Press Release
Commi Board Prototyping Tool by Kevin Yang Is Granted the A' Design Award in Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design
Kevin Yang 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 23, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design category for Commi Board Prototyping Tool by Kevin Yang, designed for Royal College of Art. The result belongs to 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 assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About Commi Board Prototyping Tool
Commi Board is a modular, app-integrated prototyping platform that connects theoretical learning with real-world application. Designed for educators, students, and tech enthusiasts, it enables users to simulate microcontroller functions on smart devices. With a staged learning roadmap, community-driven app, and flexible modular design, Commi Board simplifies prototyping and makes electronic experimentation more accessible.
About Kevin Yang
With backgrounds in sculpture and product design, Kevin is seeking the commercial balance among functional works of arts, fusing creativity and user-centric solutions that elevate the everyday needs and wants. By focusing on user experience, interactions and corresponding CMF designs, Kevin is keen to dismantle, rebuild, and transform the mundanes into extraordinaries with inspirational touches and design proficiency.
Award Record
With this recognition, Kevin Yang is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. All of the awards belong to the 2024 - 2025 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.
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://dezigners.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://dezigners.org/170975
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/170975
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!170975
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/366578
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
- Commi Board Prototyping Tool
- Function
- Prototyping Tool
- Category
- Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Education
- Colors
- Gray, Coral, Dark Salmon, Silver and Gainsboro
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Royal College of Art
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Kevin Yang
- Country
- Austria
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #170975
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Commi board is a modular, app-integrated prototyping platform that connects electronic knowledge with practical implementation. Unlike traditional tools, it allows users to simulate microcontroller functions directly on their smartphone, making prototyping more accessible, interactive, and efficient. With real-time circuit testing, AI-driven coding, and a structured, step-by-step educational experience, commi board supports users of all skill levels to prototype faster, experiment freely, and bring ideas to life with ease.
- Inspiration
- Commi Board was designed by the need to make electronics prototyping more accessible and interactive. Inspired visual programming, staged education, and AI-based neuro-linguistic programming, it simplifies theoretical learning with real-world application. As mobile devices are the most accessible platform for coding, Commi Board enhances prototyping by allowing users to test circuits and validate code in real-time on their phone, ensuring a hands-on, customizable experience for all skill levels.
- Research
- Commi Board's research focused on human-centered design and accessibility in electronics prototyping. The goal was to create a mobile-first tool that simplifies PCB schematics and testing. Through BOM list comparison and my cohort’s need for easier prototyping, we found GPIO communication to be a cost-effective alternative to high-power microcontrollers. Usability tests and expert feedback shaped development, while open-source resources enabled the first theoretical PCB prototype. Results combined the needs for AI-assisted prototyping, electronic education, and DIY prototyping.
- Challenge
- The biggest challenge in developing Commi Board was simplifying PCB design while ensuring reliable GPIO communication. Creating a compact, modular PCB integrating USB-C, BLE, and Bluetooth from scratch required multiple iterations. Limited access to PCB SMT also posed obstacles. The first theoretical prototype revealed instability and contain issues. While Bluetooth and USB-C connections were tested, the API-to-software integration remains in the mock-up stage, guiding future development.
- Realization and Technology
- Commi Board contains PCB design, IoT frameworks, and USB-C 3.2, BLE, and Bluetooth protocols all for efficient GPIO communication with smart devices. By utilizing mobile-based computational power, it can simulates most microcontrollers. It supports four programming methods: AI-driven NLP, puzzle-like visual programming, Scratch-like visual programming, and a full IDE. The app features a project community, online libraries for components, and cloud-based project loading, ensuring high performance and accessibility.
- Operation and Interaction
- Commi Board simplifies electronics prototyping by allowing users to design, test, and run circuits directly on the back of their smartphone. Users place components on the board, connect via USB-C or Bluetooth, and interact through the mobile app. They can program using AI-assisted coding, visual blocks, or a full IDE. Real-time feedback and visual placement guide to help each step. With cloud storage and a project-sharing community, Commi Board learns and loads projects with ease.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in June 2024 as a student project at Royal College of Art, London, UK.
- Specifications
- Commi Board (Installed): 62mm W x 98mm L x 18mm H Commi Board (Detached Board): 62mm W x 82mm L x 8mm H
- Keywords
- Education tools, Prototyping, Breadboard, Neuro-linguistic programming
