Dan Marino Foundation: ViTA Online by Very Big Things Receives an Honorable Mention in Fast Company's 2021 Innovation by Design Awards

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Very Big Things was honored in Fast Company's Innovation by Design Awards for 2021 in the Social Good category for its work on the Dan Marino Foundation's (DMF) online Virtual Interactive Training Agent (ViTA). ViTA is a web-based virtual reality system that helps young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities prepare for job interviews.

DMF has a long and distinguished mission of empowering individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities through life-changing programs and services. The ViTA system is a state-of-the-art training program that utilizes virtual humans and immersive scenarios to help DMF students practice the social skills necessary for obtaining employment. The ViTA system levels the playing field so everyone can build the confidence needed to achieve real-world success.

"We needed to do right by DMF's audience, and to do that we had to break the mold and question every assumption digital product designers have," said Chris Stegner, CEO and co-founder of Very Big Things. "We continuously asked ourselves 'who are we building this for, and how can we create something better than anything that had come before it?' By filtering every decision through this question, it allowed our team to get in a cycle of continuous innovation and create one of the most thoughtful experiences we've ever done. In the end, DMF students felt empowered from their experiences with the project and we are honored to be recognized for it by Fast Company."

The 10th anniversary of the awards recognizes people, teams, and companies that transform businesses, organizations, and society through design. One of the most sought-after design awards in the industry, Innovation by Design is the only competition to honor creative work at the intersection of design, business, and innovation, recognizing the people, companies, and trends that have steadily advanced design to the forefront of the business conversation.

The judges include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company's own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact. Winners, finalists, and honorable mentions are featured online and in the October issue of Fast Company magazine, on newsstands September 28, 2021.

About Very Big Things

Very Big Things is a leading digital products agency focused on transformation and disruption. Fusing cutting-edge technologies with innovative approaches, VBT designs and develops digital experiences for the web, mobile, AR, VR, and any other connected devices. Since 2018, VBT has experienced a meteoric rise largely due to the legacy-worthy products they produce. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, VBT has a global presence with over 70 employees in three countries. For more information please visit verybigthings.com and follow us on IG, FB: @verybigthings, and LinkedIn.

About FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com.

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SOURCE Very Big Things

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