Footscray university student Mason Cao has won Apple’s WWDC24 Swift Student Challenge, for the creation of his an app designed to help those with ADHD.
The 20-year-old first discovered Swift programming as part of the Apple Foundation Program at RMIT while he was studying a bachelor of computer science.
Mr Cao said the app, MorningDew, is meant to help people with ADHD kick start their day and manage the many distractions mornings can bring.
“For most people when you wake up in the morning you feel groggy, tired and distracted, for people with ADHD it is 1000 times worse,” he said.
Using his own experiences with ADHD, Mr Cao designed the app in only three weeks, with accessibility and inclusivity in mind to lessen the stigma around ADHD and show how those impacted can be just as high-functioning as anyone else in the workforce.
“People with ADHD might start something just trying to get through your morning routine, but then other things take your attention,” he said.
“So MorningDew accompanies you on your morning routine, with alarm check ups and encouragement to keep you motivated and on the path to get up and running and get out with as little time wasting as possible.”
This is the 13th year of a formal WWDC student program, which Apple created as an opportunity for student developers to showcase their love of coding.
Mr Cao is one of the student developers from all over the world who submitted an entry to the challenge.
He will receive a one-year membership to the Apple Developer Program, a complimentary voucher to take an app development with Swift certification exam, and a gift from Apple.
