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User-Centered-Development: A Hackathon for Bridging Engineering and Design Disciplines

  • Adi Katz
  • , Hadas Chassidim

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

This paper presents a collaborative hackathon initiative between the Software Engineering (SE) and Visual Communication (VC) departments at an academic engineering college. The hackathon brought together students from “Software Project Management” and “User Experience and Cognition” courses, working in agile development teams to bridge the gap between technical and design focuses. By fostering active learning and simulating real-world digital system development, the hackathon allowed SE students to apply their technical expertise while learning design thinking and usability principles. VC students gained experience translating technical requirements into visually compelling designs. This collaboration facilitated a deeper understanding of user-centered design and the software agile development process, promoting critical thinking and creativity aligned with Bloom’s highest learning levels: analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Student feedback reflected a mix of positive insights and constructive criticism, emphasizing the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in enhancing user experience while identifying areas for improvement, such as feedback clarity and the need for better time management during the hackathon. The study’s approach mirrors key aspects of professional environments, preparing students to tackle the real-world challenges they will encounter after graduation.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationComputer-Human Interaction Research and Applications - 8th International Conference, CHIRA 2024, Proceedings
EditorsHugo Plácido da Silva, Pietro Cipresso
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages223-237
Number of pages15
ISBN (Print)9783031838446
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2025
Externally publishedYes
Event8th International Conference on Computer-Human Interaction Research and Applications, CHIRA 2024 - Porto, Portugal
Duration: 21 Nov 202422 Nov 2024

Publication series

NameCommunications in Computer and Information Science
Volume2371 CCIS
ISSN (Print)1865-0929
ISSN (Electronic)1865-0937

Conference

Conference8th International Conference on Computer-Human Interaction Research and Applications, CHIRA 2024
Country/TerritoryPortugal
CityPorto
Period21/11/2422/11/24

Keywords

  • Human computer interactions
  • Requirement specification
  • Software development lifecycle
  • User experience
  • User-centered design

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Computer Science
  • General Mathematics

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