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5 reasons why virtual Hackathons are better
Minimal distraction, high working flexibility, and a decent environment. They all lead to a better outcome.
Earlier last week, I came across a call-out for a virtual hackathon to tackle COVID-19. Being so curious about how to host such a complicated session remotely, I hit the sign-up button. When I dialed in the Zoom meeting, I found there were more than 100 students is in the call, and I, become the only participant that is from the working class. I did want to run away as being the oldest participant. However, since we formed the group already, I decided to stay a bit longer just to see how it goes.
Eventually, this hackathon became one of the best hacks that I have ever joined. Within 48 hours, my team — students from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and China, prototype a solution to help social distancing. We delivered a marketing video, poster, as well as a working prototype to demonstrate our ideas.
And when comparing the virtual hackathon with the onsite one that I joined before, I am amazed that the team is actually way more engaged and efficient. And in fact, an online hackathon could actually do a lot of goods in terms of the participants’ experience.
# 1 — Minimize distraction
In an online hackathon where everyone is isolated at their home, we actually have a minimal distraction. Our team opened up a zoom meeting to connect everyone online. Video is always on. And people only go out of the screen for food or bio break.
In physical competition, in contrast, people need to handle a lot of distractions. Examples like someone walk pass our working tables, or mentors come over to check-in.
But in an online environment, the team managed to stay focus on what we need to do and spend quality time with the mentors based on a pre-defined schedule.
#2 — Better working environment
All of our teammates worked in a decent environment for the session. We have a nice table, a comfy…
