Zoho Creators Hackathon 2023: My Experience
The Challenges, Triumphs and Lessons Learnt
During my Frontend Web development training earlier this year, Harvoxx Tech Hub organized an event titled, “Ladies can Tech”. The event was themed “Women and Tech”. It was a rally to address the unique challenges, opportunities, and testimonies ladies encounter in Port Harcourt’s fragmented tech ecosystem which is very much male-dominated. The event was to act as a wake up call to ladies in Port Harcourt, enlightening them of their capabilities to take on tech roles and be successful at it. The Ladies Can Tech event birthed the Ladies Can Tech Challenge. This challenge was simply a Hackathon that further showcased the ability of women to push boundaries. This time, it was censored by Zoho and its partner organization, Web Work Tools.
Just like any other hackathon, the Zoho Creators Hackathon aimed to introduce participants to the provisions of Zoho Creator and encourage the development of innovative solutions. The vision was simple; The more Zoho Creator developers, the richer the pool of solutions available.
What is Zoho?
Zoho is a software company that offers cloud-based solutions targeted at businesses. Among the many Zoho products, I've been privileged to use Zoho Creators, Zoho Sites, One Auth, Workdrive, Zoho Cliq and, Mail. I have also encountered other Zoho solutions like CRM, Catalyst, Meeting, Books, Flow, and Backstage. Zoho One encompasses all of these products and more. Learn more about Zoho.
My Hackathon Leadership Role
The journey began with our registration for the Zoho Creators Hackathon. As everyone settled in, Web Work Tools sought a strategic organizational approach aimed at managing participants effectively. Pods were created based on the different local government areas in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Web Work Tools asked that individuals interested in taking up the role of Pod leader should pitch their interest. I wrote of my interest in becoming the pod leader of the Obio-Akpor local government pod and made sure to highlight my love for communities. I proposed to carry everyone along by organizing peer-to-peer learning, reaching out to ensure they were all making progress, and providing learning resources for my pod colleagues. I was appointed pod leader. It seemed like I outdid my responsibility as pod leader as I went ahead to organize Google meets where I taught my pod colleagues what I learned about Zoho forms, reports, pages, dashboards, and workflows. I think it was also daring of me to try to fix the challenges pod members encountered during the process. Here is the first message I sent to my pod members after I was appointed pod leader(it just had to be rotated).
Hackathon Phases
The hackathon unfolded in three phases; The Learning Phase, the Assignment Phase, and the Final Showdown.
The Learning Phase
In the learning phase we were privileged to have two prominent staff from the Zoho Creators team tutor us. The hours-long training session had Mrs. Swetha and Mr. Adil teach us right from the basics to filling up the important knowledge gaps we needed during the hackathon. They also made sure to hand us further learning resources.
This training session was complemented by practice sessions organized by Mr Emuobosa from Web Work Tools. In one of these learning sessions, we built a Hospital Booking App with Zoho Creators. I believe this app would be a major solution in the medical field if properly utilized.
Zoho Creators Software
Zoho Creators is one of Zoho's array of products. It is a low-code, no-code software that enables users to build applications to tackle business problems. It has several features and allows for several integrations, popular among which is Quickbooks. As for its features, it ensures flexibility in maintaining brand identity. It allows the collection of inputs and the creation of workflows unique to specific inputs. It generates reports automatically based on clients' inputs and possesses its analytics tool. It also has various templates created for specific business requirements. For instance, one could need a Sales Management App or even a Task Management App. Some of these templates are already provided. The topping on the cake is that all these processes can be automated using Zoho’s programming language, known as Deluge. Learn more about Zoho Creators here.
The Assignment Phase
In the second phase of the hackathon, we were given an assignment to apply the knowledge we had acquired so far. For me, this was another learning phase altogether. It is one thing to see videos and read the docs of the development process and it is another thing to engage in the actual development. The real test of knowledge is in its application.
We were asked to build an app using Zoho Creators within a week. Here, I wished I developed use cases more than I read. This would have been of great help during the hackathon. The instruction was this;
“There is a pandemic and a hospital has started receiving more traffic of patients than usual. They have computers and use Microsoft Excel sheets to store records of patient visits. These days, they cannot keep up with the work pressure so they need an app to help...”
