Feb 9, 2026
Designathon 2026
Introducing Beyond X: Where Everyone Belongs
challenge
E sports
Design for everyone
Designathon 2026: Rethinking Esports Spaces with Beyond X
Participating in Designathon 2026 ,Design is for Everyone was one of the most intense, inspiring, and rewarding experiences of my design journey so far. Working alongside an incredible multidisciplinary team, we were challenged to respond to a single powerful question:
How can design make large-scale public experiences more inclusive, without relying on apps, personal devices, or changing the event content itself?
From this challenge emerged our project Beyond X: a spatial experience system created to transform esports venues into welcoming cultural destinations where everyone belongs.
The Challenge: When Excitement Becomes Overwhelming
Saudi Arabia is rapidly positioning itself as a global hub for gaming and esports under Vision 2030, with major international tournaments drawing millions of visitors each year. While this growth is exciting, our research uncovered a critical gap.
Most esports venues today are designed primarily for expert gamers and hardcore fans. First-time visitors, families, elderly audiences, and people with sensory sensitivities often feel:
overwhelmed by noise and lighting
disoriented by complex layouts
excluded by the intensity of the environment
These experiences lead to shorter visits, reduced exploration, and fewer return trips, preventing esports events from becoming truly mainstream cultural destinations.
At Designathon, our team: Musaed Alnaqah, Dena Gadkarim, Jana Alahmadi, and myself, set out to design a system that could quietly reshape how people move, feel, and belong inside these massive spaces.
The Core Idea
Beyond X is an inclusive, modular zoning system for esports and live events. Instead of adding more screens, signage, or apps, the system works through the environment itself, using:
architecture
lighting
sound
spatial flow
floor graphics and acoustic elements
These layers guide visitors instinctively, creating multiple atmospheres inside one venue while everyone still watches the same match.
Beyond the project itself, Designathon 2026 reminded me why I love being a product and experience designer.
It pushed me to:
think at an urban and architectural scale
design for neurodiversity and emotional comfort
balance creativity with feasibility
collaborate under intense time pressure
defend ideas through research, systems thinking, and storytelling
Most importantly, it reinforced a belief I carry into every project:
Good design is not about adding more, it’s about removing friction, creating dignity, and making people feel that they truly belong.
Feb 9, 2026
Designathon 2026
Introducing Beyond X: Where Everyone Belongs
challenge
E sports
Design for everyone
Designathon 2026: Rethinking Esports Spaces with Beyond X
Participating in Designathon 2026 ,Design is for Everyone was one of the most intense, inspiring, and rewarding experiences of my design journey so far. Working alongside an incredible multidisciplinary team, we were challenged to respond to a single powerful question:
How can design make large-scale public experiences more inclusive, without relying on apps, personal devices, or changing the event content itself?
From this challenge emerged our project Beyond X: a spatial experience system created to transform esports venues into welcoming cultural destinations where everyone belongs.
The Challenge: When Excitement Becomes Overwhelming
Saudi Arabia is rapidly positioning itself as a global hub for gaming and esports under Vision 2030, with major international tournaments drawing millions of visitors each year. While this growth is exciting, our research uncovered a critical gap.
Most esports venues today are designed primarily for expert gamers and hardcore fans. First-time visitors, families, elderly audiences, and people with sensory sensitivities often feel:
overwhelmed by noise and lighting
disoriented by complex layouts
excluded by the intensity of the environment
These experiences lead to shorter visits, reduced exploration, and fewer return trips, preventing esports events from becoming truly mainstream cultural destinations.
At Designathon, our team: Musaed Alnaqah, Dena Gadkarim, Jana Alahmadi, and myself, set out to design a system that could quietly reshape how people move, feel, and belong inside these massive spaces.
The Core Idea
Beyond X is an inclusive, modular zoning system for esports and live events. Instead of adding more screens, signage, or apps, the system works through the environment itself, using:
architecture
lighting
sound
spatial flow
floor graphics and acoustic elements
These layers guide visitors instinctively, creating multiple atmospheres inside one venue while everyone still watches the same match.
Beyond the project itself, Designathon 2026 reminded me why I love being a product and experience designer.
It pushed me to:
think at an urban and architectural scale
design for neurodiversity and emotional comfort
balance creativity with feasibility
collaborate under intense time pressure
defend ideas through research, systems thinking, and storytelling
Most importantly, it reinforced a belief I carry into every project:
Good design is not about adding more, it’s about removing friction, creating dignity, and making people feel that they truly belong.
Feb 9, 2026
Designathon 2026
Introducing Beyond X: Where Everyone Belongs
challenge
E sports
Design for everyone
Designathon 2026: Rethinking Esports Spaces with Beyond X
Participating in Designathon 2026 ,Design is for Everyone was one of the most intense, inspiring, and rewarding experiences of my design journey so far. Working alongside an incredible multidisciplinary team, we were challenged to respond to a single powerful question:
How can design make large-scale public experiences more inclusive, without relying on apps, personal devices, or changing the event content itself?
From this challenge emerged our project Beyond X: a spatial experience system created to transform esports venues into welcoming cultural destinations where everyone belongs.
The Challenge: When Excitement Becomes Overwhelming
Saudi Arabia is rapidly positioning itself as a global hub for gaming and esports under Vision 2030, with major international tournaments drawing millions of visitors each year. While this growth is exciting, our research uncovered a critical gap.
Most esports venues today are designed primarily for expert gamers and hardcore fans. First-time visitors, families, elderly audiences, and people with sensory sensitivities often feel:
overwhelmed by noise and lighting
disoriented by complex layouts
excluded by the intensity of the environment
These experiences lead to shorter visits, reduced exploration, and fewer return trips, preventing esports events from becoming truly mainstream cultural destinations.
At Designathon, our team: Musaed Alnaqah, Dena Gadkarim, Jana Alahmadi, and myself, set out to design a system that could quietly reshape how people move, feel, and belong inside these massive spaces.
The Core Idea
Beyond X is an inclusive, modular zoning system for esports and live events. Instead of adding more screens, signage, or apps, the system works through the environment itself, using:
architecture
lighting
sound
spatial flow
floor graphics and acoustic elements
These layers guide visitors instinctively, creating multiple atmospheres inside one venue while everyone still watches the same match.
Beyond the project itself, Designathon 2026 reminded me why I love being a product and experience designer.
It pushed me to:
think at an urban and architectural scale
design for neurodiversity and emotional comfort
balance creativity with feasibility
collaborate under intense time pressure
defend ideas through research, systems thinking, and storytelling
Most importantly, it reinforced a belief I carry into every project:
Good design is not about adding more, it’s about removing friction, creating dignity, and making people feel that they truly belong.