There may be no more quintessentially “techie” experience than the hackathon.
Hackathons — events where coders, engineers, designers, and strategists gather to build problem-solving solutions at breakneck speeds — embody much of what it means to be a technologist in the 21st century. Hackathons, like their participants, are scrappy, nimble, and forward-thinking. They’re collaborative and immersive by nature and never so austere as to miss out on some good, ole-fashioned fun.
Tech organizations and companies of all shapes and sizes host hackathons, and many of us interact everyday with the products and ideas born at these events (looking at you, Facebook Like button).
We caught up with three tech companies in Chicago that host hackathons of their own, and they filled us in on all whos, whats, whens, and whys of that particular part of their culture.
Bounteous designs and builds innovative digital experiences for their customers, so it’s unsurprising that the company turns to hackathons to keep its team members thinking on their feet. Their annual hackathon is an opportunity to sharpen their skills and expand their knowledge — all the while working to meet both the needs of their clients and the ambitions of their team.
The details: Once a year, Bounteous hosts a two-day creative binge where members of their team break into groups to build something groundbreaking. Over the course of those two days, employees have the chance to work cross-departmentally with colleagues they might not get to work with on a day-to-day basis. But more than that, it’s an opportunity to recharge, kick back, and enjoy a beer or two while building something together.
The event culminates with a presentation to a panel of judges, with groups winning one of six superlative awards (including most usable, collaborative, helpful, complete, and innovative). During the most recent event, 110 employees participated, building 26 projects that ranged from ordering your next on-demand meal via VR and an app that creates a dynamic email clock that counts down the time left on specific deals.
The inside scoop: “Last year, our team members collectively learned over 40 different technologies, tools, and techniques,” said Seth Dobbs, VP of Engineering. “This year, teams produced over 10 projects that could potentially be used by one of our clients and 14 projects that make our lives at Bounteous a little easier. The hackathon is a fun way to put our learning to the test.”
Paylocity — a company that builds cloud-based payroll and human capital management software — hosted a hackathon during their annual TechCon trip to Las Vegas, which resulted in a tool that can be used for software engineer testing, quality engineer testing, and automated testing.
The details: The company’s Web Benefits Team hosted the hackathon in order to build out a data generation tool that both exports and imports data from any environment, which allows for optimized troubleshooting between the two environments.
Typically, the team works remotely, so the hackathon was an opportunity for them to work together in one physical location as they collaborated on a focused project. In addition, the company said the hackathon let the team hone in on the most important elements of the project — a lesson in balancing what’s urgent and what’s important during the software development cycle.
The inside scoop: According to the company, the team would be interested in hosting a similar hackathon in the future. “It gives the team the ability to focus on what is important and items for long-term that can be lost in the mix of the day-to-day. It is also an opportunity for the team to work on something they are passionate about,” a team member said.
Solstice Mobile is one of Chicago’s largest innovation and digital engineering firms with a keen eye on research and development to make sure their employees and clients are working in the vanguard of new technologies.
The details: Last year, Solstice Mobile hosted its first Solstice FWD, a client symposium that invited executives from across the Fortune 1000. In preparation for the event, Solstice employees — from engineers to delivery, design, and strategy — participated in weekly hackathons after work during the spring and summer leading up to the event.
Unlike traditional hackathons, where teams work on different solutions to the same problem, each team at Solstice focuses on designing, developing, and delivering a new, specific experience. That broad approach allows the team to work together on new ideas, employing the freshest technologies like AI, VR, bots, voice technology, and the Internet of Things.
During the symposium, the company demoed the results of their hard, innovative work — including a robot butler, a connected beer vending machine, and a virtual reality office tour.
The inside scoop: "These hackathons are key to maintaining our Solstice culture. We are not only getting our employees out of their day-to-day, but giving them the opportunity to collaborate with people across various projects in order to develop new skills and continue to learn and grow together. This is the fuel that drives our innovative culture," said Chris Weiland, a technical architect with the company.
Images via featured companies.
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