We were given further instructions on how to get around with this. In the future, I’ll be uploading a guide on how you can create this solution yourself. At the end of this phase, I secured the second position out of the eight shortlisted participants from a hundred and fifty-two candidates. This was a major win for me as it propelled me to the final phase of the hackathon.
The Final Showdown
The final phase of the hackathon was held on the day of the Ladies Can Tech event. After we were introduced as the hackathon shortlisted participants, we got seated at a secluded spot where each one of us worked on developing our apps while the event was going on. We were all asked to build a Task Management Application and were also asked to follow specific criteria. Based on the instructions given;
I displayed creativity in my UI by utilizing colors and using a consistent look.
I created a form where users can add all the necessary tasks required for their event.
I created a form where the names and email addresses of team members can be taken and stored.
The tasks form and team members form were utilized to link team members to specific tasks. The inputs here included the task name, team members assigned to the tasks, their email addresses, the task description, the due date of the task, file attachments, and a progress report(to show if the task was open, in progress, or completed)
I created a dashboard that I named, Project Status. This dashboard was to automatically generate reports on the number of open tasks, in-progress tasks and completed tasks.
I set up workflows to ensure the process was seamless.
Watch out for a step-by-step guide on how you can use Zoho Creators to create your own Task Management Application.
After four hours of building, we submitted our solutions, and the top 3 winners were announced. I emerged victorious as the second winner of the Zoho Creators hackathon 2023. The awards were presented by Nigeria’s Zoho country manager, Mr Ogundare K. Seun.
Hackathons, just like other forms of competition, is an experience that pushes your limits, teaches you problem-solving skills, introduces you to new technologies, connects you to industry specialists and tops it all with swags.
The eight participants all got swags and the top three participants got an extra 100k naira worth of credits to use Zoho products for a year.
The Challenges
Time Constraints; Before and during the hackathon, we had to work with a strict time frame. The first task gave us a week while the main hackathon allowed only four hours. Balancing tight daily schedules and attending learning meetings despite the exhaustion became a norm.
Navigating the Zoho Creator Ecosystem; Zoho Creator was new to most of us. Gaining the required knowledge to build was a challenging yet worthwhile endeavor. Integrating various features seamlessly demanded a deep understanding of the platform's capabilities.
Collaboration: While hackathons often require individual efforts, I aimed to create a collaborative environment as a pod leader. However, it was discouraging that not everyone shared this vision. I persisted with those who were available.
Post Hackathon Triumphs
Web Work Tools had somehow taken note of my work conduct, focus, and skills. So the fact that they still thought we could work together to build Zoho products was unexpected and exciting. Especially as I wasn't the first winner. Some of my triumphs include;
I utilized Zoho Sites to create the initial look of the Scribble house website, a client of Web Work Tools. I created most of the website content from scratch. This was apart from testimonials and other details I couldn't possibly have known about the company.
I worked with Web Work Tools in the Zoho Partners Hackathon where we built what I'd like to call a School Management Application. This granted me the opportunity to visit the office of the University of Port Harcourt's Vice-Chancellor. If we had won the competition, we would have been able to visit Zoho’s headquarters in India. This aside, I got to learn a whole lot while building.
I learned to use Zoho's core programming language, Deluge. I’m still refining my skills.
The knowledge I gained during my time as pod leader enabled me to manage other groups effectively.
I got to use Zoho Workdrive and even learnt of Zoho Backstage as a unique software solution for event organization.
Even with no financial reward, I can say I got my first remote work experience.
Web Work Tools opened up a job role for me as a Product Specialist. However, I was looking into other roles at the time.
These are some triumphs and there are surely more to come in the future.
Participating in the Zoho Creators Hackathon was a transformative experience. It was my first hackathon in the tech space. Not only did it sharpen my technical skills, but It also honed my ability to work under pressure, collaborate effectively, and think creatively.
I will be uploading resources on Zoho in the future. This will include how-to guides that would enable you to become part of the Zoho ecosystem.
In conclusion, do not forget to, “Do more with Zoho”.