I Challenged Myself To Win A Hackathon

This video is why I started this channel in the first place - to share life experiences, document the journey, the ups and downs with each of you. It took 50 days and multiple rounds of feedback from my friends (thank you!) to get to where it is today. I hope you’ve gotten value out of this video. If you’d like to learn from Tien’s top hackathon strategies, comment below!
HACKATHON TEAM
Tien’s LinkedIn: / yoktien
Addin’s LinkedIn: / mn-addin
Zikri’s LinkedIn: / muhammad-zikri-bin-moh...
Malaysia's largest hackathon community: / hackathonkaki
Demo video that we used for submission: • Happiest Building On E...
✨ THINK LESS, CREATE MORE
Free resources + desk setup links: rachelhow.com/resources
Subscribe to my Newsletter: rachelhow.com/newsletter
Instagram: / rachelhxw
Twitter: / rachelhxw
Request a video here: airtable.com/shrAWb7oXtqb8s302
My go-to design tool is Figma: psxid.figma.com/5z53qsuotr5n
My website is built using Webflow: webflow.grsm.io/rachel
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Producer & Video Editor: Rachel How
Special Guest: Yok Tien Leong (Tien)
Studio Equipment Setup: Kenny Wang
Studio: Instagram - jw.works
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MUSIC
All the below music are licensed from: artlist.io/referral/2623692/R...
Ardie Son - Roadway
Ardie Son - A Soaring Swan Sister
Ian Post - First Rain
Ardie Son - Aftershocks
Adrián Berenguer - Aware
Hans Johnson - Stranger To None
idokay - Take My Hand
Sajan Nauriyal - static
Daniel Brown keys - Last Universe
MooveKa - Happy To See You Again
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DISCLAIMER
Some of the above are affiliate links-I make a small commission when you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting an independent creator!

[@reviewofall5478]

wow the devs coded a full on prototype in less than 48 hours, which is very impressive to me! congrats on the win guys!

[@frankhaugen]

Most devs can code a prototype in a day of all the specs and graphics are ready. Making a product is what us slow and tedious (I'm a game/backed/app dev)

[@pearlinperil9985]

right the brainstorming part is difficult​@@frankhaugen

[@CaliburPANDAs]

so Tien never won before because his team was always missing an UI/UX designer?

[@tien5820]

Not really, but having someone as good as Rachel is really game changing. 😊

[@MoustafaAscoura1]

Not how Tien (a typical backend dev) would put it, but yes 😂😂

[@Tanaka-Buchou]

I've tried at least 5 hackathons and the outcome is either my solution isn't accepted or I give up, most of the time. Last month, I decided to try another hackathon but I was looking for a content that will motivate me and i came across yours. Rachel, I really appreciate you for sharing your first hackathon experience. It was my inspiration during that hackathon and I am happy to share that I won my first hackathon.

[@tien5820]

congrats!

[@chidera2776]

Wow congratulations

[@toruwalt]

I swear, you're more of a film maker than UI/UX Designer 😂😂 This is very beautiful

[@fukkoff2024]

Holy F*** this presentation/video is world class. Impressive from all angles.

[@MrPsychoGamer]

proud to have a colleague like zikri, always a wizard in his field.

[@rachelhow]

🔥🔥🔥

[@gouravjoshi953]

Congratulations on your impressive hackathon win! Your dedication, creativity, and technical skills truly shone through. And I must say, the video you created was absolutely fantastic!

[@rachelhow]

Thank you very much! It’s a team effort 🥹 I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@anfisign]

With storytelling like this, who needs case studies? Bravo, Rachel! 🎉 -- I was on the service design jam 2 weekends ago too, but I'd never be able to put so much heart and soul into telling the story so beautifully.

[@rachelhow]

Aww that is a huge honor coming from you, Anfisa 🥹 Thank you for watching, and I believe you can tell a fantastic story too ❤️

[@lyle4596]

Beautiful. I actually had a tear in my eye towards the end. Keep up the amazing work, Rachel ❤

[@rachelhow]

Thank you for watching till the end 😭

[@abhijeetghosh27]

Same here.. Congratulations @rachelhow and team.

[@opeodunlami]

Congratulations on winning your first hackathon, Rachel! Like every video of yours I've watched, this was interesting and insightful, but it gave me goosebumps. You put in a lot of work, and it was exciting to see you win. Well done and congratulations to you and your team!

[@emeraldzhu]

as someone who's never participated in a hackathon because of impostor syndrome, this video was something else... your win felt like I won too, congrats 💯 new sub

[@rednaxela5]

Congratulations Rachel! This is my first time watching your video and it feels amazing. The storytelling is very good and it touched my heart. I'm currently a college student and also experienced and love joining case studies, and programming contests. I literally cried the moment they announce that your team is the winner. This video made me want to join more programming related contests.

