Simpleweb Challenge Hacknight: Appetite for Distraction

Let's face it, we all have an Appetite for Distraction (that's a bad Guns 'n' Roses pun there btw). Productivity ebbs and flows but, both in and out of work, we're regularly blinded by the world around us. Be that technology, social media, noise pollution or our own whirring minds.

Of course, this is sometimes a wonderful thing. But, increasingly, these are distractions that are taking away from our awareness and appreciation of the world around us, and the people in it.

Why not come up with some solutions at our next Simpleweb Hacknight, in association with Women's Tech Hub!

This Simpleweb Challenge is sponsored by TEAMango (www.teamango.com) - A highly experienced and innovative team of HR Professionals who understand the pains of growth and can help navigate you through them.

The challenge

We challenge you to build something cool in response to the following question:

“How can we be less distracted and really enjoy the world around us and live more ‘in the moment’?”

This is your chance to get together to generate ideas and solutions. And the brilliant thing is, you don't need to be a coder to get involved!

Whether you use the evening to build a beautiful new app, or just a hand-drawn prototype, code something crazy, hack some hardware or just let your ideas run wild - it's up to you!

Our hacks are open to artists, writers, designers, developers, UX nerds, project managers and anything in between (or just anyone with a love of coming up with whacky ideas!). Everyone is welcome!

The rules

To keep things fair we like to set a few groups rules.

No coding or creating mockups before the day! - preparation is good, and you’re welcome to a bit of research beforehand, but to keep things fair you can’t have started on the code or mockups for your project until the day.

You can work alone or in teams of up to 4 people. We recommend gathering your team beforehand but we'll be on hand to help put teams together on the night.

Not a developer? We recommend using Sketch (https://www.sketchapp.com/) or Marvel (https://marvelapp.com/) (both have free trials!) to prototype your idea.

What to expect

We’ll start the night with some homemade food followed by a super quick word from our sponsors.

After that it’s time to get hacking. You’ll have about 3 hours to work on your project. We’ll keep the refreshments flowing (courtesy of our sponsors TEAMango) throughout with bottomless tea, soft drinks and some cheeky beers, as well as some tasty homemade food to keep you going.

At the end of the night, each team will get a couple of minutes to show off their idea and vote for the winner(s).

There will be PRIZES - we'll reveal more here a few days before the night!

If you have any accessibility needs, please email alice@simpleweb.co.uk.