What is a Hackathon?

What is a Hackathon?

A hackathon is an event where teams of people work together to build something - an app, a game, a solution to a problem - in a limited time. The word comes from "hack" (to build something quickly and creatively) + "marathon" (a sustained effort).

You don't need to be an expert to participate. In fact, the best hackathons are the ones where you learn new things along the way.

How it Works

1. Team formation - You group up with 2-4 classmates
2. Project selection - The team decides what to build
3. Building - You work together to create the project
4. Presentation - You show what you built to the other teams

Team Roles

In a hackathon team, each person can have a different role:

• Programmer - Writes the project code
• Designer - Takes care of how the product looks and feels
• Project Manager - Keeps the team organized and on track
• Presenter - Prepares and delivers the final presentation

One person can have multiple roles, especially in small teams.

Brainstorming: How to Generate Ideas

Before the hackathon, think about problems you'd like to see solved. Some useful questions:

• What annoys you in daily life that could be solved with technology?
• What game or app would you love to exist?
• What problem do your classmates have that a program could solve?

The golden rule of brainstorming: don't criticize any idea during the generation phase. Write everything down, then select.

What is an MVP?

MVP stands for "Minimum Viable Product" - the simplest version of your project that still works. At a hackathon you don't have time to build everything, so you focus on the core functionality.

For example, if you want to make a quiz app:

• MVP: Display questions and check answers
• Nice to have: Score, timer, categories, leaderboard
• Extra: Sound, animations, multiplayer