Cece Aplacaid Trèanaidh Fìorachd Bhiortail by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai

Cece Aplacaid Trèanaidh Fìorachd Bhiortail by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Duais Iarainn A' Design Award in Dealbhadh Foghlaim, Ghoireasan Teagaisg agus Susbaint Trèanaidh Competition Category.

IarannFoghlam· 2026

Cece Aplacaid Trèanaidh Fìorachd Bhiortail

by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai

Client: Di Xia

Duais Iarainn A' Design Award Winner in Foghlam Category

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The Design

About Cece Aplacaid Trèanaidh Fìorachd Bhiortail

'S e neach-comhairle dreuchd fìorachd bhiortail a th' ann an Cece, air a dhealbhadh airson oileanaich saothrachaidh. Tha Cece a' cothlamadh headset VR le eadar-aghaidhean eadar-ghnìomhach gus an urrainn do dh'oileanaich dreuchdan gnìomhachais a rannsachadh, àrainneachdan àite-obrach fhiosrachadh agus sgilean co-cheangailte ri obair a chleachdadh. Bidh àidseant inntleachd fuadain air a stiùireadh le guth a' treòrachadh luchd-cleachdaidh tro inntrigeadh pearsanaichte, rannsachadh dhreuchdan agus trèanadh sgilean. Thèid adhartas a chlàradh agus fios air ais a thoirt seachad gus taic a chumail ri amasan ionnsachaidh. Tha an siostam ag amas air cosgaisean trèanaidh a lùghdachadh agus am beàrn eadar ionnsachadh acadaimigeach agus riatanasan a' ghnìomhachais a dhùnadh.

The Recognition

About the Duais Iarainn A' Design Award

Tha Cece Aplacaid Trèanaidh Fìorachd Bhiortail air Duais Iarainn A' Design Award a bhuannachadh, aithneachadh urramach a bheirear do dhealbhaidhean math a choinnicheas ris na riatanasan proifeiseanta is gnìomhachais a thathar a' sùileachadh bho chruthachaidhean a chaidh an dealbhadh gu math. Tha buannaichean Iarainn a' nochdadh sgil mhòr, speisealachadh àrd, tuigse eòlaiche agus comas cruthachail an luchd-cruthachaidh. Thathar an dùil gum bi Cece Aplacaid Trèanaidh Fìorachd Bhiortail na chruthachadh air a bheil mòran meas, ion-mholta agus gràdhach a tha practaigeach agus ùr-ghnàthach. Tha an dealbhadh seo a bhuannaich Duais Iarainn A' Design Award a' cur nan cleachdaidhean as fheàrr sa ghnìomhachas còmhla agus tha feartan teignigeach comasach aige ceangailte ri eòlas-dèanamh agus tàlant. Tha meas air Cece Aplacaid Trèanaidh Fìorachd Bhiortail airson a dhùrachd agus chaidh a dhealbhadh gus leasachaidhean càileachd beatha a thoirt seachad a chuidicheas le bhith a' dèanamh an t-saoghail na àite nas fheàrr.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Cece is an interactive VR career mentor designed for manufacturing students on campus, to holistically enhancing their education experience and help them explore industry roles, experience real workplace environments, and build job-ready skills at a low cost and accessible while bridging the gap between academic training and real industry requirements.
Dimensions & Packaging: Digital Product
Tags: VR, Immersive Learning, Skill Training, Career Advancing,Education Tech, Accessibility
Production Technology: This product combines a VR headset with interactive interfaces within a virtual environment to enable students to explore careers and develop job related skills.
Design Challenge: The most challenging part was designing the right balance between immersion and guidance. In a VR environment, it’s easy to create visually rich experiences, but without clear structure, users can feel lost. At the same time, adding too much guidance can break immersion and make the experience feel rigid. The challenge was to design a system where users could freely explore while still receiving the right level of support. This led us to introduce an AI agent that provides contextual guidance through natural conversation, instead of relying only on traditional UI elements.
Research: Desk Research
We analyzed policies, investments, and employment data in manufacturing. While industry investment is growing, student employment is declining—revealing a key gap.

Primary Research
We interviewed 20+ students, career advisors, and industry professionals in Seattle, gaining insights from both education and hiring perspectives.

Key Insights

Education–Industry Gap
Curriculum and equipment lag behind industry needs.
Experience Preference
Companies favor experienced candidates due to high training costs.
Lack of Career Clarity
Students lack understanding of real work environments, leading to job instability.
Inspiration: Our idea was inspired by our research, which revealed a significant gap between what students learn in school and the skills required in the real world. After brainstorming, we identified an opportunity in VR. Although the hype around VR has faded, its ability to simulate real-world environments in a cost-effective way still offers strong potential for improving education and training.
Project Duration: This project started in March 2024 and was completed in August 2024, based in Seattle.
Operation Flow: 1 Dual Interaction Modes
Combines VR controllers with a voice-driven AI agent for intuitive and natural interaction.
2 Personalized Onboarding
Users share background and goals with the AI to set up a tailored learning path.
3 Career Exploration & Guidance in VR
Recommends career paths and guides users through immersive scenarios with AI support.
4 VR Skill Training
Delivers hands-on training focused on practical, job-ready skills.
5 Progress Tracking & Feedback
Tracks progress and provides feedback to support growth and goal alignment.
Team Members: Di Xia,
Xiaoshi Dai,
Feifan Gao
Image Credits: image:
Di Xia,
Xiaoshi Dai,
Feifan Gao