Four Lessons In Hacking For Social Good

Check out any tech community site and you will find some reference to a hackathon. They have spread across tech companies, universities and cities with goals of addressing complex problems through a rapid innovation process often resulting in software or a product prototype. Although we love what hackathons can do for companies like Facebook looking to quickly bolster their product pipeline with some friendly competition, our recent latinoTech El Hackaton took this idea and pointed it in the direction of some social good. We invited programmers, product developers, graphic designers, interface designers, project managers and community leaders to collaborate intensively on developing a range of solutions to advance a local nonprofit’s mission. We teamed up with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and together chose LSA Family Health Service, an environmental health nonprofit serving El Barrio in East Harlem, New York. The LSA Family Health Service needed a more efficient way of receiving and tracking client experience feedback partially so they could improve their recommended services offered by external partners. El Hackaton The two-day event was an opportunity for latinoTech members and partners, interested in fast learning and problem solving, to roll up their sleeves and build a practical solution from scratch for this East Harlem nonprofit. Each solution demonstrated strength in different areas, including beautiful mobile interfaces, thoughtful search functionality using existing and city data sources, a rating system and other clever features. This event proved that anybody, even non-technical people, can properly focus a team of generous partners and motivated participants on a meaningful goal. And like any initial convening, things could always be improved; however, according to our metrics, this event was a success. Here are some of my takeaways on what drives an effective community hackathon. 1. Know who are your clients and who are their clients LSA Health Family Service sends teams of health workers into the community to diagnose barriers to healthcare and to connect clients to valuable resources provided by a list of partners. To start, hackers faced an ecosystem that included the organization’s clients, the organization’s health workers and the staff of partner organizations. The client is the community health worker, yet to be effective the hacker needed to consider the needs of the health care workers’ clients and how they experience the services of partner organizations. We can also include family members and environmental elements as stakeholders and variables that needed to be considered. As convener, our clients were both the participants and nonprofits. Great hackathons take time to frame all of the stakeholders and cultural issues appropriately for all participants. This can be done by providing clear challenge statements that outline existing relationships, address FAQs, share existing approaches, data and the history of the challenge. The sooner all hackers can get on the same page on a complex issue, the sooner the ideas will flow and can be assessed by all participants. 2. Convene partners that make sense for the client Who are the hackers solving for? Who are their organization’s clients and who makes up their community? Who is best to participate in the hackathon? Answer: The community benefiting from the solution and other members of the community should be represented in the innovation process. Along with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, we casted a wide net of participants to ensure not only traditional techies would be invited but also that non-technical professionals including social workers and other nonprofit representatives would be welcome as well. Diversity does not just happen. It must be carefully considered and delicately executed. 3. Set the right culture for strangers to have fun, so trust can form and ideas can flow Solutions come out of asking good questions and sharing ideas early on. Therefore, generating ideas, both good and bad, are the key to any hackathon or product development session because this is what creates a deep shared understanding about the problem and what is possible. To get the ideas flowing one needs to take some time to design a fun experience where strangers can go from, “Hello, my name is..” to doing thehappy dance in front of everyone. Music and great food goes a long way as well (we lucked out with breakfast by Avison Young and Ecuadorian eats from Castillo Restaurant whose owner also happened to be a software entrepreneur). We were hosted at WorkVille’s new workspace, which sets itself apart from other coworking spaces by really creating a home for its clients, so our participants were encouraged to wander around the venue and pick any room or table they wanted to focus intensely on the challenge at hand. Finally, take time to think through the MC-ing and facilitating of the experience. Clear instructions, self-deprecating jokes and staying on time go a long way in keeping everyone focused on the task at hand. 4. Validate the impact At the end, multiple concepts with solutions were presented to the non-profit for a judgement. Although one solution was chosen, it was easy to see how the functionality of other teams’ solutions could amplify the winner’s solution. In addition to LSA Family Health Services receiving a comprehensive set of pro bono approaches and solutions, other positive impacts were apparent. El Hackaton’s partners developed a strong relationship, evident on the first night’s impromptu happy hour along with several business connections made throughout the event. From the very beginning, could these additional social impacts be quantified and structured into what success looked liked? Absolutely. The end organizational goal was critical; however, an additional end goal of uniting communities around shared challenges and opportunities was also advanced. Convening partners, finding sponsors and inspiring a community to roll up their sleeves to support an organization that is trying to improve the lives of a local community is not easy work but it is doable and will help to nurture a positive relationship amongst the tech other and local communities. These are just a few of the ingredients in the recipe for what makes a great community hackathon. We hope this is the start to more Latino-inspired community hackathons to come and that they each contribute to a Latino tech social innovation platform for New York City. Follow us to stay in the loop with all things #latinoTech Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Tumblr // LinkedIn // Meetup // Newsletter *Originally posted by Rico Oyola on LinkedIn