[@kelvinchau9611]

The pivot was so real. During my UX/UI BootCamp, I once worked on a project with a team of 6 and another team had a similar or, if not, the same solution to the same problem. Although our instructor and TAs didn't mind if we didn't copy each other, I knew presenting 2 similar solutions wouldn't help us stand out. Luckily, I pitched an alternative solution and it was well-received by many. In other words, I am super glad that y'all were able to do it within such a short time span and still won the Hackathon! Big Congrats!!!

[@rachelhow]

Yes - the only way to stand out is to pitch something of a different direction. And thank you for watching, Kelvin!

[@joseph-b21]

Wishing that there will be a hackathon here in the Philippines. I am eagerly want to experience this kind of event to showcase my ideas and as a team.

[@manishmaharjan3726]

WOW!!! what an immersive storytelling about the journey of your hackathon. Absolutely loved it..

[@rachelhow]

Thank you!! 🙏🏻

[@ChisomOkoronkwo-ns1mg]

I really loooove this video so much! Thanks so much Rachel! This video always ALWAYS inspires me to be a better version of myself as a designer. I admire how the product was COMPLETELY user-centered, gives me insights on what a great user experience should look like. I will continue looking up to you, and yes please, I'd love to see the interview!

[@staywithmeforever]

Me : challenging myself to participate in a hackathon 😅

[@rakeshsilvan1088]

I have been following your videos for a long time and its so wonderful to see you win a hackathon. very inspiring Rachel, keep us motivated. Now I am planning to take part in a hackathon.

[@marwawadud5615]

When you won the price at the last of the video.... ooh my god! I got emotional and got goosebumps. You are my inspiration.... Love from Bangladesh 🇧🇩

[@swaminathbera6407]

You're an amazing creator, never saw this smooth video from what I remember.

[@Itsz_arya]

Hard work + Little smart work is really ❤️‍🔥

[@kyraraineguerrero6831]

It's been so beautiful to watch you grow and learn from you as a Designer! Another awesome win, you rock! :)

[@shrutipatil3827]

I am very inspired by You Rachel! I don't know why I am crying after seeing you win. Damn! That's what passion looks like. Congratulations Rachel❤

[@rachelhow]

Thank you! 🥹

[@rishabhmalik8894]

Discovered your channel through this video and honestly would very happily watch your interview with Tien on how to win hackathons!

[@poojandave9498]

This is like a kdrama, I could watch all day😂 Congratulations on your win guys, y'all did an amazing job!

[@cherry_1425]

Congratulations! First time on the channel. Literally loved it and from now onwards i will follow you. Hope we see content like this.

[@arunprasad4818]

Being your subscriber felt proud... Can feel the pressure. Felt like a personal win. I clapped actually while watching the winning moment Congrats.🥳. Happy for you and your team🥳🤩🎉

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much :') Means a lot.

[@wingsaber629]

ME TOO! I clapped like a crazy otter at the winning moment with the stupidest grin on my face. Instantly subscribed!

[@rachelhow]

aww thank you! @@wingsaber629

[@PLUCare]

Very inspiring watch. I just won a Hackathon and this was very good to listen to!

[@undercover83]

Congrats Rachel! Watching this video is so inspiring! You really bring story telling to another level!

[@rachelhow]

Thank you ❤

[@thenischalniroula]

I have been following you for a long time Rachel. And this video was happy one. ;) I genuinely clapped when you guys won. Congratulations. :)

[@antimac9683]

Well, this was really tough journey. Contratulations.

[@vaishnavipandeyunofficial2191]

The idea of Magic Badge and the animation printed on it was just soo cool..Loved the (Mona Lisa character..)

[@KatazuiOfficial]

A well made video!! Amazing story telling and very informative as well! Great job!! ❤🎉

[@nandhithaabalachander]

Soooo Good !! I felt the win so Personal with your Storytelling. I'm so happy for you & loving that I'm one of your subscribers. Cheers to Rachel HOW!

[@kwil7348]

I just discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago, and i must say, you are incredible. Its not just the intelligence but dedication and persistence. Very inspirational. Thank you

[@rachelhow]

Happy to hear that this video has given you some inspiration, thanks for watching :)

[@malikwajahat1108]

Just a random video, popped up on my screen but after watching , my heart was screaming to give you all a like full of congratulations 🎉.. Keep it up

[@angelova.nikoleta.design]

More movies like this, please! 🔥Congrats on the win! I didn't doubt the outcome 😊

[@rameenshakil1598]

yes we need that interview asap so excited and happy for you🤩🥳

[@kunalnature]

The power of Designer!

