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Twilio evangelist here.. I think Timothee hits most of the points very well. Nice job but I'd like to add a few things: - To add to the "don't try to do too
by caseysoftware 14y ago
Twilio evangelist here..
I think Timothee hits most of the points very well. Nice job but I'd like to add a few things:
- To add to the "don't try to do too much" point, I'd say the vast majority of judges would like to see a few things done really well as opposed to a flock of things sort-of-done. When I mentor a group, I tell them to close their presentation with "Going forward, we'd like to also do A, B, and C. Any questions?"
- Avoid video if at all possible. Videos take 5-10s to switch into and another 5-10s to get out of. And that's assuming you have the audio set up properly. I saw a group recently spend ~10s switching, started playing the 30s video, had to stop it to adjust the audio, restarted it, and then ~10s to switch. It threw off the pace and ate a minute of their 5 minute presentation.
- Practice out loud as many times as possible. The demo will be smoother and just feel easier.
My 0.02..
- jasonlotito 14y ago> "don't try to do too much" Yes. This has served me well. I got into a hackathon with the assumption that I'll be the only developer there. With that in mind, I focus on what I can accomplish in a weekend. I plan for additional things, but I keep focus on what I need to do. I also try to plan for additional people. For example, if I get another developer, what will they work on? A lot of it is back and forth, but having a plan at least gives you a place to start. Planning is important, and lets you spend the weekend having fun instead of worrying about whether you will get done or how to manage a larger team.