The Future of Hackathon Research and Practice

Abstract

Hackathons are time-bounded collaborative events which have become a global phenomenon adopted by both researchers and practitioners in a plethora of contexts. Hackathon events are generally used to accelerate the development of, for example, scientific results and collaborations, communities, and innovative prototypes addressing urgent challenges. As hackathons have been adopted into many different contexts, the events have also been adapted in numerous ways corresponding to the unique needs and situations of organizers, participants and other stakeholders. While these interdisciplinary adaptions, in general affords many advantages -such as tailoring the format to specific needsthey also entail certain challenges, specifically: 1) limited exchange of best practices, 2) limited exchange of research findings, and 3) larger overarching questions that require interdisciplinary collaboration are not discovered and remain unaddressed. We call for interdisciplinary collaborations to address these challenges. As a first initiative towards this, we performed an interdisciplinary collaborative analysis in the context of a workshop at the Lorentz Center, Leiden in December 2021. In this paper, we present the results of this analysis in terms of six important areas which we envision to contribute to maturing hackathon research and practice: 1) hackathons for different purposes, 2) socio-technical event design, 3) scaling up, 4) making hackathons equitable, 5) studying hackathons, and 6) hackathon goals and how to reach them. We present these areas in terms of the state of the art and research proposals and conclude the paper by suggesting next steps needed for advancing hackathon research and practice.

Virtual design hackathons: a data collection framework

“…Researchers have investigated topics such as interdisciplinary collaboration, prototyping techniques, problem-solving approaches, and the impact of hackathons on skill development. The extensive reviews by Flus and Hurst (2021a) and Falk et al (2022) have emphasized the significance of design hackathons as platforms for exploring new opportunities in design research. Their research delves into the innovative practices that emerge during hackathons, underscoring their potential to push the boundaries of traditional design methods.…”

“…For them, the competitive and immersive nature of hackathons, coupled with the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and industry experts, provides a creative challenge and a chance to demonstrate their skills (Briscoe and Mulligan, 2014;Pe-Than and Herbsleb, 2019). At the same time, design hackathons are also valuable for organizers, typically design companies and universities, as they can facilitate innovation, foster community engagement, and help identifying emerging talents (Falk et al, 2022;Flus and Hurst, 2021b). Moreover, hackathons provide an ideal environment for experiential learning and hands-on problem-solving (Siena et al, 2023).…”

“…Moreover, hackathons provide an ideal environment for experiential learning and hands-on problem-solving (Siena et al, 2023). In addition to the benefits for the participants and organisers, design hackathons also offer a unique opportunity for design researchers to study design activity under extreme time constraints, providing valuable insights into the dynamics of collaborative design processes and the impact of time pressure on creative decision-making (Ege et al, 2023;Falk et al, 2022;Flus and Hurst, 2021b;Sadovykh et al, 2019). Studying design hackathons can thus potentially lead to the development of methodologies adaptable to real-time projects, enhancing design practice by integrating time-efficient ideation techniques.…”

“…For example, one approach involves leveraging online (virtual) hackathons, which provide unique opportunities for data collection through digital platforms, including chat transcripts, video/audio calls, and digital artifacts. However, virtual hackathons introduce challenges such as asynchronous collaboration and reduced interactivity, necessitating careful consideration in research methodologies (Falk et al, 2022;Flus and Hurst, 2021b). Hence, the primary objective of our paper, guided by the research question 'How can a comprehensive data collection framework be designed to effectively capture the dynamics of design teamwork within virtual design hackathons?…”

Editorial: Re-inventing project-based learning: Hackathons, datathons, devcamps as learning expeditions

“…Events like hackathons, maker events, game jams, and similar time-bounded events are a global phenomenon. They provide a space for people with different backgrounds and expertise to come together and work on projects that interest them (Falk et al, 2022). These events are usually centered around specific themes or challenges.…”