[@Ines-ti6ed]

Woow congratulations to you and the team Rachel, so inspiring🎉 I'm currently enrolled in a Hackathon! I would love to watch the interview with you and Tian

[@AAK445]

first time watching your video excellent story telling, montage. I learned a lot, I didn't about hackathon. Congrats!! You won a new subscriber!

[@umairuiux]

A good design and a Good developer what a deadly duo

[@srh0e]

Congrats on the win and sharing your experience!

[@robertyoushock]

Really great format! I'd love to watch this in a series form diving into the ideation, design, etc. maybe each in 20min segments!

[@reukiz6434]

Just randomly scrolling and found this interesting video, I shall subscribe to your channel.

[@rachelhow]

Welcome aboard! Thank you for the sub :)

[@kimwayne3721]

I legit had tears of joy in my eyes at the end haha! Also inspired after watching your videos to finally start looking at options to pick up UI/UX designing. So thank you for all these videos that helped me decided!

[@rachelhow]

You can do it!

[@taten_da]

Thank you for sharing this Rachel and Tien, super super inspiring and super motivating. I'm starting my journey into UX/UI designer and although I know it will be long journey before I get anywhere near your level, watching you solve problems like this has got me so hyped up and excited for the future.

[@mattadata]

Hold up hold up hold up.... why am I crying at the end??? 😢😅😂

[@rachelhow]

🥺🥺

[@you_are_welcome97]

Such a well told story, congratulations on the win

[@Namaste.happiness]

Wow, congratulations on the win! Love the storytelling, video editing, the designs,!!!

[@rachelhow]

Thanks so much!!

[@imaneberra3522]

I just came across this video. This is astonishing the motivation u gave me now is insane. I think my next destination for studios would be Malaysia. If anyone has some advices to me please, I'm open to know it

[@jpaulhendricks]

Congrats!! 🎉 ..also with a team of four, also folks that never won before… I won a pretty big app challenge (some years back in NYC). And another, different competition last year as well, using a pre-release version of a new micro saas. The cash prizes are nice but it's that feeling ..it's the best. Enjoy it! 👍 👍

[@CarolusBudhiPrasetyo]

Congratulations Rachel! Keep inspiring other UI/UX Designer to learn and improve. I'm waiting for your insight and tips on how to compete in Hackathon 🍻

[@kingmeng7239]

Impressive storytelling on an impressive storytelling! Congrats on the great achievement! Hopefully, part of the ideas will be implemented :)

[@ashoorii]

Absolutely amazing hardwork and dedication of rachel and her teem🎉

[@rizutha_]

The journey, the obstacles, the effort, the ideas, the solution, and the team-all so well combined and so beautiful. This video gave me very informative and valuable insights. Thanks for sharing, Rachel!

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much!

[@phatphaptinhtam1]

Contentment is an essential factor in happiness, so you need to try to be satisfied with the food, clothes and shelter you have.

[@jodys9307]

Amazing! Love it. Can't wait for more of your videos.

[@ThoughtsCo_17]

So you mean to say that this video ended😢. I wish it continued but anyways, excellent story-telling, this is a master piece🎉🎉 And ofcourse we would like a video with Tien in it😊

[@rachelhow]

Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoyed watching this video as much as I did making it :)

[@SR07011]

This is probably my first comment but im writing to say the end bought me tears of joy ! U said can 4 strangers win ? Our question is how can the victory of 4 brilliant strangers bring such joy to people across globe ! Its as if i won something. Brilliant and thanks for inspiring ..even i want to win somethig tho ive just started from scratch since im from finance background

[@ellie_quispe]

Congrats on the win! 🎉 I have never joined a hackaton, but after watching your video, I want to try one.

[@rachelhow]

Thank you, Elle! It’s a fun experience 😚

[@secretosecreto3966]

I'm so happy for you guys! Congratulations! I cried! hahaha So proud of you guys!

[@acerniss]

This video was surprisingly entertaining, and incredibly impressive!

[@xain339]

Congrats, so impressive you guys did all of that in a week time. I can’t wait to join another hackathon soon, sadly not a lot are on UX and mostly are for developers only. Please do video on how you edit animation like the Demo video you did for this Hackathon. Thank you!

[@avigarg7859]

I love the demo video. So much effort in it

[@ByteReview]

congratulations on winning! I can't even imagine the amount of work that went into this!

[@rachelhow]

Thank you, Tom! This is a fun video to make 🥰

[@productivepitch]

Hi Rachel! Big big fan of your channel since subs were still

[@fmo17]

Congratulations 🎉 . I bet the team greatly benefited from your design first approach.

