Disrupting hackathons: reflections on creating inclusive design events through collaboration

The involvement of people with diverse needs in technology design is recommended, but not yet standard practice. Hackathons are design events that aim to engage people in creating innovative technologies. They are typically not inclusive of all technology users. Older people, including those with neurological conditions, need to be involved in developing technology solutions aiming to support them. Following a research project exploring technologies to support connection of older people, a participatory design event was held. In adapting traditional approaches considering accessibility, an inclusive approach to hackathons was developed with a team including people with lived experience, technology developers, health professionals and caregivers. Accessibility adaptations included longer timeframes, multiple ways of participating (including online and in-person), asynchronous and flexible participation, supports for participation (communication, memory), and reduced technical focus. This enabled the engagement of a diverse group of event participants, including many who were unable to participate in traditional hackathons. Lessons learned in the process included the need to balance structure and flexibility with more scaffolding, skilling up team members about key issues, and including a clear end point. These learnings have been applied in other participatory research and design work to enable inclusive engagement.