BARCELONA OOREDOO, with partners the GSMA, USAID and AusAID, on Tuesday announced the winners of the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge, which aims to redefine the smartphone user experience for resource-poor women in emerging markets.
Ooredoo CEO Dr Nasser Marafih presented the grand prize of $20,000 to Jeremy Canfield, Sarah Fathallah and Angel Kittiyachavalit for their design, ‘Sahel Shake’, at a ceremony at Mobile World Congress 2013.
Aloke Pillai of the York Sheridan Design Programme for ‘mpower’ was given second position with a prize of $10,000.
The Emerging Talent Prize of $10,000, which is reserved for an entry from emerging markets to ensure entrepreneurs are able to compete alongside professional design firms, was awarded to Raphael Mutiso from Kenya for his entry ‘Simplified Grayscale Power Efficient Interface.’ “The standard of entries was extremely high, but the winning submissions were outstanding and we heartily congratulate them all,” said Chris Locke, Managing Director, GSMA Mobile for Development and member of the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge selection panel.
“Designing for the specific needs of resource-poor consumers is vital to increasing access to mobile’s social benefits, as well as increasing commercial value for the mobile industry.” Dr Nasser Marafih said, “We are delighted to be involved in the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge, as it seeks to address technical literacy issues for under-served communities around the world.
The energy, creativity and innovation demonstrated by all the entrants are an inspiration and we believe that the winning entries will play a vital role in enriching the lives of women in the near future.
“Our congratulations go to the winners, and our thanks go to the GSMA and all the partners for their support for this competition. We are looking forward to exploring the opportunity to bring to market those innovations.” Grand prize-winning team Jeremy Canfield, Sarah Fathallah and Angel Kittiyachavalit said: “We are thrilled to have the chance to share this design with the attendees of Mobile World Congress as well as a wider audience.
“We particularly want to thank GSMA mWomen, Ooredoo, USAID and AusAID.
As designers, it is always a privilege to share our work on this type of platform and have the opportunity to bring this design to life.” USAID Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Counselor Maura O’Neill noted that, “We launched the Design Challenge to curate the best ideas for reimagining how women engage with mobile technologies. We are eager to see their designs catalyze the industry and kindle a new movement to address the mobile needs of women everywhere.”
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