Queens College has partnered with Ubiq, an immersive 3D social platform, to offer students opportunities to engage in app development and UX/UI design — a process of designing how users interact with digital products — allowing QC students to shape the app’s development while gaining practical skills.
Platon Levitski, the founder and CEO of Ubiq, shared the platform’s origin story: “I started another company that focuses on real-time events, but we quickly realized that people were more interested in what their friends were doing. That’s when we saw a better way to connect people to their experience and memories — by creating an immersive, interactive 3D world.”
Students participate through the Ubiq app and an interactive UX/UI design and app development. Most students are in computer science, but others join out of curiosity.
“We call it ‘Pokemon Go for real life.’ Students love leaving their mark on it,” Levitski said.
Andreia Kaehl, Ubiq’s Chief Operating Officer, explained how the collaboration with QC started: “I first got involved through the Tech Incubator while studying in the Economics Department [at QC.] That’s how I connected with Ubiq.”
What began as an internship at the Tech Incubator — a program at QC focused on getting nascent tech companies out of their early stages — turned into a full-time position for Kaehl. She and her team worked with the Dean of Social Sciences and the business school to get the project running.
From there, Ubiq had to find a way to engage the college community. One of the key ways students contribute is through the “Insider Program.” Over the course of six weeks, they test an early-access version of the app’s features and provide feedback on the user experience. In turn, they get to see changes to the app happening in real-time, already having led to major improvements.
“One of the first things that was spotted was a bug; the ‘add friend’ button wasn’t working on some devices. It was a quick fix, but without their input, we might not have caught it so early,” Levitski said.
Beyond fixing bugs, students have influenced new features, such as adding a bio section to profiles for users to express themselves further and a rotating video feature to make the app more dynamic.
“Right now, six people are focused on processing students’ feedback, and two of them are QC students,” Andreia said. “One joined the second insider program, and another got involved after participating in the program.”
The collaboration between QC and Ubiq highlights how students can actively shape the future of technology. Through the Insider Program, QC students are gaining real-world experiences while influencing a social media platform. This action not only drives innovation but also helps students build skills for careers in the tech industry.
For students interested in becoming part of Ubiq beyond the Insider Program, they can email hello@ubiq.com, drop them a note, send your resume, and chat. Levitski shared that technical expertise isn’t a requirement.
“Anyone can apply, we want people who are passionate, and who are willing to work hard. This is not easy, It’s challenging. You can be a computer science student, or you can be an art history major. Everyone’s welcome.”
