Supply and demand: hacking the future of work
a Hack.Diversity x IDEO CoLab partnership
May 13, 2019 — 100 members of the Hack.Diversity x IDEO CoLab x SIM Boston x Google communities convened at Google Cambridge for Hack.Diversity’s inaugural de.Hackathon showcase.
So…what IS a de.Hackathon?
In traditional hackathons, participants are tasked to ideate, prototype, and present on solutions to known problems, business opportunities, or technologies, within 24-48 hours.
The Hack.Diversity de.Hackathon (read — deconstructed Hackathon) addresses the same design thinking goals, but stretches this experience out over three months to enable a realistic timeframe during which the Fellows—many of whom are attending school and working on top of their Hack.Diversity commitments — may strengthen in-demand technical skills, and gain project life cycle experience, ahead of their summer internships.
de.Hackathon 2019
“The opportunity to host Hack.Diversity’s de.Hackathon offers an insightful look into the discussion around the importance of diversity and inclusion in driving innovation — something Google strives to do daily.” — Jonah Berman, Google Cambridge Site Program Manager
Sponsored by SIM Boston, and in partnership with IDEO CoLab, Hack Fellows completed a series of five workshops — ideation, design research, prototype, synthesis, and pitch practice — to propose technology-enabled solutions to the following challenges at the intersection of skills access and the future of work:
1. How might non-traditional academic experiences garner the same type of reputation as a four year college degree for employers?
2. How might we make learning code inherent to a high school education?
3. How might we speed up learning time for new software developer employees on new coding languages?
This showcase was the culmination of those efforts.
Eight Teams — Prizes and Bragging Rights On The Line
Eight de.Hackathon teams vied for two opportunities to win:
- Judges Favorite: winner will be the team that most successfully demonstrates: 1) originality 2) technical soundness 3) usefulness to end user 4) team effort and 5) compelling pitch presentation.
- Crowd Favorite: winner will be the team that convinces as many attendees as possible to vote for them and their prototype idea.
At stake were a few sweet prizes including: opportunity to participate in SIM Boston’s Technology Leadership Summit, opportunity to participate in Re-Work’s Deep Learning Summit, and internship success starter kit s— inclusive of all the things that’ll comfortably set up an intern at their first workspace.
A Peek Into the Future of Work
Javascript Is My Second Language
Teams who addressed this brief examined solutions to solving the question:
“How might we make learning code inherent to a high school education?”
Highlights included:
- A platform that provides classes, after school programs, and other interactive programs in elementary and middle schools. The objective is to introduce young children to technology at an earlier age, which aides in setting them up for greater opportunity and future success in technology.
- A platform that provides accessible and tailored after school programs sorted by industry for middle and high school students, where they can find and attend local technology events.
Street Cred for That Sweet Bread
Teams who addressed this brief explored ways to solve the question:
“How might non-traditional academic experiences garner the same type of reputation as a four year college degree for employers?”
Highlights included:
- A platform that uses a matching system based on skill level rather than educational background to approach the hiring of employees coming from non-traditional pathways, such as two year colleges and certificate programs versus traditional four year programs.
- A website that allows high school students to seek guidance counselors outside of their schools’ networks. It allows both students and parents to create a structured plan for after high school.
Code Switching, Literally
Teams who addressed this brief proposed solutions to solving the question:
“How might we speed up learning time for new software developer employees on new coding languages?”
Highlights included:
- A platform that allows software developers to learn new coding languages more quickly by placing the languages side by side for user comparison. The user would be able to see how the coding languages differ and practice by using built-in lesson guides and quizzes.
And the winners are…
The competition was strong, as all eight teams presented interesting and original prototypes. Ultimately, team 5 and team 9 were crowned as our inaugural de.Hackathon Showcase winners. Team 5 proposed a platform that uses machine learning to analyze voice and video, giving hiring managers better insight into how a candidate would fit into a role. Team 9 proposed a platform that would create after school programs for elementary school children to learn about electric circuitry and other technology. Their prototypes were all encompassing — original, practical and engaging. They addressed market demand, and proposed solutions, and convinced participants of product potential.
We’re energized and inspired by the work of all eight teams, and are excited for Fellows to apply the skills they’ve sharpened through participation in the de.Hackathon process to their summer 2019 internships with our 15 Host Companies partners!
Special thanks and appreciation
To SIM Boston for sponsoring the de.Hackathon, Craig Horgan and Dennis Ravenelle (SIM Boston) and Flavio Andrade (Hack.Diversity Alumni Leadership Member) for serving as de.Hackathon judges, Shuya Gong and Scout O’Beirne from IDEO CoLab for their partnership, and the Google community — Leah Worbes Lunde, Sarah Awad Farid, Jonah Berman — for hosting!
