{"id":11934,"date":"2020-06-15T13:43:01","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T17:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/?p=11934"},"modified":"2021-01-28T15:12:39","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T20:12:39","slug":"working-together-to-win-a-hackathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/working-together-to-win-a-hackathon","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Stories: Working Together to Win a Hackathon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This last month, graduates had the opportunity to participate in our first stay-at-home hackathon (in partnership with Microsoft). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each team had three days to design a solution for a better work-from-home experience that could integrate with the Microsoft Teams video chat software. After a few intense days of work and collaboration, the judges were seriously impressed with the results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We spoke with the winning team: Pablo Lopez Castillo (UX Design), Jung Oh (UX Design), Ali Eddeb (Data Science), and Nick Mahon (Data Science). Together, the alumni designed FocusBuddy, a productivity app to help you stay focused on your tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having recently completed their full-time diploma programs at BrainStation, the graduates were eager to test their new skills with a challenge from a tech giant like Microsoft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy participating in this hackathon, my hope was that I would be exposed to the types of challenges or projects Microsoft employees get to tackle, as well as how they solve them,\u201d Oh said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For their project, the winning team wanted to reflect the current conditions professionals face when working from home. \u201cWe found that productivity was a primary issue remote workers face due to a variety of reasons. One of the most prominent pain points users had with productivity was that they had trouble maintaining self-discipline when attempting to thwart distractions (such as a cell phone),\u201d the team explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team decided to focus on developing a Microsoft Teams add-on called FocusBuddy, which helps boost remote productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FocusBuddy: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Identifies user work habits and suggests on how to improve them with computer vision<\/li>
  2. Sends reminders and recommendations throughout a session to increase productivity and wellness <\/li>
  3.  Awards points for uninterrupted work and healthy habits<\/li>
  4.  Allows daily team goal-setting with leader boards and results <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Working Together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Working remotely, the team used a plethora of tools to iterate, create, collaborate, and test. The Designers relied on Sketch, Figma, and Invision, while the Data Scientists used Sublime Text 3, Anaconda Prompt, and Jupyter Notebooks. Of course, Microsoft Teams also supported communication and collaboration to keep them working together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSeeing our concept come to life within the time constraints was satisfying as we all had pivotal roles,\u201d Castillo said, explaining that there were many proud moments amongst the team. As a bonus, the team created a product commercial<\/a> which really tied the whole presentation together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Eddeb for one was impressed by the team dynamics. \u201cWe were able to criticize our ideas well and did not fall into groupthink. We were able to delegate tasks effectively and we overall had a good time working together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Similarly, Oh enjoyed working with Data Scientists to leverage unique solutions. \u201cWe were able to ask our Data Scientists to provide thought-provoking perspectives, educate ourselves regarding the possibilities of data, and implement innovative solutions as a result.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mahon, meanwhile, was pleased with the way the UX team brought their ideas into reality. \u201cBringing such a polished look to an otherwise rough idea was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    But it wasn\u2019t easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Starting the project, in particular, posed a challenge. \u201cThere were just so many ways to approach the improvement of the work-from-home experience,\u201d the team said. \u201cWe spent a significant amount of time redefining our problem space to achieve what we felt to be the best solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As they moved forward, the team relied on what they learned at BrainStation to find success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cFrom the plethora of knowledge gained in completing the Data Science program at BrainStation, the most relevant of it was learned during 3D day,\u201d Mahon said. BrainStation 3D is a day in which students from the UX, Data, and Web Dev platforms come together for a day-long collaborative competition to practice working cross-functionally. \u201cWorking with UX Designers beforehand and having an idea of how our work complements one another went a long way in arriving at our final product,\u201d said Mahon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The others agreed that BrainStation gave them the tools to work well as a multidisciplinary group. Plablo shared that the program taught him skills that helped him with \u201cnavigating the problem space and understanding how to extract insights and translating research to identify user needs is a skill I am always working to improve on.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Oh agreed that the diploma program taught them how to approach problems in a team setting. \u201cThis skill was useful in the hackathon because it enabled our team to get all of our ideas on the table, use our individual strengths and knowledge to analyze and select an idea to move work with, and apply the technical skills we have been trained in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Taking the Next Step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The team encourages other recent graduates and others seeking a role in UX or Data to practice, practice, practice. Edebb says the best advice he\u2019s received is to continue working on projects. \u201cOnce you have foundational knowledge, try to implement what you have learned by working on projects.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After all, Mahon reminds us: <\/em>\u201cThe slogan that is heard throughout our time at BrainStation is based on being \u2018a lifetime learner.\u2019 My advice is to do exactly that; there is never nothing new to learn and the more you know, the more directions you will be able to take your career.\u201d
    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Graduates had the opportunity to participate in a stay-at-home hackathon with Microsoft. Learn more about how the winning team worked together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":11939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[303,343,157],"tags":[175,332,1285,488,230,112],"yoast_head":"\nAlumni Stories: Working Together to Win a Hackathon | BrainStation\u00ae Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Graduates had the opportunity to participate in a stay-at-home hackathon with Microsoft. 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