HackDavis
Designed and shipped a judging app used to score projects at UC Davis's collegiate hackathon
Overview
My Impact
Designed and shipped the judging app that scored 100+ projects at UC Davis's collegiate hackathon.
The Client
HackDavis, UC Davis's collegiate hackathon, supporting over 500 students. In 24 hours, more than 100 student projects are designed and engineered, and all of them need to be judged.
The Challenge
Judges walk the venue with about five minutes per project. The app had to be mobile-first, with a map to find each team and a scoring system that captures every criterion across multiple award categories without slowing judging down.
User Flow
Judges get about five minutes per project, and most of it is spent walking. The flow had to move them from their queue to the right table to a finished score with as little friction as possible.
Below is the full user flow
Design Decisions
Three changes, each from something judges told us.
Flagging a missing team
Judges arrive at tables where nobody is there. Instead of stalling the round, they can flag the team as missing. It moves into a separate missing category so organizers can follow up and the judge keeps moving.
A venue map
Judges from the previous year said they could not find the tables. The map is on the home screen and expands to a full view.
Knowing when you are done
The previous year's app left judges unsure whether they had finished judging all their assigned projects. Now the unjudged list ends with a clear done state, and a scored section keeps track of all completed projects.
Stress testing with 50+ judges
The app ran live at HackDavis 2026. Over 50 judges used it on their phones, walking the venue and scoring 100+ projects in real time.
What the judges told us after the event
After judging ended, I sent out a feedback form and heard back from 11 judges. The scores were strong, but the most useful finding was where the friction actually lived. It was not the interface. It was the walk between tables.
“The judging app is the best I’ve seen so far across all the hackathons I’ve attended, both as a judge and a participant.”
— Judge, HackDavis 2026
The takeaway reframed the product. A judging app is a routing tool, not just a scoring form.
Edge Case
Two judges at one table
Sometimes two judges were assigned to the same booth at the same time. The flow assumed one judge per table, which left them unsure whether to wait or move on. When the app detects an overlap, it now surfaces a small note so both judges know they can score in parallel and keep the round moving.
What I took away from shipping this
Communicating with the tech team is transparency
Clear communication is what makes a handoff smooth. I documented notes for the developers throughout the file, calling out animation, button states, and scroll behaviors.
Expect the unexpected and adapt
Judges do not have much time, so the flow had to be seamless and quick to grade. Keeping their mindset in focus is what kept the design grounded.
Most of all, a judging app is a routing tool, not just a scoring form. The best insight did not come from a mockup. It came from watching real judges move through a real venue.