Cece Isicelo Soqeqesho Lwenyani Ebonakalayo by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai

Cece Isicelo Soqeqesho Lwenyani Ebonakalayo by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Ibhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award in Uyilo lweMfundo, iziXhobo zokuFundisa kunye nokuQulatheyo kokuQeqesha Competition Category.

IntsimbiImfundo· 2026

Cece Isicelo Soqeqesho Lwenyani Ebonakalayo

by Di Xia and Xiaoshi Dai

Client: Di Xia

Ibhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award Winner in Imfundo Category

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The Design

About Cece Isicelo Soqeqesho Lwenyani Ebonakalayo

UCece ngumcebisi wezomsebenzi wenyani ebonakalayo oyilelwe abafundi bezemveliso. UCece udibanisa isixhobo se-VR esinxitywa entloko kunye nojongano olusebenzisanayo ukuze abafundi bakwazi ukuhlola iindima zoshishino, bafumane amava eendawo zokusebenza kwaye baziqhelanise nezakhono ezinxulumene nomsebenzi. Iarhente yobukrelekrele bokwenziwa eqhutywa lilizwi ikhokela abasebenzisi kwinkqubo yokungeniswa eyenzelwe umntu ngamnye, ukuhlolwa kwezomsebenzi kunye noqeqesho lwezakhono. Inkqubela phambili ilandelelwa kwaye kunikwa ingxelo yokuxhasa iinjongo zokufunda. Le nkqubo ijolise ekunciphiseni iindleko zoqeqesho nasekuvaleni umsantsa phakathi kwezifundo zemfundo kunye neemfuno zoshishino.

The Recognition

About the Ibhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award

Cece Isicelo Soqeqesho Lwenyani Ebonakalayo ngumphumeleli weIbhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award, ukuqatshelwa okuhlonitshwayo okunikwa imiyilo elungileyo eyanelisa iimfuno zobungcali neemveliso ezilindelekileyo kwimveliso ezicwangciswe kakuhle. Abaphumeleleyo beNtsimbi babonisa ubuchule obukhulu, ubuchule obuphezulu, ukuqonda kwengcali namandla okuyila abayili babo. Cece Isicelo Soqeqesho Lwenyani Ebonakalayo iyathenjwa ukuba ibe yimveliso exatyiswa kakhulu, edunyiswayo nethandwayo esebenzayo neyinto entsha. Lo myilo uphumeleleyo weIbhaso Lentsimbi le-A' Design Award udibanisa iindlela ezilungileyo kakhulu zemboleko kwaye unezimpawu zobuchwephesha ezifanelekileyo ezidityaniswe nolwazi netalente. Cece Isicelo Soqeqesho Lwenyani Ebonakalayo iyahlonelwa ngenxa yenkcukacha yayo kwaye yacwangciselwa ukunika uphuculo lomgangatho wobomi olunceda ukwenza ihlabathi libe yindawo engcono.

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