Frequently Asked Questions

During Weekend 1, you’ll get free swag, network with peers, attend UX workshops and panels to help you prepare for the competition.

During Weekend 2, you will compete in a team in our 24 hour Designathon! You can apply everything that you’ve learned in the first weekend to create your own original app or website for the chance to win a grand prize.

Yes! Our organization is dedicated to helping the local Cal Poly SLO students learn more about UX by providing accessible opportunities!

Don’t worry! We can help you prepare! During Weekend One, we’ll have a series of presentations that can give you tips & tricks on how to succeed in building your prototype and presenting your case study. Additionally, we curated a list of free UX resources that you can check out to learn more on your own time!

Here’s the rundown: On Saturday morning, we’ll release a prompt posing a real-world issue your app will solve. So in 24 hours, you will prepare an original app or website prototype that helps solve your real-world issue! Additionally, in that 24 hours, you will need to prepare a 10-minute presentation that goes over the research you conducted, your design solutions, and your challenges & learnings!

At the end of the Designathon, not only will you have a really cool original prototype, but also a thorough case study that you can use in your portfolio!

Applications for the event open up in November. For now, follow us on Instagram @uxfestslo. We’ll be hosting events throughout the school year to get you ready for the Designathon, so we’ll see you around ;)

Weekend One: January 10-11th, 2026
Weekend Two: January 17-18th, 2026