Principles to Keep in Mind When Participating in a Hackathon.

Principles to Keep in Mind When Participating in a Hackathon

This year, I participated in five hackathons and won awards in three of them. I’ve realized a few principles through these experiences, and I’d like to take this opportunity to organize them.

One Product, One Cycle

In a hackathon, you need to create a working product within a limited time. Therefore, it’s practically impossible to include all features. Trying to include everything often leads to not completing anything. The focus should be on functionality, not planning.

Thus, it’s important to create a product that solves a user’s problem with one cycle. Whether it’s showing the final result or solving a specific problem, it should be just one cycle.

Therefore, the product should operate linearly. It shouldn’t function in parallel. Even if the features are planned to be connected, if they don’t complement each other, they will end up being separate. To create a good product, you should build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that doesn’t require an explanation of why each feature is necessary.

Frontend is More Important Than You Think

The frontend acts as a bridge connecting designers, backend, and planning. Planning provides the design criteria to the designer, and the resulting design is carried over to the frontend. The backend operates according to the planning requirements. The frontend is always in the middle.

The final output is often the frontend. Since hackathons often involve demonstrations, good usability and aesthetics are also important considerations.

When recruiting a frontend team member, be sure to ask if they have hackathon experience and check the results of their work.

Save Energy for the Presentation

The presenter should get enough sleep the night before. Usually, the planner takes on the presentation role. I recommend finishing planning with your team and then taking a short nap. Hackathons can last from as short as 2 days to over 4 days, so it’s good to get some sleep, even if it’s just a nap, or about 3 hours at night for longer hackathons.

Focus on Doing Your Best Rather Than Winning

This is a principle I realized only by the last hackathon. I participated in the first hackathon with a mindset of learning, and the second with a mindset of enjoying. Luckily, I met great team members and won an award. The third hackathon was also approached with a mindset of enjoyment, but unfortunately, we didn’t win. I think it might have been because my mindset was too light.

I participated in the fourth hackathon with a mindset of doing my best. Although we didn’t win, I did my best and, paradoxically, was able to enjoy it. I participated in the last hackathon with the same mindset and was able to win.

A mindset of doing your best leads to good teamwork. It makes you a bit more serious and allows you to bring out your full potential. Most importantly, regardless of winning, you can spend a time without regrets. If I participate in hackathons in the future, I think I’ll do so with a mindset of doing my best.