patents presenting virtually may affect this process so please consult legal counsel for specific questions about pursuing patents. In the past, we have had teams specifically tell us which information they did not want to disclose publicly. That said, if ownership is a concern for any of your student teams, I would recommend that they speak with the legal/tech transfer office at your university. If a company is interested in one of the products submitted, the SDC team can interact with the company directly.

We are planning on entering the SDC and would like to know if the design briefs will be published publically or if they will only be shared with the judges. In other words, will we be disclosing our IP by entering the competition? 
The judges will have access to information about each of the projects that are submitted, however, RESNA will keep the submission not available publicly if IP disclosure is of concern to your students’ team and you notify us of this concern. You are responsible for letting RESNA know of this request. Please note that if your project is to be chosen as one of the finalists, you will be asked to present your project in a live, virtual format, and the project information will be shared on our website and in press releases - If you are a finalist team and have IP disclosure concerns, please make adjustments to the final stage presentation appropriately.

For teams with IP disclosure concerns, will the team have the opportunity to cater that open-audience “public” presentation such that it is non-disclosing if they are selected? 
Yes, all finalist teams will have an opportunity to prepare their live judging presentation and documentation between the time they are notified of their selection as finalist and the RESNA SDC live judging . Please note, each team can choose to not disclose some of the private information at any time during the competition process. This means each team can also do this in their full submission, I would advise that if the aspects that are innovative are the more “private info”, it would be to their benefit to wow the judges by disclosing it in their full submission but ultimately it is up to them how much information they disclose.

If my team has IP disclosure concerns, would we be able to hide internal components of our design if we are selected as finalists to present and focus on what the design can do rather than how it works? In other words, could we show a demonstration with the inner workings of the device hidden?
Yes, you are allowed to choose what and how much you share regarding your project at the final public presentation. Please keep in mind, if the internal components are the innovative aspects that will “wow” the judges that get you to the final stages, choosing to not disclose that information could reflect on your judging but you are not required to share any specific information. That is left to your team’s discretion. 

Is this an International competition?
Yes, this is an international competition. The SDC is open to students from all over the world. We frequently have several representatives from India and South Korea. In 2021 we had a team from Canada and Switzerland as well.

Is there anywhere we may be able to view example presentations from past designs?
Yes, you can find past projects here.

Below are some pointers leading up to your final judging for SDC finalists:

• Submission tips & advice:
  • Historically, the SDC judges have prioritized these aspects of a submission:
    • Has the team has tested their product with an end user, or have they received end-user feedback
    • Has market research been completed?
  • Submissions will be judged on the following areas:
    • Accessibility: is it AT? Accessibility for target demographic, accessibility for non-target demographic with or without disabilities, “one-off” solution vs. universal solution
    • Innovation: novel, unlike available designs, new problems addressed, familiar problems addressed in new & better ways
    • Design & Technicality: number of engineering concepts addresses, form factor of product, aesthetics, intentional simplicity, complex not pretty design vs. simple sleek functional design
    • User-centric: user testing, safety, durability, multi-disciplinary approach to problem
    • Relevance & Impact: is it AT? Is it needed? Cool design vs. beneficial design
    • Market Value: comparison to existing commercial options, market research, future plans
• Slide deck:
  • You should have received correspondence from RESNA’s office regarding how to submit the slide deck for your presentation. These slide decks are due back to the RESNA office no later than Wednesday, July 3. The slide deck will then be shared with the judges in advance of your presentation. 
•  Live judging helpful tips & advice:
  • You are allowed to and encouraged to present on any updates you have made since your initial design submission.
  • Think ahead: you may be asked about future plans for your project.
  • The overall idea is to cover the contents of your submitted Design Brief.
  • Focus on areas that may highlight why your design is: innovative, adaptive, accessible, beneficial, and unlike available designs.
  • Judges like to know that market research has been done, so please be prepare to defend why the submitted design is different from the current products on the market.
  • It is always beneficial to show any user testing: it is crucial that you, as the design team, is remembering to design for the people you are serving each step of the way.
  • It is always beneficial to have a physical product or device to demo at the live judging.

Please contact the RESNA office at info@resna.org with any other questions regarding the SDC.