UEGroup cooperates with Purdue to build a new technology experience center in Discovery Park District
XCenter will make technology more user-friendly
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Research Foundation on Wednesday (May 5) announced the creation of an Experience Innovation Center (XCenter) focused on exploring innovative approaches to how people interact and work with technology. Located in Purdue University’s Discovery Park, the center is a partnership between UEGroup and Purdue Polytechnic Institute, one of 10 academic colleges at Purdue.
“XCenter’s mission is to bring together great minds to reinvent the way technology is made for people,” said Troy Hege, vice president of innovation and technology at Purdue Research Foundation. “The Center seeks to facilitate collaboration between industry and academia.”
XCenter will focus on driving new ideas by rethinking and reinventing the way products and technologies are designed in the future. Its goal is to become a regional, national and international hub for product innovation through user experience (UX), customer experience (CX), product strategy and product management. . The center includes a state-of-the-art 5G-connected utility facility and will provide training, education and consulting services, in addition to hosting conferences, seminars and an innovation “Think Show”.
In addition to doing business consulting work, XCenter will enhance academic programs in those areas, giving students hands-on learning experiences and real-world work in UX, CX, etc. Enterprise organizations will also be able to take advantage of the training offered to develop their internal product design, research, innovation and product management capabilities and processes.
XCenter is the brainchild of Tony Fernandes, CEO of UEGroup, who has over 30 years of experience in the technology industry at companies like Lotus/IBM, Apple, Netscape and XEROX PARC, before founding UEGroup .
“We all use technology every day, both at home and at work. It can be incredibly valuable to us, but it can also get in the way of us because it’s too complicated to use or understand,” said Fernandes. “These difficulties translate into negative economic impacts for businesses and lost opportunities for society. After decades of being with technology, things should have gotten better, but we seem to be slipping backwards as technology becomes more complex. By helping to bring together ideas from academia and industry, XCenter aims to reimagine the way we work, live and play in the next 5 to 8 years and help organizations get there. .”
Fernandes’ pursuit of goal is to invent ever better ways to empower people through technology by placing products and services based on tasks, goals and behaviors in the world. their real.
The center will provide a unique resource for the Discovery Park District, as well as the university’s students and faculty, as well as regional and national innovators.
The Polytechnic Institute is the home of Purdue’s technology-focused and innovation-focused degree programs in engineering technology, computer graphics technology, computer and information technology, and technology leadership and innovation. , construction management technology, aviation and transportation technology. Undergraduate and graduate programs provide real, hands-on educational experiences that prepare students for innovative, technology-driven careers, which makes XCenter a meaningful resource meaning for university. In particular, Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s highly ranked UX design major will benefit from this new partnership.
“XCenter will give our students more opportunities to enhance their classroom work with more hands-on, user-experience, experiential projects,” said Gary Bertoline, dean of Purdue Polytechnic Institute. customers, product design, etc. “This state-of-the-art facility will enhance our student experience and help build bridges with corporate partners and collaborators.”
XCenter is part of the Discovery Park District’s living lab, designed to provide a place of innovation and experimentation. It will serve district tenants and corporate customers in addition to being accessible to Purdue students and faculty.
“We see this as the new focus for innovative product design, user experience and customer experience,” said Hege. “Purdue University was chosen as the centerpiece because of its reputation as one of the most innovative universities in the United States, its ‘can-do’ culture, and its location. XCenter fits naturally with the overall focus of the district and integrates data, connectivity, and technology.”
“Indiana and the Midwest as a whole are positioned as one of the next great tech regions with universities, open land, hardworking people, low cost of living, easy transport links openness to the world and a desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” said Fernandes. “Purdue has all of those attributes and more, making it the right location for a center that focuses on solving tough problems.”
XCenter will open in summer 2021. For more information, visit www.xcenter.info.
About UEGroup
UEGroup Inc. is a leader in user experience, customer experience and product strategy based in Silicon Valley, with locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Jose, California; Chicago; and Lisbon, Portugal. Its clients include Fortune 500 companies and early-stage companies. It has delivered successful results for leaders in their industries, including organizations such as Disney, Ford, Stryker, Intel, Google, and Lockheed Martin. In addition to the Fortune 500, UEGroup has helped startups and early ventures break through the noise and deliver differentiated solutions. Learn more at UEGroup.
About Purdue Polytechnic University
Purdue Polytechnic Institute, one of 10 academic colleges at Purdue University, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in aeronautics, computing, construction management, engineering technology, technology leadership, and education. technology education. In addition to Purdue University’s main campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, Purdue Polytechnic University offers select degree programs in nine Indiana communities.
About Discovery Park
The Discovery Park District is a 400-acre, more than $1 billion community on the western edge of campus that will include laboratories, cutting-edge manufacturing facilities, offices, retail stores, and more. retail, restaurants, homes, green spaces, trails and airports with a 7,000-foot runway. The district, which is a designated opportunity area, has a Converged Innovation and Collaboration Center, a facility designed to serve as a “front door” for companies looking to partner with Purdue. Companies interested in locating at Discovery Park or the Convergence Center should contact David Broecker, the foundation’s director of collaboration and innovation, at dabroecker@prf.org.
Source:
Troy Hege – Discovery Park
UEGroup: Danielle Panigall
Purdue Polytechnic – Gary Bertoline
Media inquiries: Christy Denault, 317/417-6322
