About the challenge
Western Founders Network’s Product Design Sprint (PDS) is a weekend-long, hackathon-style design competition where teams use design thinking to tackle a real-world problem and pitch a portfolio-ready solution.

You’ll go from problem → research/insights → ideation → wireframes/prototype → final pitch, with support from workshops, mentors, and industry guests. Whether you’re brand new to product design or already experienced, PDS is built to help you learn fast, collaborate, and ship something you’re proud to show.

What you’ll do

• Work in teams to solve a real product challenge

• Apply design thinking and user-centered design methods

• Build a prototype (Figma recommended) + concise product story

• Present your solution to judges and get actionable feedback

• Network with mentors and company reps through workshops/coffee chats

Deliverables (for Devpost submission)

• Project name + short description

• Problem statement + target user

• Solution overview + key features

• Prototype link (Figma or equivalent) + screenshots

• Optional: Any links to relevant work on other platforms, demo video (recommended), research notes, user flows

Get started

1. Sign up and form a team (you can check out the Discord to find a team!)

2. Join the opening ceremony to receive the challenge + resources.

3. Attend workshops/mentor hours, then build your prototype.

4. Submit on Devpost before the deadline and pitch!

• Problem Relevance (15)
  Shows understanding of user and pain points Clearly Identified issue/ focus for improvement Innovative yet feasible ideas
• User Experience (10)
  Shows understanding of user and pain points Clearly Identified issue/ focus for improvement Innovative yet feasible ideas
• Visual Design (10)
  Visual design is appealing and appropriate to the situation and user
• Project Completeness and Breadth (10)
  Multiple thoroughly designed features Prototype approaches high fidelity
• Design Process (5)
  Shows iterations and progression Rationalizes design decisions