Today, I had the fantastic opportunity to participate in a hackathon hosted by the NDRC at UL, bringing together ISE students and other UL students for a day of innovation, collaboration, and creativity. It was an exciting and fast-paced event that I’ll never forget.
Our team, which we had formed beforehand, came in with a rough idea but nothing else prepared. The problem we wanted to solve stemmed from a common workplace issue: sedentary habits and the lack of motivation to prioritize physical health. We aimed to tackle this by creating a platform to foster a health-focused community within workplaces.
The Problem We Set Out to Solve
Working in an office can often mean sitting for long hours, especially when there’s a lot of work to get done. This sedentary lifestyle increases health risks, lowers productivity, and leaves employees feeling unmotivated to exercise. Many employers want to encourage wellness initiatives but face challenges organizing events and campaigns effectively.
Our Solution: Well-Quest
Our idea was Well-Quest: a platform designed to:
- Encourage Movement: Promote a health-focused community through step challenges between departments.
- Streamline Event Planning: Make it easier for employers and employees to organize wellness events, such as yoga classes or group hikes.
- Personalized Health Tracking: Integrate with tools like the Fitbit API for individual progress tracking.
By fostering friendly competition, simplifying event organization, and providing actionable insights, we aim to transform workplace wellbeing into an engaging and sustainable practice.
What We Achieved in a Day
Despite starting with only an idea, our team accomplished a lot during the day:
- Website Demo: We built a functional demo website showcasing features like step challenges, event creation, and health tracking.
- Market Research: We conducted surveys and spoke to potential users, receiving valuable feedback. One participant shared that their company ran a successful one-off step challenge, and another highlighted that while they use an internal platform, it’s unavailable to other companies. This validated our market need.
- Collaboration: It was inspiring to see our team’s strengths come together. From web development to market research, everyone contributed meaningfully.
Pitching and Our Win
At the end of the day, we pitched our idea alongside other teams. The range of innovative solutions presented by other participants was fascinating, and it was great to see how everyone approached their challenges differently.
We were thrilled to win the “Most Progress” category, recognizing the strides we made from idea to execution in just a few hours. This recognition motivates us to continue refining Well-Quest and begin trialing it with local companies.
Reflection
This hackathon was an incredible experience. It was amazing to take a rough idea, collaborate with a talented team, and turn it into something tangible—all in a single day. I’m proud of what we achieved, and I’m excited to see where Well-Quest takes us in the future.
