MasterTech

Building digital innovators and technology solutions

MasterTech is a digital immersive program delivered over 1-week in a design sprint format at the Digital Innovation Hub. The program aims to build participants technical capabilities, workshop problems and create technology solutions for impact.

Through the MasterTech program, the participants gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art technology and practical skills that will undoubtedly benefit them in the future. The program offers a unique opportunity for the students of all ages to develop their skills in technology but also to gain valuable insight into being an innovator.

The duration and specific activities within a design sprint can be adjusted to suit the needs of the team and the problem at hand. While the five-day structure is common, some teams might choose to extend or shorten the sprint based on their requirements.

A one to five day collaborative technology challenge that takes place in the Digital Innovation Hub/Innovation Central Melbourne.

  • Setup: Collaborative workgroups formed and then challenged to try new things in a programming language of their choice (assuming python), and build 3D models, animation and virtual worlds. These may be self-initiated or prescribed by the facilitators.
  • The Challenge: Teams are challenged to fail fast pivot to new ideas and build multiple prototypes before settling on a final product to finish. A facilitators toolkit helps the organisers provide team challenges the push teams to fail fast and pivot continuously over days 2-3.
  • Mystery Box: At least one technology element is not introduced at the start, rather it maybe lying around in the room, it could be something that needs fixing or something new and never opened.
  • Never a pressure test (unless there is...): On day 4 collaborators may be shocked by a surprise task. This is where divergent thinking might enter each group to shape a positive story and a more detailed outcome for the work that they are doing.
  • Expo Showcase: On day 5 collaborators work on their projects in the morning and then set up their showcase and are actively showing their work as if in a commercial expo or trade show.
  • Scale: The program is scaled depending on timing. Ultimately one day is the minimum for working through a makers-challenge using technology ingredients in MasterTech recipes.

  • Learn and work through the design sprint process to develop a custom solution
  • Rapid prototyping and ideation
  • Building a new/custom experience in a platform of the participants choice i.e. Python, Unity, Unreal Engine or even Minecraft
  • Presentation/exposition of project at the conclusion of the design sprint

  • A five day design sprint delivered in the Digital Innovation Hub

    The goal of a design sprint is to compress the traditional design and development timeline into a shorter period to quickly validate technology prototypes and gather feedback. The typical structure of a design sprint spans five days and involves a cross-functional team with diverse skills such as designers, developers, marketers, and domain experts.

The five day design sprint typically follows the below structure:

  • Understand: On the first day, the team gathers to understand the problem, define the goals, and establish a shared understanding of the challenge.
  • Diverge: On the second day, team members generate a wide range of ideas individually. This could involve brainstorming, sketching, or other creative exercises to explore different solutions.
  • Converge: On the third day, the team reviews and selects the most promising ideas. They then work together to combine and refine these ideas into a single, coherent concept.
  • Prototype: On the fourth day, the team creates a high-fidelity prototype of the chosen concept. This could involve designing digital screens, crafting physical models, or other forms of representation.
  • Test: On the fifth day, the team tests the prototype with potential users or stakeholders. This feedback helps identify any issues or improvements that need to be addressed.
  • By the end of the five-day process, the team has a tested prototype and valuable insights about its viability. Design sprints are particularly useful when there's uncertainty about a solution or when there's a need to quickly validate ideas before committing significant resources to development.

  • On enquiry, typical range is $20K for 20 people for 3-5 days

Need more information?

Connect with the Digital Innovation Hub on dih@latrobe.edu.au