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Hack Dibner

An annual technology and design competition that is offered at NYU's Dibner Library.

Judging Rubric

Each team’s submission will be judged on a 100 point scale.  Bonus points will be awarded based on a team’s participation in the Hack Dibner workshop and lecture series. Final submissions will be judged according to the following criteria and points:

Impact: (1-20 points)

Impact will be measured by how well the submission addresses the problem at hand (improvement of user experience in the library through technology).  Success in this category would be demonstrated by clearly stating and addressing the problem, providing data to validate your proposal's need and impact.  An unsuccessful submission would lack any sort of verification method for claims made, will not create any significant improvement in user experience, or will address only part of the overall problem.

Feasibility:  (1-20 points)

Success in Hack Dibner only requires a proof of concept, not a final product.  Feasibility will be measured by how well the proof of concept is demonstrated as well as how much consideration has been taken regarding bringing the proof of concept into a final implementable version.  Successful submissions will demonstrate proof of concept, draw upon existing literature related to proposed technology or concepts, and outline the cost and time required for implementation and upkeep. An unsuccessful submission would lack a clear budget outline, will have not considered the timeline for creation, and will never demonstrate the initial concept is possible.    

Contextual Inquiry and User Experience (CIUE): (1-20 points)

CIUE will be measured by how much consideration was given by the team to the characteristics of the library (client) and the users (patrons). Successful teams will have explored the needs of the client and patrons through research (talking with library faculty and staff, consulting library literature, etc.).  The successful submission will clearly address how the design solution incorporates the needs of both client and patron. An unsuccessful submission would ignore the needs of the clients and patrons.  Teams should not sacrifice the client and patron needs to implement a design they find interesting.  

Proposal: (1-10 written submission, 1-10 oral presentation)

Both the physical submission and the oral presentation will be considered separately for the proposal.  Teams will be judged on the overall presentation of the project.  Factors such as organization, clarity, visualization, showmanship, etc. can be considered.  Successful proposals will keep the judges engaged while also clearly presenting the vision of the design team.  Unsuccessful proposals will lack clarity and will be leave the judges disinterested,

Creativity:  (1-20 points)

Creativity will be measured by how the proposal explores the many different aspects of the problem.  Successful teams will have shown they have considered the problem from multiple angles (physics, psychology, design…) and will have made efforts to incorporate ideas from different fields.  Additionally, the concepts presented will be awarded points based on their uniqueness.  Unsuccessful projects will have limited scope.  They will have addressed the problem at hand from one angle without having considered any other approaches.

Bonus Points / Penalties 

Engagement/Grit:  (1-5 points)

Teams can receive 1 bonus point for each workshop they attend during the course of the contest.  A consultation with the librarian mentors can also earn the team 1 bonus point.

-50 Points

Teams that do not adhere to the budget, staff restriction, or interfere with the operation of the library outside the allotted time will be penalized 50 points for each violation.