Winning HackPSU 2024: Building Under Pressure

The Setup

HackPSU 2024. 24 hours. Hundreds of hackers. One goal: build something cool.

Our team of 4 had no idea what we'd build when we walked in. By the end, we walked out with the win.

The Idea

We noticed a pattern in the sponsor challenges—several were focused on accessibility and social impact. We decided to build something at that intersection.

The pitch: An AI-powered tool that helps visually impaired users navigate unfamiliar indoor spaces using just their phone.

The Build

Hour 0-4: Planning

• Sketched the architecture on a whiteboard
• Divided responsibilities: ML, backend, mobile, presentation
• Set up the repo and CI/CD

Hour 4-12: Core Development

• Trained a lightweight object detection model
• Built the API with FastAPI
• Started the React Native app

Hour 12-20: Integration Hell

• Nothing worked together
• Rewrote the API twice
• Finally got end-to-end working at 3 AM

Hour 20-24: Polish & Pitch

• Fixed critical bugs
• Recorded demo video
• Practiced the pitch 10 times

What Won It

1. Solving a real problem: Judges loved that we talked to actual users (called a friend who's visually impaired)
2. Working demo: Many teams had slides. We had a working app
3. Technical depth: We could explain every architectural decision

Lessons Learned

• Scope ruthlessly: We cut 5 features to ship 1 well
• Demo > Deck: A working prototype beats a beautiful presentation
• Sleep is optional: (Don't actually do this regularly)

Hackathons taught me more about shipping products than any class. If you're a student, do them.