Getting the most from running a hackathon

Hackathons are invention marathons which bring together practitioners to solve challenges in a fixed period of time. While at the core hackathons have the same format, organisations running them often have different goals in mind that they hope to achieve by doing so.

With these goals in mind, we’ll be exploring the different variants in these events, how to identify which is most appropriate and what to do to get the most from them.

This talk was given at DevRelCon London 2019.

Transcript

1. Getting the most from running a hackathon Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
2. Hi, I’m Kevin (@_phzn)
3. In the next ~20 minutes we will: Understand hackathons as an event format Some common reasons for running hackathons Cover the ‘ingredients’ in running hackathons Talk about how those ingredients should be changed in relation to the goals of the event See some common recipes I’ve found work in the past See some photos of my dog Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
5. What are hackathons?
6. Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
7. Run of Show Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
8. Run of Show Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
9. Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) 4 - 36 Hours
10. Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
11. Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
13. The art of the challenge
14. Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
15. Still allow creativity Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Framing the desired outcome
16. You need to have a goal
17. Research & Development Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) “How can we improve the customer experience for fans coming to Wimbledon - both during and after their visit?”
18. Building Communities Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Communities need a cause or reason to be getting together
19. Driving Adoption Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Make it memorable and easy. It won’t go forgotten.
20. Gathering Feedback Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) For pre-release or general release products
21. Recruitment Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Technical | Communication | Teamwork Prioritisation | Problem Solving
22. Supporting Sales Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Use Product Y to provide novel experiences for customers in Avanti train coaches
23. Skills Increase Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) “Use today to try out new technologies”
24. Sometimes hackathons are not the answer
25. Have a specific scope? Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Just hire people for delivery.
26. Expecting deployment- ready solutions? Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Hackathon projects are rough around the edges.
27. You want to own what is built, without paying people. Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) If you were hoping for some positive community feels, this is not the way to do it.
28. Improve Brand Awareness Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Go support existing established events. Getting attendees requires audience-building.
30. How to run a hackathon
31. Core Ingredients Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Date People Theme & Challenge Space Food Content Prizes Follow-Up Activities Additional Toppings
33. Designing hackathons for our specific goals
34. R&D Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Community Building Driving Adoption Feedback Recruitment Support Sales Skills Increase
35. Space Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Date People Theme & Challenge Food Content Prizes Follow-Up
36. Research & Development Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Actual solutions to actual business issues
37. Research & Development Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) The right makeup of attendees Equip hackers with suitable industry knowledge through content & mentorship Keep stakeholders involved
38. Research & Development Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Best on weekdays Smaller attendance & space Pay people! Food if you can Content is to ensuring effective hackers Follow-Up Activities: Further development workshops, engaging stakeholders with ‘redux’ events
39. Building Communities Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Around a cause or theme
40. Building Communities Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Focus on the environment - small, thoughtful touches go a long way Encourage people to stay engaged after the event
41. Building Communities Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Weekends are best, when fewer people work The more the merrier Food is generally expected, so say if you can’t Content should be helpful for beginners to a topic Follow-Up Activities: Online conversation spaces, more laid-back socials
42. Supporting Sales Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Through contextually-appropriate challenges
43. Supporting Sales Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Make sure hackers know the purpose of the event Make sure stakeholders from all sides are involved Include sales engineers as part of the hacking team Make sure to have a record of projects built Pay people for their time!
44. Supporting Sales Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Weekdays work best (for stakeholders) Try and find a venue on neutral ground Ensure the right makeup of skills, and pay people! Food: Remember this is a professional event Content: Prep hackers before the event if possible
46. Let’s get in the kitchen and talk recipes
47. Community Hackathons Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Application-Based Hackathons Internal hackathons
48. Community Hackathons Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
49. Pros Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) More capacity Wider range of hackers More project ideas Cheaper to run Can involve more stakeholders Opportunity for great vibe Cons Harder to recruit for Unknown skills Less complete projects Projects aren’t yours Need larger spaces ‘Hacker entitlement’
50. Application-Based Hackathons Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
51. Pros Kevin Lewis (@_phzn) Everyone is working to a common goal Correct skills makeup More prepared hackers Project ideas belong to you NDAs, etc Cons Much smaller (10-20) More expensive Without known outcomes, a harder ‘sell’ internally
52. There are so many variations Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
53. How did we do? Understand hackathons as an event format Some common reasons for running hackathons Cover the ‘ingredients’ in running hackathons Talk about how those ingredients should be changed in relation to the goals of the event See some common recipes I’ve found work in the past See some photos of my dog Kevin Lewis (@_phzn)
54. Thank You! @_phzn lws.io/drc