Domain Leap 2024

Yesterday, I took part in my second hackathon since joining Domain, aptly named Domain Leap. This is our opportunity as an organisation and as individual teams to come together for a common cause: to bring an idea to life and take a giant leap in innovation.

For context, most ideas this year focused on leveraging the power of AI to improve the property journey for our customers. Our idea centred specifically on helping people find the property of their dreams and using AI to envision the various possibilities that a property holds. Our amazing team won the People's Choice award.

For those of us in tech, we are no strangers to hackathons so, I’ve listed out eight key attributes that stood out to me, which most people don’t speak about, while navigating the hackathon:

Hackathons turn you into a polymath

As a team of 11, we were diverse, but there were still gaps in knowledge and skillsets. Under pressure, this forces you to adapt and apply skills not often used—in some cases, only observed before. Being open to applying yourself, and making a few blunders along the way, will only increase your chances of success.

Diverse backgrounds, diverse opinions

Weeks before the event, you're often faced with choosing a team to pour your blood, sweat, and effort into, picking the idea you most believe in from a one-page teaser. You proceed to have a few icebreaker meetings and discussions around the idea. Our organisation has just over 1,000 people, big enough that you don’t know everyone. After the kick-off keynote on day one, your team gathers—many of whom have never worked together before—and with less than 36 hours on the clock, you're tasked with outputting a working proof of concept. This is where company culture and hiring practices are really put to the test as we align around a common goal. It quickly became clear that Domain had hired well. Opinions and skills flowed flawlessly and organically. Like a choreographed dance, we navigated each problem and identified every opportunity as they emerged, with diverse opinions and skills offering the tools to do so.

A perfect mess

These events are messy. Whoever tells you otherwise isn’t being honest. There’s a certain amount of mess and ambiguity you need to be comfortable with, as long as you have an idea of where you want to be and you're always willing to adapt. Two great quotes come to mind:

"Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods."

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

While it's important to hold strong opinions, it's equally important to listen carefully to others' perspectives and be willing to adjust your views if their rationale is sound. This promotes a balance between confidence in your ideas and openness to improvement.

Make decisions fast

There’s no doubt that at some point, everyone feels the pressure. No one wants to let the team down, and everyone dreams of seeing their idea take flight. With the whole team staring down the barrel of a ~36-hour challenge, it forces you to make trade-offs, accept losses, and not sweat the small stuff, bringing you closer to your goal.

Have a winning mindset

As my mum always says, everything in life is a balance. Having a fiercely competitive energy in the room can have the opposite effect, driving down enthusiasm and productivity. Too little, however, is like driving a car on empty. So, where do you find the balance? I tend to hold myself accountable—what is my personal best? Whether competing in adventure racing or mountain biking, this is no different. Working closely with other talented individuals under time pressure tends to make us rise to the challenge. But it also means that if you don’t win, you genuinely celebrate the success of your competitors, recognising them as shining examples of the talent in your organisation.

Have fun

No doubt, these events are kind of insane, but they give you the chance to discover the diverse and amazing skills people in your organisation possess. They connect you with people you might never have worked with otherwise, and you form bonds that may not have existed before. I still keep in touch with my first Domain Leap team, EchoIQ, and I have no doubt I will keep in touch with the latest team, RenoIQ—spot the naming trend!

Finally, a shout-out to my amazing team. I cannot thank you enough for your valiant and impressive effort to get our product working in such a short time!

A big thank you to the organisers of the event as well as the leadership team that made it possible.

Doruk Demircioglu Mark Evans Matthew H. Priya R Tripathi Sam Hill Simon Xiaoming FENG WingYin Sun John Foong Danielle Harmer Stephen Cox Nathan Brumby Khaulah Zagham