Cece Taupānga Whakangungu Mariko by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai

Cece Taupānga Whakangungu Mariko by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Rino in Hoahoa Mātauranga, Āwhina Whakaako me te Ihirangi Whakangungu Competition Category.

RinoMātauranga· 2026

Cece Taupānga Whakangungu Mariko

by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai

Client: Di Xia

A' Design Award Rino Winner in Mātauranga Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #183372

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Cece Taupānga Whakangungu Mariko

Ko Cece he kaiarataki umanga mariko i hoahoatia mō ngā ākonga whakanao. Ka whakakotahi a Cece i te potae mariko me ngā atanga tauwhitiwhiti kia taea ai e ngā ākonga te tūhura i ngā tūranga ahumahi, te wheako i ngā taiao wāhi mahi me te whakaharatau i ngā pūkenga e pā ana ki te mahi. Mā tētahi māngai atamai hangahanga e whakahaeretia ana e te reo e ārahi ngā kaiwhakamahi mā te whakaurunga whaiaro, te tūhura umanga me te whakangungu pūkenga. Ka aroturukitia te kokenga, ā, ka hoatu he urupare hei tautoko i ngā whāinga ako. Ko te whāinga o te pūnaha he whakaheke i ngā utu whakangungu me te whakakapi i te āputa i waenga i te ako mātauranga me ngā whakaritenga o te ahumahi.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Rino

Ko Cece Taupānga Whakangungu Mariko te toa o te A' Design Award Rino, he whakaaetanga whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa pai e whakatutuki ana i ngā hiahia ngaio me te ahumahi e tūmanakohia ana mai i ngā mahi kua hoahoatia pai. Ko ngā toa Rino e whakaatu ana i te pukenga nui, te tohungatanga teitei, te māramatanga mātanga me te kaha auaha o ō rātou kaihanga. E tūmanakohia ana ko Cece Taupānga Whakangungu Mariko he mahi whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he whaihua, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Rino e whakakotahi ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa o te ahumahi, ā, he āhuatanga hangarau pūkenga tōna e hono ana ki te mōhio me te pūmanawa. E whakahonoretia ana a Cece Taupānga Whakangungu Mariko mō tōna tōtika, ā, i hoahoatia hei whakapai ake i te kounga o te oranga me te āwhina i te ao kia pai ake.

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