🚀 VandyHacks Dev Assessment 2024 🚀

Thank you for expressing interest in the VandyHacks Dev Committee.

This assessment serves as a way for us to see your skills and problem-solving in action. It is also an opportunity for you to get an idea of the projects we work on in the dev team.

The Challenge: Build a minimal app

The challenge is to build a minimal software/app that you think VandyHacks will benefit from.

Your product should be a solution to a problem faced by VandyHacks. It could be a tool, a platform, or anything that improves the hackathon experience for organizers, attendees, or other stakeholders.

You are not expected to build a functioning app. You only need to implement one or two core features of the app that showcase your coding and problem-solving abilities.

Deadline: February 9th at 11:59 PM CST

Project Ideas

Below are real/similar problems that VandyHacks faces if you need ideas:

• Presidents: "We spend a lot of time scheduling interviews with applicants and conducting follow-ups. If only there is a way to make recruitment easier..."

• Content: "We have conducted a lot of workshops over the years, but they are spread across different platforms. If only there is a centralized place for all our videos..."

• Development: "We want to gamify the work our developers do for the team. If only we had a platform to log tasks and features that each dev completes and deal out points..."

• Design: "We want to help dev create a visually appealing judging schedule that all hackers and judges can collectively look at. If only dev has enough time to implement this..."

• Operations: "We have a lot of physical items to manage, such as t-shirts, stickers, and swag, but it's difficult to keep track of inventory and ensure that everything is delivered on time. If only there is an easy way to manage and track these items..."

• Hacker Experience: "We want to make sure all participants have a positive experience during the hackathon, but it's hard to get feedback and know what we can improve on. If only there is a way to easily gather and analyze feedback from the participants..."

• Marketing: "We manage our Instagram, Twitter, TikTok page and so it is a little tedious to check our analytics (follower counts) every day. If only there is a centralized place for all our important social media statistics..."

• Sponsorship: "We have a lot of email templates that we use to cold-send potential sponsors, but we don't know which ones are the most effective. If only there is a way to A/B test our email templates..."

What do I need to submit?

1. A README file with the following:

   • The problem being solve
   • The app and its value proposition
   • A demo (screenshots/video)
   • Additional features/enhancements to implement there was more time

2. Source code submitted through GitHub

Note: You must use git version control to keep track of your progress.

How will I be graded?

You will be graded on:

1. Technical execution and quality of the code
2. Code Organization & Readability
   • Structure
   • Readability
   • Proper spacing and variable names
   • Comments
3. Good Development Practices
   • Commit messages
   • Code documentation
4. Programming Language
   • See the Additional Questions section below

FAQ

Q: When can I start?

A: Now!

Q: When is the deadline?

A: Deadline: February 9th at 11:59 PM CST. No further commits will be accepted after that.

Q: How should I approach this challenge?

A: This challenge is an opportunity for you to showcase your strengths.

• If you are stronger at frontend, you could implement an app with an emphasis on the user experience.
• If you are stronger at backend, you could implement the backend/algorithm and attach a video of it working in the terminal/command line.
• If you are comfortable with both, you could implement a full-stack application.

Q: How much time am I expected to spend on this?

A: You are not expected to spend more than 8 hours in total. More time spent does not necessarily mean a better score. So, focus on the quality of your code rather than the quantity of features.

Q: Does my app need to function?

A: No. Focus on implementing 1-2 core features. Keep the scope small and concise.

Q: What resources can I use?

A: You can use any online resources such as documentation, tutorials, or forums to help you solve the challenges, but all work should be your own.

Q: Can I use Copilot or ChatGPT?

A: Limit the use of LLMs to learning and clarifying concepts or syntax. Do not use it to generate the code. You will be asked to talk through the implementation of and process of developing your project.

Q: Which languages should I use?

A: You can use any programming language that you are comfortable with. However, we'll give a slight bonus for JavaScript, and a slightly bigger bonus to TypeScript with all other languages being treated equally. We do this because VandyHack's tech stack is mostly JS/TS.

Note: Since all JS is technically valid TS, we will not count your project as using TS unless it can pass the transpiler under strict: true mode. Non-strict TS will be counted as JavaScript.

Q: What if I have no experience with JavaScript/TypeScript?

A: You can either go with the language you are most comfortable with or take this opportunity to learn JavaScript/TypeScript.

Q: What should I expect after I completed this challenge?

A: Look out for an interview from us.

Q: Who do I contact for more help?

A: Email Lisa at [email protected].

Good luck and have fun :D