It's a wrap! Looking back on a successful AppChallenge@UM 2023

From idea to prototype

The competition provided participants with a structured experimental environment for idea incubation to explore the often underused potential of two specific low-code platforms: Mendix and Microsoft Power Apps, both accessible to participants.

From the call to proposals in early September to the selection of five teams by mid-October, two student teams, two staff teams, and one mixed team participated in workshops covering Customer Journeys, Prototyping, UX Design, and low-code platforms.

During this period, all five teams developed a business case and a mock-up of their ideas, which they presented in front of an expert jury and an enthusiastic audience on 21 October.

Three teams were then selected to proceed to the final round: FlashUM, ApareciUM, and MomentUM.

Creativity and innovative power

The AppChallenge@UM concluded with the final event on 21 November, where the three finalists showcased working prototypes.

The clients, Ellen Bastiaens (EDLAB) and Marita Keurentijes (CI Office), thanked all finalists and the audience for their dedication, support, and innovative spirit in advancing UM education: “The proposals were well-thought-out, incorporating research, gathering user experiences, and organising focus group discussions with students. We were deeply impressed with the creativity and innovative power of the teams in envisioning the next steps to enhance education at Maastricht University. The passion and energy we saw tonight were truly inspiring!"

And the winner is... MomentUM!

However, in the end, there could only be one winner.  Speaking on behalf of the five-member jury, Maryam Asoodar praised the quality of the presentations. The jury evaluated the proposals on criteria such as originality, added value, feasibility of the idea, as well as functionality, user experience, and technical aspects of the prototype.  

MomentUM emerged as the winner: a smartphone app designed to support students in their professional and academic development. The team, consisting of Danielle Zijlstra, Nils Keesmekers, and Sid Penders from the Health Promotion department, garnered both the audience and the majority of jury votes, earning an App Development Voucher to elevate their idea to the next level.

AppChallenge@UM project receives UM Lean & Agile 2023 Award!

As the icing on the cake, we are delighted to add that the AppChallenge@UM project secured the UM Lean & Agile 2023 Award!

This award is given annually to the most inspiring Lean or Agile initiative, emphasising collaboration, process improvement, or innovation at Maastricht University. “The winning team presented a project with a strong theme that will have a lasting impact on our university. The jury appreciated that they described their project from both the organisers' and participants' perspectives and that their initiative involved people from different and multidisciplinary backgrounds, such as students, teachers, researchers, IT developers, and supporting organizations. Moreover, they were able to showcase a working prototype.”

Perry Heymann expressed his pride in the added value of the AppChallenge@UM project: “This award acknowledges the power of innovation within UM. It is certainly an incentive for the next step: bringing the prototype of the MomentUM app to the next level of a fully functional app.”

AppChallenge@UM 2023 on Instagram

For more information about the AppChallenge@UM 2023 project, please contact Perry Heymann (Corporate Information Office) or Gaby Lutgens (EDLAB)