Tips to win the hackathon
When I hear about the hackathon, I always think this is such a heavy competition among smart or nerd people. However, the hackathon is not about the competition; but it is more about… participation and learning new things.
In this article, I would like to show you the tips on how to win the hackathon.
1. Two are better than one
Hackathon is all about teamwork. It is better if you can brainstorm the problem together. I would suggest finding at least two or three people willing to learn new things together and people who can fill your skill gap. For example, if you are good at creating a presentation and realize you lack design or business skills, try to find teammates with these skills. Solving a problem can be a lot easier because we all have different skill backgrounds, and it can help figure out something, especially for the more complicated topic, and you never learn it before.
If you choose to work solo, it is still okay. However, you need to know your capability. If you think you can do it, go for it :).
2. Don’t be too rush in a brainstorming session
One mistake that I always made in my two previous hackathons was to rush in finding the best ideas. I was too focused on getting the ideas without thinking about the process itself. It is important to think about 5 Ws and 1H questions before move on to the next step, finalizing the idea.
- What is your target market? (same with ‘Who will use this product?’)
- Where is your target market? Does it focus on school or office?
- What is the objective or goal of your product? Does it match with the topic of the hackathon?
- Why do we need to create this product?
- When is our expected deadline? Can we reach all goals until then?
- How can we create the product? (e.g., tools that you are going to use. It can be Figma to design the website, VSCode to build the website, etc).
3. Read the prompt carefully
This is the most important part. You should be able to understand what the prompt is asking you to do. If you don’t understand, try to ask the hackathon organizer or do more research about it.
4. Don’t focus too much on the research phase
I know it is good to have researched before getting the idea. However, it would be best if you had time limitations for doing the research. Research can be primary (talking to other people) or secondary (scholar article). I would suggest if you don’t have enough research from people around you, try to find the journal or education articles that can back up your hypothesis or ideas.
5. Lastly, take a break!
You won’t be able to finish the project if you don’t take care of your health. Stay hydrated, and don’t forget to take a break; even you can use the Podomoro technique if you wish to:
- Set the timer to 25 minutes
- Work on the task until the timer rings
- Take a short 5-minute break.
And you can do it again and again. You will feel more productive by doing this technique.
Good luck with your next hackathon! If you would like to learn more about what project I and my teammate worked on, feel free to view it here
