Iowa State’s first “Usabilathon” to take place this weekend
Sam Gutermuth is working on a project for HackISU. HackISU is a 36 hour session where tech savvy creators go to produce a project from scratch.
April 5, 2018
Iowa State students, especially engineers, should be familiar with the term “hackathon.” This weekend, Iowa State is hosting its first ever “Usabliathon.”
Alex Lim, graduate student in human and computer interaction, organized the event.
Lim had done something similar and by the same name before and felt the event could bring a lot to Iowa State students.
The event is similar to a hackathon. Teams get eight hours to work on a project and at the end of the event, judges will decide a winner.
The project focuses more on the industry. While hackathon participants show off their creativity and skills, Usabilathon participants show off their abilities to solve an industry problem effectively.
Every team at the event has the same problem, and this arguably levels the playing field a little more. Teams are not allowed to know the problem before the competition, ensuring all participants are allowed the same amount of time to work.
Lim said he hopes future problems will be those of nonprofits, charities or similar organizations so the competition can give their solutions back to the community.
Melynda Hoover, organizer and participant, said the competition is open to all majors and classes. This is to simulate a real workplace where a team of individuals with different skills will have to work together. She said there is no such thing as being “too unexperienced” because it is a learning experience for everyone.
Lim stressed the importance of bringing students from different colleges to work on a problem is important because during undergraduate years, a student is exclusively working with students in his or her major.
This year there are six teams of four, but next year’s plan is to allow more. Lim said they have been thinking about moving it to Des Moines, somewhere closer to the industries that might be looking to sponsor the event, and for larger spaces for more teams.
The event takes place from 8 a.m – 8 p.m. this Sunday in the Virtual Reality Applications Center. They are currently not taking any more entries.