[@aidan_kang]

Very inspiring journey Rachel. Kudos to you and your team. How are you all able to put something together so fast? And here I am building my idea for months full-time..

[@Chidimmaugwuu]

This video is so authentic. I felt like i won as well. Reacheal you have impacted my life positively. Big Congratulations to you.

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much for watching! I'm really glad to hear this :)

[@RakibMohaimin725]

Awesome & thx for sharing your experience :)

[@user-lx4ei3md5h]

What a great process ❤ thanks for sharing

[@qualityvideos1]

God Tier editing! Loved your video!

[@yaominhui6648]

very amazed at your perseverance and entertained by your storytelling! thoroughly enjoyed this video

[@rachelhow]

Thank you for watching!

[@MarinaAgliullina]

Pre pandemic I used to participate in hackathons a lot. Meeting strangers was on of the reasons why I loved them so much. I want to go back to participating in them. Your video reminded me of how exciting hackathons are

[@rachelhow]

That's awesome! Time to participate in one soon 😆

[@solomonodunusi4660]

Amazing video I attended my first hackathon ever last month and i happened to come in 6th position out of 50 participants.

[@muhammadshoaib6421]

After switching my career to UX Design, this was really a very informative mind blowing session on presenting a story to an international audience. I really appreciate your efforts and I learnt a lot from your content. Stay Blessed!

[@33.thariqkemalhassan59]

Congratulations Rachel and teams! That's giving me a goosebumps how you guys can win and proof that a simple tweak could be the best solutions! And the storytelling in this video is 10/10! Would love to hear tips from Tien!

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much!

[@boltvalley3076]

Nice outline of process of engineering. We going learn from the top star

[@Sofia0S0S]

Congratulations! Awesome work 👏 please share the interview

[@abidhasanjaber]

I loved the way she explained everything so descriptively it was fantastic i enjoyed it a lot thank you for giving such an awesome video

[@zjhart]

Great storytelling and really inspirational! You've inspired me to look into hackathons around my city - any recommendations for how to find UX/UI specific ones?

[@Happinessis28]

That was great watch. Thanks.

[@roshniprajapati5963]

Hi Rachel ! congratulations for Win a Hackathon and I am inspired by you Rachel. Once again congratulations for A Hackathon Challenged.👍👍

[@ashalakhras4156]

This video is top notch!!! So enjoyable and so well made! Also, congratulations on your win!

[@rachelhow]

Thanks so much!!

[@estherehikioya1512]

Congratualtions Racheal on winning your hackathon , i am proud of you and your team . Also, your story is inspiring. Thank you for sharing

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much!

[@raghavsahu132]

Truly inspiring 🎉 can't skip a second of this video, following from long time love from India 🥇

[@rachelhow]

Thank you for the support ☺️

[@timothylacy]

Really Great Video! Congratulations on the win. You all deserve it! Very inspiring.

[@rachelhow]

Thanks so much!!

[@wingsaber629]

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! That was SO WELL made, enjoyed every single second of this video. Congrats

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much!! ☺️

[@charithfernando]

This is great storytelling and very inspiring. Thank you for a very creative presentation with real details, and congratulations for the win !

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much!

[@jermainearinze318]

Congratulations to you Rachel and the team. This is inspiring

[@rachelhow]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the episode :)

[@yishsieh]

This challenge is unbelievable. I like your ideas and design.

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much!

[@afrancis7475]

Congrats on the win and added experience!

[@rachelhow]

Thank you 🙏

[@paintwithtihani9926]

Congrats on your win and amazing story telling!

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much!

[@ngocnguyenhong6732]

Great editing, and it's really useful as I am also attending a hackathon as an UX/UI designer :D

[@rachelhow]

That’s exciting!!! Hope you have fun along the way :)

[@anisyusoff3903]

this is so inspiring :) your passion and dedication are shine through!

[@rachelhow]

Thank you so much! 🥺

[@pruthvirajjadhav8124]

What a vidography and storytelling just loved it ❤. I'm not into UI/UX or I would have watched ur every single video

[@rachelhow]

🥺 thank you!!!

[@mclovelacenoether]

Quite cool! This is like shark tank in how are you thinking of points to sell your idea and you can bring more value to the idea! Good job!

[@attaullahsadruddin]

Great effort and team work, congratulations on this achievement. Your story really motivates me 🙌

[@rachelhow]

Thank you for watching! 🥹

[@kavineesh12]

That’s awesome Would love to see the pitch deck and video plus how did you make those cards, from where did you get those cute illustrations