Euromonitor International’s technology team recently hosted its second company-wide hackathon, an internal event centered on collaborative technology innovation. The hackathon offers us a way to prototype concepts that improve key product features and generate new ideas for our clients.
Our annual hackathon allows the technology team to showcase their creativity and collaboration in action; and with nearly all departments involved, it’s a team building exercise that keeps getting bigger each year. What the cross-functional teams brainstorm in those few days impacts the business on a large scale; the competition is fierce and fun but it ultimately drives our product forward.
With a total of 69 ideas; 23 were completed in 48 hours by 74 people across six offices including Bangalore, London, Tokyo, Cape Town, Chicago and Vilnius. Each team presented their ideas with design files and explanation and then I, alongside eight other judges, including Euromonitor International’s CEO, Tim Kitchin, reviewed all the hacks to determine a winner.
While there were many hacks focused on Passport database improvements, "HACK-I-43: Improved auto-complete and statistics result list" won the hackathon with a unanimous vote from the judges. This hack works to improve search usability within our Passport database.
However, with so many great ideas centered around user experience or UX improvements, four additional UX hacks will be added to the overall technology team’s goals in upcoming months.
Post-event, I had the opportunity to speak with participants and many agree that the hackathon is one of their favorite activities at Euromonitor. “It gives me an opportunity to brainstorm new ideas and showcase my abilities,” says Technology Production Team Lead, Neetha Padmaiah. “Even though this year’s event is over and my team didn’t win, I’ll be brainstorming new concepts to unveil for next year for months to come.”
I invite you to our careers page to learn more about our technology team and career opportunities available. Our team is always growing and looking to hire motivated and top-level talent. Additional questions? Contact me directly: Helena.Nimmo@Euromonitor.com