Disrupting hackathons: reflections on creating inclusive design events through collaboration

Peter Worthy; Dennis Frost; Trevor Hunter; India Anderson; Tim Kastelle; Janet Wiles; Nancy A. Pachana; Jacki Liddle

doi:10.1071/IB24136

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Disrupting hackathons: reflections on creating inclusive design events through collaboration

Peter Worthy

^A ^* , Dennis Frost ^B ^C , Trevor Hunter ^A , India Anderson ^A , Tim Kastelle ^D , Janet Wiles ^A , Nancy A. Pachana ^E and Jacki Liddle ^F ^G

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia. Email: trevor.hunter@uq.edu.au, i.anderson@uq.edu.au, j.wiles@uq.edu.au

^B Dementia Australia: Dementia Australia’s Advisory Committee, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Email: dennis.frost@bigpond.com

^C Dementia Friendly Kiama Advocacy Group, Kiama, NSW, Australia.

^D Andrew N. Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia. Email: t.kastelle@uq.edu.au

^E School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia. Email: n.pachana@psy.uq.edu.au

^F School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia. Email: j.liddle@uq.edu.au

^G Princess Alexandra Hospital: Occupational Therapy Department and Centre for Functioning and Health Research, Queensland Health, Woolloongabba, Qld, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: p.worthy@uq.edu.au

Handling Editor: Michelle Bellon

Brain Impairment 26, IB24136 https://doi.org/10.1071/IB24136

Submitted: 14 December 2024 Accepted: 4 August 2025 Published: 29 August 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

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.

Keywords: design events, hackathons, human-centred design, inclusive design, lived experience, people living with dementia, sensory and cognitive accessibility, technology design.

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