Alma Adaptive Training Platform by Mina Maazi Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design

Mina Maazi acknowledged for education, teaching aid and training content design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ Alma Adaptive Training Platform by Mina Maazi, designed for Birmingham City University, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached 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.

The Bronze A' Design Award Explained

The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

About Alma Adaptive Training Platform

Alma is an AI-powered learning management assistant that enhances corporate training and digital adoption. It personalizes learning by identifying individual styles and optimizing training schedules. Unlike traditional methods, Alma integrates peer-to-peer mentoring, AI-driven insights, and adaptive scheduling, ensuring a seamless and efficient onboarding experience. By reducing training costs and fostering engagement, Alma helps organizations accelerate skill development while improving workforce readiness.

About Mina Maazi

Mina Maazi is a UK-based UX/UI and Product Designer with over six years of professional experience designing and leading digital products across FinTech, AI-driven platforms, and complex systems. Her work focuses on transforming intricate technical, regulatory, and business requirements into clear, human-centred, and trustworthy digital experiences. She has led the end-to-end design of products such as financial platforms, transaction systems, dashboards, and user-facing tools deployed in real-world, high-impact environments. Mina’s design approach combines user empathy, strategic thinking, and systems-level clarity.

Award Record

Mina Maazi 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://desingers.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://desingers.org/169409
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/169409
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!169409
Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/365828
Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/3DiRj0i

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: Alma Adaptive Training Platform
Function: Adaptive Training Platform
Category: Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design
Discipline: Service Design
Industry: Education
Colors: Black, Midnight Blue, Lavender, Dark Slate Gray and Blue Violet
Images: 5
Client: Birmingham City University

The Recognition

Laureate: Mina Maazi
Country: Great Britain
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2024 - 2025
Design ID: #169409

Credits

Image Credits: Designer Mina Maazi, ALMA UI Design, 2024.; Designer Mina Maazi, Learning Style Detection Flow, 2024.; Designer Mina Maazi, Adaptive Scheduling Interaction, 2024. Video Credits: Designer Mina Maazi, ALMA User Flow Prototype, 2024.; Illustrator John Doe, Icons from Freepik, 2024.

Design Details

Unique Properties: Alma is an AI-powered learning assistant that personalizes corporate training by identifying learning styles and optimizing scheduling. Unlike traditional platforms, it integrates peer-to-peer learning, mentorship, and smart scheduling to reduce onboarding costs. AI-driven insights help users access relevant content, connect with peers, and enhance digital adoption while ensuring a seamless, human-centered learning experience.
Inspiration: Alma was inspired by the need to improve digital adoption and corporate learning. Research showed that traditional training lacks engagement and human interaction, slowing digital readiness. By integrating peer-to-peer learning, mentorship, and adaptive AI-driven scheduling, Alma creates a seamless and practical learning experience, making onboarding more effective and reducing resistance to change.
Research: This research employed User-Centered Design and Design Thinking methodologies to enhance digital literacy and onboarding. Surveys and user interviews were conducted with employees struggling with traditional training. Insights from Google and Amazon case studies highlighted Peer-to-Peer Learning and Adaptive Scheduling as key solutions. Findings shaped Alma, making onboarding more efficient, cost-effective, and engaging in corporate environments.
Challenge: The biggest challenge was integrating AI-driven adaptive learning while maintaining a human-centered approach. Developing accurate learning style detection algorithms required extensive research. We conducted both qualitative and quantitative research, including user interviews, surveys, and usability testing, to ensure an effective and engaging user experience. Additionally, overcoming resistance to digital adoption was critical. Inspired by Google and Amazon, we leveraged Peer-to-Peer Learning and Adaptive Scheduling to create a validated, user-centric platform that fosters digital readiness.
Realization and Technology: Alma was developed using AI-driven learning models and machine learning algorithms to personalize training experiences. It integrates with digital calendars for adaptive scheduling and suggests peer interactions based on shared learning topics. The Design Thinking and User-Centered Design methodologies guided the UX process. Figma was used for prototyping, while continuous user testing and feedback loops refined the system for optimal usability.
Operation and Interaction: Alma streamlines learning by analyzing individual learning styles and suggesting tailored courses, mentors, and training paths. It seamlessly syncs with calendars, offering AI-powered scheduling for optimal learning sessions. Users can book mentors, track progress, and receive automated reminders. Alma fosters peer-to-peer learning, recommending colleagues with similar interests, ensuring an engaging, efficient, and interactive learning experience.
Project Duration and Location: The project began in October 2023 in Birmingham, UK, as part of the MA Design Management program at Birmingham City University. It was completed in November 2023 and received the Best Idea Award at the People-Led Digitalisation event, organized in collaboration with the University of Bath. The project was developed through extensive research and user-centered design methodologies to enhance corporate learning experiences.
Specifications: Alma is a cloud-based AI-driven learning platform designed for adaptive training. It integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook APIs for smart scheduling. The platform was prototyped in Figma and refined through iterative user testing. It supports responsive design, ensuring accessibility across desktop and mobile devices. End-to-end encryption safeguards user data, while scalable architecture allows seamless company-wide deployment.
Keywords: Adaptive Learning, AI Assistant, Digital Literacy, Peer-to-Peer Learning, Mentorship Platform, E-Learning, Smart Scheduling, User-Centered Design, Personalized Education, Cloud-Based Platform