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UMSI team wins CHI 2024 Student Design Competition

A graphic with the CHI 2024 logo and the text "First Prize, Student Design Competition, "Where's the Water? Supporting Clean Water Access for the Homeless Community" alongside a headshot of Alexandra Balmaceda, with the text "MSI graduate," and a headshot of Nina Chen, with the text "MSI graduate."

Tuesday, 05/28/2024

By Abigail McFee

Master of Science in Information graduates Alexandra Balmaceda and Nina Chen have earned first prize in the global CHI 2024 Student Design Competition. Their entry, “Where’s the Water? Supporting Clean Water Access for the Homeless Community,” represents work completed as students at the University of Michigan School of Information.

Nearly 50 student teams from universities around the globe submitted entries to the Student Design Competition. Finalists competed in a poster session at the CHI 2024 conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the top five teams advancing to present their design process and respond to questions in front of a panel of judges. Balmaceda and Chen were honored alongside one other winning team and one runner-up during the conference’s closing ceremony. 

This year’s design brief — “Appropriate Solutions for All” — asked teams to develop a solution connected to one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

Chen and Balmaceda were motivated to increase access to clean water for the homeless population.

They completed their project in the MSI user experience and design mastery course, taught by associate professor Florian Schaub. Balmaceda and Chen developed a prototype for a web-based application, “Where’s the Water?” that maps nearby clean water sources like drinking fountains, public restrooms and showers. Users can add new sources to the map and filter the displayed options based on their needs and preferences. The tool’s design was informed by interviews with more than 15 members of the homeless community in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

“Over time, with more research and being able to add translation options, we’re hoping it can spread across Washtenaw County, the state, the nation and — long term — even the world,” Balmaceda says. “Because we want to be able to help as many people as possible.”

Where's the Water: Alexandra Balmaceda and Nina Chen

Alexandra Balmaceda speaks with an Expo guest about her project with Nina Chen on expanding access to clean water for the homeless community. (Photo: Jeffrey Smith)
Balmaceda and Chen present their work during a poster session at CHI 2024. (Photo courtesy of Nina Chen)

Balmaceda and Chen's "Where's the Water?” first garnered recognition at the annual UMSI Student Project Exposition in April. They earned the top prize for projects related to the school's theme year on water conservation and access

Competing at CHI 2024 in May gave them an opportunity to share their design with a broader audience. Each year, the Student Design Competition identifies some of the most talented students entering the field of user experience design. 

“For me, the competition is a valuable chance to bring attention to the water access challenges faced by vulnerable populations,” Chen says. “I really enjoy collaborating with my teammate Alex to discover and address real problems. I hope we can eventually turn our solution into a product that benefits the community.”

LEARN MORE

Read a feature story highlighting “Where’s the Water?” here.