When you don't have time for a full UX Process...

The hackathon...  How do you honor the UX craft when you only have a few hours?

Problem

As the UX Manager, I was challenged to showcase the impact of UX and Design Thinking in a fast-paced hackathon. With just one day to research and deliver a solution, my team focused on a key feature that lacked clarity and usability. We rapidly gathered insights, mapped user pain points, and prototyped an intuitive design that addressed real user needs. By demonstrating a user-centered approach under tight constraints, we proved how UX can drive smarter, faster, and more effective product decisions.

Solution

Don't accept the request at face-value.

Use quick quantitative data at our disposal.

Collaborate with PM, PO, and Development for optimal solution.

Quickly research with validate with conference participants on hand.

Role

UX Manager & Strategist

UX Researcher

Cross-Team workshops, generative research, personas, workflows, prototypes, user validation

Step 0. The setup...

Step 0.
The setup...

2,500 customers and two days to complete a feature.

The Ask... Show users more rows on training table.

Step 1. Discover & Define

Step 1.
Discover & Define

Align the team on the problem and validate.

We were Wrong.  Users didn't need to see more rows; they needed to be able to triage training completion.

Step 2. Design

Step 2.
Design

LoFi to HiFi.

Step 3. Validate & Deploy

Step 3.
Validate & Deploy

The Result...