My team won first place out of 13 at Quantum Creators Con 2025. Quantum Creators Con was a week-long hackathon hosted by QuEra Computing that paired quantum students with creative students to explain neutral atom quantum computing to non-technical audiences. As a creative designer on Team Qutrit, I worked with co-designer Euijin Lee and quantum expert Pranjal Agarwal to map QuEra's quantum computing process in a Figma app prototype.
Quantum information science is a niche that is difficult to conceptualize. The field relies on a highly specialized workforce and urgently needs engineers, business strategists, technicians, communicators, policymakers, and marketers. Without a broader, interdisciplinary workforce, it stays out of reach for most people.
There is also a communication gap. A search for "quantum computing" returns polished hardware images with little explanation of how any of it works. Quantum Creators Con set out to improve public understanding and communication of quantum technologies, making the field more approachable and comprehensible to a broader audience.
Our challenge was to create an interactive or visual map that simplifies QuEra's quantum computing process, while staying technically accurate.
We spent the week learning neutral atom hardware and design principles, then built and presented our prototype.
Judges scored technical accuracy (30), communication (30), creativity (20), inclusivity and accessibility (15), and presentation (5).
Most of our week went into understanding the quantum concepts, especially the neutral atom workflow. Our quantum expert teammate walked us through steps verbally and with simple sketches. Then all three of us wrote the copy for the prototype together, so the text stayed accurate and plain. Only after that did my creative teammate and I translate it into a clear, visually appealing design, using clean graphic and motion design to make each step easy to follow.
Team Qutrit placed first, with our prize sponsored by the UK Business and Trade of North America.
My Team Is Pictured With the Seven Panel Judges and Hackathon Host, Yelissa Lopez.
Design can lower technical barriers by deciding what to show and in what order. Before this event, quantum computing felt like an abstract and intimidating subject, but diving into this challenge helped me see how design can play a critical role in breaking down technical barriers.
Bridging a gap between expertise and beginner knowledge taught me how to collaborate across disciplines. I was a complete beginner in my physics teammate's field, and they were a beginner in mine, and communication was key in bridging that gap. I had to explain my design choices, skills, and perspective and work in negotiated decisions together.
That experience will carry into whatever sector I work in as a designer. Every team brings its own expertise, and I now feel more confident in my ability to help collaborators understand where I'm coming from and reach decisions we both trust.
Thank You to All My Fellow Participants and Instructors for This Opportunity!