Press Release
A' Design Award in Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design Goes to Cece Vr Skill Training by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai
Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai recognized for education, teaching aid and training content design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Cece Vr Skill Training by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai, designed for Di Xia, has been granted the A' Design Award in the Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the A' Design Award Means
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Cece Vr Skill Training
Cece is a virtual reality career mentor designed for manufacturing students. Cece combines a VR headset with interactive interfaces so students can explore industry roles, experience workplace environments and practice job related skills. A voice driven artificial intelligence agent guides users through personalized onboarding, career exploration and skill training. Progress is tracked and feedback is given to support learning goals. The system aims to lower training costs and close the gap between academic study and industry requirements.
Award Record
Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design Award
The A' Education Design Award is an international competition recognizing good education products and projects by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to education designers, teaching aid designers, training content creators and curriculum developers from all countries. Entries typically include textbooks, e-learning platforms, educational games, training manuals, instructional videos and interactive whiteboards. Awarded education designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/education
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/183372
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/183372
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!183372
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/366267
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://holistic-number-863570.framer.app/cece?_360safeparam
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Cece Vr Skill Training
- Function
- Vr Skill Training
- Category
- Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Education
- Colors
- Gray, Black, Dark Slate Gray, Gainsboro and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Di Xia
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #183372
Credits
- Team
- Di Xia,, Xiaoshi Dai, and Feifan Gao
- Image Credits
- image: Di Xia, Xiaoshi Dai, Feifan Gao
Design Details
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Realization and 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.
- Operation and Interaction
- 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.
- Project Duration and Location
- This project started in March 2024 and was completed in August 2024, based in Seattle.
- Keywords
- VR, Immersive Learning, Skill Training, Career Advancing,Education Tech, Accessibility
