WSU students Joshua Barden, Brentin Peters, Pablo Salas and Aljaz Kunc won first place in the WSU Creative Jam+ competition for their prototype Unison, a mobile app that keeps track of different rent payments. 

Winners were announced March 16. Groups participating used Adobe XD software to create their projects, said Chris Cooney, clinical assistant professor in the Carson College of Business.

“The final kind of deliverables that were due for the competition were a narrative and a prototype,” said Barden, senior international business and marketing major. 

Barden said he wanted to create a prototype that combines all of your rent and utilities into one platform, making it easier to manage payments. 

“We also made it so that you could connect your account with your roommates so you don’t have to Venmo after you pay the whole thing, they can each pay their share,” he said. 

Peters named the prototype Unison, to coincide with the mission of the app. The entire project took a few weeks to complete. The group also presented their idea to a panel of judges, Barden said.

Barden read their narrative and a scenario where the app would be useful, and demonstrated the prototype for six minutes during the presentation. 

Using Adobe XD allowed the team to bring their project to life, he said. The software enabled the group to include interactive buttons and create a clear layout to show to the judges.

The creative jam gives students software skills that are applicable to their future careers, Cooney said. 

“Something we were trying to teach is collaboration and working together toward a common vision, and kind of realizing what that vision is,” he said. 

Cooney said WSU Creative Jams are either open entry or closed events. If the event is open entry, students from universities outside WSU are welcome to compete. This particular creative jam was open entry and was a requirement for some classes.

Barden said he and his team will receive a $250 gift card and Adobe XD “swag” for winning first place for Unison.