Wednesday 25th February brought a first for Cogs Agency as we embarked on a hugely successful UX Hackathon, hosted in Farringdon’s Innovation Warehouse by CareerFoundry, A Berlin based tech company who create custom-designed UX and technology courses. Emil and Annie did a fantastic job with the event which was impeccably well put together and executed.

As proud sponsors of this event, we went along to set up and help fuel the hackers with a deck of pizza and beers (not to mention a vessel of Cogs pens for when their favourite sharpies failed them). Not unlike the Brit Awards, our Hackathon was a star studded event full of London’s top UX mentors, designers and a great turn-out of promising juniors. Amongst the crowd were also budding marketing specialists, UI designers and business analysts, all working together to create the next best product in our industry.

Our hackers went through the entire UCD lifecycle from concept upwards; competitor analysis, persona creation, first round testing, branding, marketing, product design, 2nd round of testing data, iteration and mockups (breathe!) – all against the clock. In a bid to help the hackers where we could, our very own Head of Brands Paul offered his services for a persona interview or two.

(source http://www.meetup.com/UX-Designers-HQ-London/photos/25941976/#434891778)

The hackers worked deep into the night and wrapped up with their 3 minute presentations, scratching only the surface of their capability in one evening. The winning team managed to create a very compelling argument for their product, ethical clothing for little children. They were awarded first place for an astounding business pitch and collaborative team work. First prize? CareerFoundry UX design scholarships for all members of the team. Runners up were also commended for their hard work with smaller prizes and feelings of pride.

The UX mentor team, along with Annie and Emil, did a brilliant job in keeping our hackers motivated and inspired throughout the night. We’ve already been tipped off about a second London hackathon so keep your eyes and ears peeled for more information.

For a UX related chat connect with me. And for all our current UX jobs.

• Categories
• Experience Design