Design at hackathons: new opportunities for design research
Hackathons are short-term events at which participants work in small groups to ideate, develop and present a solution to a problem. Despite their popularity, and significant relevance to design research, they have only recently come into research focus. This study presents a review of the existing l...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Design Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2053470121000019/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156439564025856 |
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| author | Meagan Flus Ada Hurst |
| author_facet | Meagan Flus Ada Hurst |
| author_sort | Meagan Flus |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hackathons are short-term events at which participants work in small groups to ideate, develop and present a solution to a problem. Despite their popularity, and significant relevance to design research, they have only recently come into research focus. This study presents a review of the existing literature on the characteristics of designing at hackathons. Hackathon participants are found to follow typical divergence–convergence patterns in their design process throughout the hackathon. Unique features include the initial effort to form teams and the significant emphasis on preparing and delivering a solution demo at the final pitch. Therefore, hackathons present themselves as a unique setting in which design is conducted and learned, and by extension, can be studied. Overall, the review provides a foundation to inform future research on design at hackathons. Methodological limitations of current studies on hackathons are discussed and the feasibility of more systematic studies of design in these types of settings is assessed. Further, we explore how the unique nature of the hackathon format and the diverse profiles of hackathon participants with regards to subject matter knowledge, design expertise and prior hackathon experience may affect design cognition and behaviour at each stage of the design process in distinctive ways. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:51:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7fd6d560b4104084a82775f868505840 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2053-4701 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:51:37Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Design Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-7fd6d560b4104084a82775f8685058402023-03-09T12:32:01ZengCambridge University PressDesign Science2053-47012021-01-01710.1017/dsj.2021.1Design at hackathons: new opportunities for design researchMeagan Flus0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8598-7796Ada Hurst1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2481-8566Department of Management Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, CanadaDepartment of Management Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, CanadaHackathons are short-term events at which participants work in small groups to ideate, develop and present a solution to a problem. Despite their popularity, and significant relevance to design research, they have only recently come into research focus. This study presents a review of the existing literature on the characteristics of designing at hackathons. Hackathon participants are found to follow typical divergence–convergence patterns in their design process throughout the hackathon. Unique features include the initial effort to form teams and the significant emphasis on preparing and delivering a solution demo at the final pitch. Therefore, hackathons present themselves as a unique setting in which design is conducted and learned, and by extension, can be studied. Overall, the review provides a foundation to inform future research on design at hackathons. Methodological limitations of current studies on hackathons are discussed and the feasibility of more systematic studies of design in these types of settings is assessed. Further, we explore how the unique nature of the hackathon format and the diverse profiles of hackathon participants with regards to subject matter knowledge, design expertise and prior hackathon experience may affect design cognition and behaviour at each stage of the design process in distinctive ways.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2053470121000019/type/journal_articlehackathondesignliterature review |
| spellingShingle | Meagan Flus Ada Hurst Design at hackathons: new opportunities for design research Design Science hackathon design literature review |
| title | Design at hackathons: new opportunities for design research |
| title_full | Design at hackathons: new opportunities for design research |
| title_fullStr | Design at hackathons: new opportunities for design research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design at hackathons: new opportunities for design research |
| title_short | Design at hackathons: new opportunities for design research |
| title_sort | design at hackathons new opportunities for design research |
| topic | hackathon design literature review |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2053470121000019/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT meaganflus designathackathonsnewopportunitiesfordesignresearch AT adahurst designathackathonsnewopportunitiesfordesignresearch |