{"id":20735,"date":"2019-06-25T10:00:52","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T14:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/powerful-idea-story-can-explain-good-solution-tips-annual-nyuad-international-hackathon\/"},"modified":"2025-06-03T08:33:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T12:33:29","slug":"powerful-idea-story-can-explain-good-solution-tips-annual-nyuad-international-hackathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/powerful-idea-story-can-explain-good-solution-tips-annual-nyuad-international-hackathon\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHave a powerful idea, a story you can explain, and a good solution\u201d: Tips from the Annual NYUAD International Hackathon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mark Wood, Engineering Manager in the Mobile Team at Bloomberg London, recently returned from the 8th Annual NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) International Hackathon for Social Good in the Arab World<\/a>. Just like last year<\/a>, Wood judged the 2019 competition. His advice for future attendees is clear enough: \u201cIf you can prepare for anything, it\u2019s the idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s event was attended by more than 80 students from over 50 nationalities. If diversity is what makes the event special, combine that with its core purpose \u2013 achieving social good in the Arab world \u2013 and you\u2019re left with something truly unique.<\/p>\n

Wood was in Abu Dhabi alongside Kassem Wridan, an iOS Engineer also based out of Bloomberg London, who, like Wood, reprised his 2018 role as a Mentor at the event. Wridan\u2019s team, Hukamaa, built upon an idea to tackle loneliness among the elderly by developing a platform that could connect older and younger generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe elderly are wise; they have gathered a lot of experiences throughout their lives and careers. It\u2019s a shame that isn\u2019t shared with the younger generations who will eventually go through the same life experiences,\u201d says Wridan. \u201cThe team\u2019s platform looked to change this through two angles: creating volunteering opportunities for young people with the elderly, and changing perceptions of the elderly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

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Hukamaa came in joint for second at this year\u2019s event \u2013 an achievement Wridan rightly described as \u201cawesome.\u201d He attributes the team\u2019s success to three reasons: \u201cFirst is that the team got along really well. The second is that it was a great idea. And the third is that they were all amazing presenters. They put a really nice story into their presentation. Judges rate not only your idea, but also how you sell it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As both are now regular participants in the Abu Dhabi competition in their respective roles, it\u2019s safe to say that Wridan and Wood have a few pearls of wisdom to impart to anyone looking to attend this \u2013 or really any \u2013 hackathon. So, we sat down with them both to hear their dos, their don\u2019ts, and to simply ask what someone can gain from attending one.<\/p>\n

Why sign-up?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJust go for it,\u201d states Wood, when presented with that question. \u201cIt\u2019s not about going there and winning. It\u2019s about the collaborative experience and learning from that, in terms of both soft skills and technically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe experience of working in a team is a great thing to get out of a hackathon,\u201d adds Wridan. \u201cAnother is having the experience of focusing on the bigger picture as part of a team. At university, you\u2019ll commonly just be focusing on you and your own work, so it\u2019s a real change from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alignment and iteration<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much is made about the technical and physical challenges of a hackathon, which is undoubtedly justified. But softer skills play an equally important role.<\/p>\n

\u201cOvercommunicating is key,\u201d states Wood. \u201cCommunicating is one thing, but in a hackathon, where time is at a premium, you have to communicate more than you usually would to make sure you\u2019re all aligned and working on the right things. Don\u2019t leave too much room for interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, I\u2019ve seen teams fail to get aligned on their idea at the early stages of the process,\u201d says Wridan. \u201cPeople within a team will often have different views on how the idea can be brought to life, but misalignments can be very hard to recover from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure you have something that works end-to-end,\u201d Wood adds. \u201cKeep it working and iterate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

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Good teamwork is more than good communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

With groups split into small teams in Abu Dhabi, having the ability to work well in that team setting is important. Good communication is a key feature of good teamwork, but not the only one, as Wood explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollaboration also means being aware of your team. If you see someone on your team hitting an issue, don\u2019t let them struggle \u2013 try to be helpful. Everyone will bring something unique to the table; as a group, you have to figure out what that is and how to use it best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no individual prizes,\u201d adds Wridan. \u201cSo, don\u2019t get siloed in your own domain and too focused on what you think you\u2019re best at; help your team with the more important parts to the puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Practice, practice, practice presenting<\/strong><\/p>\n

The presentation marks the end of the hackathon \u2013 the final straight of a programming marathon. Although this skill may arguably be the least practiced for most attendees, presenting the issue and your solution is, of course, the culmination of \u2013 in the case of the NYUAD International Hackathon \u2013 48 hours of hard work. So, what tips do Wridan and Wood have to make a successful presentation?<\/p>\n

\u201cFiguring out the story aspect is the biggest part to it,\u201d says Wridan. \u201cGetting the audience immersed in the story helps to sell your idea to them. It\u2019s better than \u2018Here\u2019s something I built.\u2019 Practicing is also so important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPractice, practice, practice, practice,\u201d reiterates Wood. \u201cAnd don\u2019t assume too much context. Because you\u2019re so consumed by the problem, it\u2019s easy to assume that the audience knows what you\u2019re talking about. Don\u2019t be afraid to spell it out to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Success isn\u2019t first place<\/strong><\/p>\n

Diversity and inclusivity are the central themes of the Annual NYUAD International Hackathon, as well as many other events. That\u2019s why success isn\u2019t measured by who wins (or even who comes in joint second place). Rather it\u2019s about being there, contributing and having fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery group will succeed,\u201d says Wood. \u201cThe winning is in the learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

London-based engineers discuss key skills that students can learn by participating in hackathons<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":19209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1466],"tags":[1471,1344,1678,1693,1793,1777],"class_list":["post-20735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-at-bloomberg","tag-general","tag-inclusion","tag-programmer","tag-programming","tag-vc","tag-venture-capital"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cHave a powerful idea, a story you can explain, and a good solution\u201d: Tips from the Annual NYUAD International Hackathon | Bloomberg LP<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bloomberg engineers based in London recently participated in the Eighth Annual NYU Abu Dhabi International Hackathon For Social Good In The Arab World.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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