Short answer

When designing issue-focused events, prioritize creating an environment that supports personal reflection, shared experience, and the development of collective efficacy for social impact.

Field
User-Centred Design
Source
Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (2020)
Method
Qualitative study
Evidence
Strong effect

Issue-focused hackathons, particularly those with a social justice or marginalized group focus, can act as catalysts for significant personal development and a deeper understanding of systemic issues among participants. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2020 study published in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction. Using Qualitative study, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing issue-focused events, prioritize creating an environment that supports personal reflection, shared experience, and the development of collective efficacy for social impact.

Study
User-Centred DesignHigh ImpactStrong effect

Issue-focused hackathons can foster long-term personal growth and social consciousness.

Issue-focused hackathons, particularly those with a social justice or marginalized group focus, can act as catalysts for significant personal development and a deeper understanding of systemic issues among participants.

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · 2020

01

Key Findings

  • 01Hackathons can serve as spaces for 'feminist consciousness raising'.
  • 02Participants gained a deeper understanding of how personal experiences connect to structural oppression.
  • 03Participation fostered self- and collective-efficacy for creating design interventions and enacting social change.
02

Application

Design takeaway

When designing issue-focused events, prioritize creating an environment that supports personal reflection, shared experience, and the development of collective efficacy for social impact.

How to apply

When organizing or participating in design challenges or hackathons focused on social issues, actively seek opportunities to share personal stories, discuss systemic connections, and build collective confidence to address the problem.

Project actions

  • 01Consider how your design project can facilitate personal reflection and connection among users.
  • 02Explore how your design can help users understand the broader social or systemic context of their personal experiences.
03

Method & Evidence

AimWhat are the long-term personal impacts of issue-focused hackathons on participants' understanding of social issues and their sense of agency?
MethodQualitative study
ProcedureA post-hoc qualitative study was conducted with participants and organizers of a postpartum health hackathon one year after the event. The study aimed to understand motivations for participation, the impact on participants' lives, and how their understanding of postpartum health evolved.
ContextPostpartum health hackathon

Variables

IVParticipation in an issue-focused hackathon
DVLong-term personal impacts on understanding of social issues, sense of self-efficacy, and motivation for social change.
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Focuses on often-overlooked long-term personal impacts.
  • +Provides a theoretical framework ('feminist consciousness raising') for understanding these impacts.

Limitations

The long-term impact is based on self-reported data, which can be subject to recall bias. The specific context of a postpartum health hackathon might influence the outcomes.

Reliability & validity

The qualitative nature of the study provides rich, in-depth insights but limits generalizability. Triangulation of data from both participants and organizers could enhance validity.

Think critically

To what extent can the 'feminist consciousness raising' model be applied to hackathons with different thematic focuses and participant demographics?

05

Design Principles

"Design events to facilitate 'consciousness raising' by providing safe spaces for sharing personal experiences, contextualizing them within systemic issues, and empowering participants to act."

This insight highlights that the impact of design events extends beyond immediate outputs. By creating spaces for shared experience and critical reflection, designers can facilitate profound personal transformations that influence participants' worldviews and future actions.

06

What This Means for Your Design

Hackathons that focus on real-world problems can actually change how people think and feel about those problems long-term, making them feel more empowered to make a difference.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Reference this study when discussing the potential for design interventions to foster personal growth or social awareness.
  • 2.Use the concept of 'consciousness raising' to frame how user research or co-design activities can lead to deeper user understanding.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research indicates that issue-focused design events can foster significant personal development, acting as spaces for 'consciousness raising' where participants connect personal experiences to systemic issues and develop a sense of agency for social change. This suggests that design projects aiming for social impact should consider creating opportunities for users to reflect on their experiences and understand broader contexts.

09

Source

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

"The Personal is Political"

journal · 2020

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about issue-focused hackathons can foster long-term personal growth and social consciousness?
When designing issue-focused events, prioritize creating an environment that supports personal reflection, shared experience, and the development of collective efficacy for social impact. Evidence: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (2020).
Why does "Issue-focused hackathons can foster long-term personal growth and social consciousness." matter for design?
This insight highlights that the impact of design events extends beyond immediate outputs. By creating spaces for shared experience and critical reflection, designers can facilitate profound personal transformations that influence participants' worldviews and future actions.
How can designers apply this research?
When designing issue-focused events, prioritize creating an environment that supports personal reflection, shared experience, and the development of collective efficacy for social impact.
What were the main findings?
Hackathons can serve as spaces for 'feminist consciousness raising'.. Participants gained a deeper understanding of how personal experiences connect to structural oppression.. Participation fostered self- and collective-efficacy for creating design interventions and enacting social change.
What research method was used?
Qualitative study.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2020 journal from Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction.
What should I do differently in my next project?
When organizing or participating in design challenges or hackathons focused on social issues, actively seek opportunities to share personal stories, discuss systemic connections, and build collective confidence to address the problem.
What are the limitations?
The study is post-hoc and relies on participant recall. The findings are specific to a particular type of hackathon (postpartum health) and may not generalize to all hackathon formats.