Hackathon Reflection: My First Complete Design Process

This was my first design hackathon, and it was an eye-opening journey from problem to prototype. For the first time, I had the opportunity to go through a complete design process from start to finish. While I had previously encountered various individual parts of the process, I had never experienced such a comprehensive approach, from problem definition all the way through to prototype testing in such team setting. This integrated experience gave me a new perspective on how different design phases connect and build upon each other.

We utilized the Double Diamond Design Process.

Topic and Context

We focused on the complaint process in healthcare, specifically working on improving the experience for both patients and healthcare providers. After careful consideration and preliminary discussions, we narrowed our focus from general healthcare human-centered improvements to specifically addressing the complaint process, making our challenge more manageable and impactful. This decision proved crucial for maintaining focus throughout the event.

Our vision statement became our guiding light: "To build an environment of trust where everyone has clear, comprehensible information and certainty about where to turn for support in case of any problems." This vision emerged from our deep understanding of both patient and healthcare provider needs.

Team Dynamics

Diverse Expertise

What made our team exceptional was the diversity of experience - from knowledge of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, UX and product designers, psychologist and technical skills. This variety allowed us to examine the problem from multiple perspectives and develop more comprehensive solutions. Each team member brought unique insights that enriched our understanding of the problem and potential solutions.

Working Atmosphere

We created an environment that was simultaneously relaxed and productive. We employed various methods to maintain psychological safety, such as regular reflection circles at the beginning and end of each day. We even occasionally danced to release creative energy - and it worked wonderfully! This balance between serious work and moments of levity helped maintain our energy and creativity throughout the intensive process.

Physical vs. Digital Interaction

Meeting in person at the Faculty of Arts added a new dimension to our teamwork. After a semester of online interactions, the three-dimensional aspect of collaboration brought new energy and improved our ability to work together effectively.

Innovative Research Approach

A notable aspect of our process was our novel approach to user research. We combined traditional methods with AI-assisted research, creating nine distinct personas across three different AI models (Claude 3.5 Sonnet, ChatGPT o1, and Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental), with three personas per model. What fascinated me was how the LLM responses aligned remarkably well with our real human interviews, even providing additional insights we hadn't gathered from our human participants. This experience challenged the common negative perception of AI in UX research and showed its potential as a complementary tool in the research process.

The Entity Platform

Our solution centered around creating a central hub we called the "Entity" platform. This platform was designed to serve multiple purposes:

• For patients: A streamlined system for providing NPS (Net Promoter Score) feedback after medical visits

• For doctors: A comprehensive hub for managing complaints, accessing resources, and receiving support

• For the healthcare system: A central repository for aggregating feedback and identifying systemic improvements

The Entity Platform streamlines the complaint process for both patients and healthcare providers by integrating real-time feedback loops. For example, patients receive a link post-visit for NPS feedback, while doctors see aggregated data in the platform, allowing them to monitor patient satisfaction, address concerns quickly, and spot systemic improvements.

Medical “Entity” Platform Prototype

Psychological Safety

What really stood out was the exceptional team dynamic we developed. Our facilitator, Aria, brought structure and purpose to our sessions while maintaining flexibility for creative exploration. One of the most impactful practices we implemented was regular emotional check-ins. These moments of reflection helped ground our discussions and created an unprecedented level of psychological safety within the team.

As someone coming from a sales and technical background, experiencing this level of emotional awareness in a professional setting was eye-opening. The check-ins weren't just formalities; they genuinely helped us align as a team and maintained our creative energy throughout the intensive process.

Methodology and Tools

We employed various design thinking tools throughout the process, starting with the 6 questions method to frame our understanding of the problem. Our "parking lot" system for capturing tangential but valuable ideas proved invaluable for maintaining focus while preserving potentially important insights.

The combination of design methods with approaches like AI-assisted research demonstrated how modern tools can enhance rather than replace established design processes.

Self-Directed Process

Having the entire process in our hands brought both advantages and challenges:

Benefits

• Learning through direct experience

• Freedom in decision-making

• Taking full responsibility for the process

• Ability to adjust our approach based on team dynamics

• Opportunity to experiment with different methods

Challenges

• Occasional uncertainty about next steps

• Moments when more guidance would have been helpful

• Need for more frequent validation of our approach

• Time management

• Hydration!

• Balancing exploration with productivity

Most Engaging Phases

Prototyping

This phase absolutely captivated me. It was fascinating to watch our previous team work transform into something tangible. This is where I most strongly felt the connection between theory and practice. Seeing our ideas take shape through user interfaces and interaction flows brought me a new level of excitement to the process.

Patient NPS Prototype

User Research and Testing

Although we had limited time for testing, the insights we gained from even brief user interactions were invaluable. It was fascinating to see how our assumptions were challenged and validated through real user feedback.

Personal Growth

The greatest benefit for me was working with an amazing group of people and experiencing a truly psychologically safe work environment. The regular emotional check-ins and supportive team dynamics allowed for for open discussion and creative risk-taking, which significantly enhanced our output. Our collaboration worked well both professionally and personally. I discovered that I'm surrounded by classmates who are not only experts in their fields but also excellent team players.

Key Takeaways

• Practical experience with a complete design process

• Understanding the power of a diverse team

• The value of combining traditional UX research with AI-assisted methods

• The importance of psychological safety in fostering innovation

• Inspiration for future projects

• The value of structured methods combined with creative freedom

• The importance of early planning and scope definition

• The effectiveness of narrowing scope while maintaining ambitious goal

Our teammate Šárka introduced a powerful shift in perspective by consistently using female pronouns for the doctors and patients in our personas and throughout the entire design process. This seemingly small change was incredibly eye-opening for me, as I found myself repeatedly needing to correct my own ingrained habit of defaulting to male pronouns. This experience highlighted just how deeply societal biases can influence our thinking, even subconsciously. It was a crucial lesson in gender balance and the importance of actively challenging these deeply-rooted assumptions to create more inclusive and representative solutions.

Looking Forward

This experience has transformed my understanding of both design processes and team dynamics. The combination of innovative research methods, strong facilitation, and psychological safety created an environment where meaningful solutions could emerge. I'm particularly excited about exploring how AI can complement traditional UX research methods in future projects, while maintaining the human-centered approach that made this hackathon so successful.

Final Thoughts

The hackathon opened my eyes in many ways. It showed me what a real design process looks like in practice, emphasized the importance of team dynamics, and demonstrated how to effectively combine a relaxed atmosphere with productive work. While healthcare might not be my primary professional focus, the principles and methods we used are universally applicable. I'm particularly inspired by how we balanced traditional research methods with AI-assisted approaches, and how emotional awareness contributed to our success. These insights will undoubtedly influence my approach to future projects.

The combination of structured design thinking methods with the freedom to adapt them to our needs created a powerful learning experience. The fact that we maintained high productivity while ensuring psychological safety proves that these elements aren't mutually exclusive - they're complementary aspects of effective teamwork.

🫶 A huge thank you to my teammates Šárka Liolia, Petr Havlíček, Michaela Holubec Birtusová, Martin Štýbner, Jan Stárek and Aria Cairo!