About the Hackathon
The hackathon is a social coding event for computer programmers and people interested in software development. Participants can form teams of one or more individuals. They will have twelve hours to develop an interactive visualization — whether in the form of a website, a web app, or a simple computer game.
The theme of our hackathon is Human–Technology Relations. A detailed description of the task will be announced the day before the event.
The hackathon is part of the HumanTech Summit, an international scientific conference aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on human-technology relations, organized by SWPS University's HumanTech Center.
Top projects will be displayed in public and their creators will be invited to further develop their prototypes in cooperation with the conference organizers. The winners of the competition will receive PLN 5,000 (approx. EUR 1,000).
The hackathon will be accompanied by a lecture and coding workshops.
Who Can Participate?
You should gather a party before proceeding with coding. However, this is not a mandatory requirement. We invite teams of one to five people to participate in the hackathon
One of our goals is to promote diversity in technology design teams. We understand this term broadly: as interdisciplinarity and as a set of different backgrounds that can enrich the creative process.
The project "has to work." In other words, each team must include a person familiar with creative coding who can create a working prototype. Knowledge of programming languages used for dynamic and interactive visualization is recommended (Processing, P5.js, openFrameworks, Pure Data, Paper.js or vvvv). However, the project can also be developed using HTML and CSS, provided it meets the competition requirements.
The project "has to be on theme," therefore a person versed in psychology, sociology, cultural studies, law, or philosophy will be a valuable asset.
The project "has to look the part," so we recommend having an expert in graphic and/or applied design on the team.
Project Evaluation
The jury will evaluate the projects based on three criteria:
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Does it (co-)work?
The project must be interactive. It means that it can, for example, include two websites: one will be displayed on a projector, and the other will allow the audience to interact with the visualization using a simple interface via a link or a QR code. Or, it could be a website that dynamically retrieves and responds to data from open-access online sources. The jury will focus primarily on adequacy, intuitiveness, and pleasure of interaction and less on the project's complexity.
Site-specific design is encouraged, but not mandatory.
The projects should be equipped with a short and publicly available user manual, which will also be evaluated.
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Is it on theme?
The project should provoke thought by presenting new data, addressing an important issue, or providing an original take on the problem. Projects providing technological support for future editions of the HumanTech Summit, improving its online features, and/or supporting its promotion are especially welcomed.
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Does it look the part?
The design should have aesthetic value. It is not an obvious criterion, as most hackathons only require a technically working prototype. Short on time? We recommend minimalism.
Get Inspired
We have put together a set of additional materials worth reviewing before the hackathon:
Meet the Jury
Klem Jankiewicz
Is an interdisciplinary designer working at the intersection of science, technology, and design. In recent years, she has focused on the quantum computing industry, helping companies create more approachable and user-oriented products. Tools developed by Quantum Flytrap, a company she co-founded, are being used at Stanford and Oxford Universities. Klem researches new ways of human-computer interaction (HCI). She has participated in numerous creative tech projects, including a project on the intersection of music, entertainment, and technology led by the MIT Media Lab. Her works have been showcased at international design exhibitions and festivals such as ICFF New York, New York Maker Faire, 100% Design Tokyo, 100% Design London and Seoul Design Week. Klem is also a lecturer at the Creative Coding graduate certificate program at SWPS University..
Konrad Maj
Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
Is a psychologist, Head of the HumanTech Center for Social and Technological Innovation, and assistant professor in the Department of Social Psychology at SWPS University's Faculty of Psychology in Warsaw. In his research and teaching, he focuses on social influence, media psychology, and innovations. Recently, he has been working on a Human-Robot-Interaction (HRI) project. He is the principal investigator of the "HumanTech Meetings'' project. Konrad is also a member of the Program Council of the Electronic Economy Congress. In 2020, he was a judge in the Huawei Global App Innovation Contest (Apps Up). He has made study visits to, among others, ISI – Institute for Social Innovation (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA), ID+ Research Institute for Design, Media and Culture (University of Aveiro, Portugal), Design Factory (Aalto University, Finland). He was included among the 25 most outstanding graduates of the 25th Jubilee of SWPS University.
David Sypniewski
His career path led through cultural studies at the University of Warsaw, alternative theaters, and management positions in a company producing stilts and a community organization which organizes cultural events for socially excluded persons. He was also an anti-discrimination trainer and worked at Rzeczyobrazkowe studio, where he created interactive experiences and led strategy workshops. At the same time, he never stopped designing and programming, mainly for NGOs in Poland and internationally. For the past three years, he has been teaching creative coding and social robotics at SWPS University's School Of Form.
P5.js // interactively and creatively – a coding workshop
The hackathon will be accompanied by a 3-hour online workshop on creative coding in P5.js, a javascript library for creating graphic and interactive experiences, based on the core principles of Processing. The workshop will be held the day before the main event and will allow participants to better prepare for the competition.
The workshop is free and optional. Basic programming skills and elementary knowledge of front-end web development are recommended, but not required. The workshop is also open to non-coders who would like to explore the capabilities of P5.js to be able to propose adequate visual or substantive solutions during the competition.
During the workshop:
- you will discover the capabilities of P5.js and review inspiring examples of projects written in this language
- you will learn the structure and logic of the code
- you will explore the features of additional libraries
- you will learn how to use open access data sources
- together we will analyze a sample project that meets the criteria of the competition
- we will answer your questions
- we will not revisit the basics of programming, such as variables, loops, conditional statements, arrays and functions
Before the workshop, you might want to take a look at p5.js website
We also recommend trying out free tutorials available at The Coding Train website
Organizational details: