Skip to main content
Voices of ACES Blog

Technology, User-Centered Design, and Rugby in Auckland!

Students making wallets

We started the day off early and met in the lobby of the Juicy Snooze at 7:00am. We had a full day ahead of us, so we quickly departed the hostel and walked down the hill into the city to grab a bite to eat in downtown Auckland.

After breakfast, we headed to Callaghan Innovation for a presentation by Simon Yarrow of Agritech. Agritech strives to grow the New Zealand economy via agricultural technology and innovation. Agritech believes that future agricultural advances in New Zealand will be the result of digital technology and automation, environmental management, and the traceability of agricultural products.

Next, we headed up to the next floor to meet with Better by Design for a presentation with Ash Khosravi and his team. Better by Design is an organization that works with companies to improve products via user-centered design. To demonstrate how their user-centered design process works, the team led us through an activity where we designed wallets for a partner. The activity allowed us to learn how they assister their clients to create a valuable product that is user-centered and as a result, enables the company to be more profitable. Check out some of our creative prototypes below!

Paper wallets

 

By noon it was time for lunch! The group split up to search for food along Auckland’s harbor--some got fresh seafood, such as fish and chips, while others went to Burger Boy for some beef or chicken sandwiches.

In the afternoon, we met with a former IBIP student, Trent, who went to Europe during his business immersion program. Trent’s IBIP experience eventually led him to pursue his doctorate in New Zealand. He has now lived and worked in New Zealand for over 15 years, so we were able to discuss the challenges, benefits, and opportunities of living and working in a new country. It was a great experience to meet up with him as he was once in our shoes, but is now following a promising career path in New Zealand.

Soon after meeting with Trent, we headed to Icebreaker, where we continued to follow the Merino wool value chain. There, we learned that Icebreaker now faces competition because they are no longer the sole clothing company that uses merino wool (Nike, Arcteryx, etc., have all incorporated Merino wool in their performance wear). Best of all, we all got to shop at the end of our visit due to the kind generosity of Icebreaker with a 25% discount!

To end the night, we all headed to a bar down the hill from the Juicy Snooze and met with Auckland Young Farmers. After about an hour, we headed for the Blues (Auckland) vs. Chiefs (Hamilton) rugby game. The game was a great experience even though it rained and ended up as a tie between the teams!

Blues (Auckland) vs. Chiefs (Hamilton) rugby game

Learn more about studying abroad with IBIP