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What Makes a Good Project?
We're giving you the opportunity to build hardware and software projects. Use it well!
The best projects are created when someone really wanted to make it. Maybe they saw something online and thought "I could make that better." Maybe it solves a problem they deal with every day. Maybe it's just something they think would be really cool to have.
At the end of the program, we want you to be proud of the projects you've built. Proud enough to share them with your friends, parents, teachers, and the world.
If someone searches your name and this pops up, you should be proud.
If the only answer is "I want to go to the hackathon" or "I want to learn React," there should be more to it. The best projects come from wanting the thing to exist, not just wanting the reward for making it.
Good vs. Bad Projects
| Good | Bad |
|---|---|
| Original idea with a story behind it | Copy-pasted code or design files |
| Feels like a real product or tool | Thrown together with no polish |
| Specific and unique to you | Vague ("AI app", "smart device", "portfolio site") |
Use other projects as references, not templates. If you do reuse a specific chunk of someone else's work, credit the author in your README. Reviewers can tell, and uncredited copies get rejected.
In summary
Be original. Every idea has been thought of before. What matters is that it's yours. Give it a name, a personality, a brand.
Be specific. "Todo app" tells you nothing. "A task manager that sends passive-aggressive reminders through Discord" gives you a direction. "AI robot" tells you nothing. "A robot trash can that follows floor lines and takes itself out when full" gives you a direction.
Make it feel finished. For software: clean UI, a README that explains what it does, deployed somewhere people can try it. For hardware: no dangling wires, add a case, clean it up. It doesn't need to be perfect, but it should look intentional.
Examples of what NOT to build
Software
- Basic todo app. Will anyone actually use this over the hundred that already exist?
- AI chatbot wrapper. If it's just an API call with a text box, what did you actually build?
- Portfolio website from a template. If you just filled in the blanks, that's not a project.
How to make them better:
- What if your todo app synced with your calendar and yelled at you through a Discord bot when you're procrastinating?
- What if your chatbot analyzed your Spotify listening history and roasted your music taste?
- What if your portfolio was a retro terminal that visitors could actually type commands into?
Hardware
- Arduino alarm clock. Will you actually use this?
- AI healthcare robot. What even is this?
- Distance sensor. Does this serve a real purpose?
How to make them better:
- What if your alarm clock had a cool custom case? What if you had to play whack-a-mole to stop it?
- What if the distance sensor alerts your phone when someone comes into your room?
Don't overscope it. Make it detailed. Your project should have a clear purpose, not just "I used technology."
Examples of cool projects by Hack Clubbers
Software
- DoomPDF. Doom (1993) running inside a PDF document. By Allen, 18.
- Vert. A file converter that uses WebAssembly to convert files entirely on your device. By Maya, 17.
- Specter. A game about a knight escaping a cave, haunted by his own ghost. By Ayessa, 18.
- Blind Defusal. A two-player cooperative bomb defusal game. By Joshua, 17.
Hardware
Stuck? Check out How the program works or ask in #macondo on the Hack Club Slack. People will give you honest feedback.