Address
Pittsburgh, PA
Work Hours
Monday to Thursday: 9AM - 5PM ET
Friday: 9AM -1PM
AI Product Design Hackathon
Thu, Jan 15, 2026 | 5 – 5:30 PM ET
See how product designers and PMs are using AI to design, build, and validate real products faster, without sacrificing quality. Join our hands-on AI hackathon to build and ship a working app in under an hour.
Supported by:
1st Place
3 month Lovable Pro subscription
+ 1 hour product feedback session
2nd Place
User testing session w/5 participants
+ 1 hour product feedback session
3rd Place
– Inspired by Marty Cagan
+ 1 hour product feedback session
What You’ll Learn
How to design and build a functional app using Lovable in under an hour.
How to reduce rework by designing, building, and testing in one continuous loop.
Discover simple ways to integrate AI into daily workflows so it becomes a force multiplier—not something to be afraid of.
How to balance speed with context, quality, and humanity so AI augments—not replaces—good design.
Hands on guidance
Learn from industry leaders who are shaping the future of product design with AI.
Our lineup includes:
Agenda
Here’s what you can expect from the session.
7:00 – 7:05 | Welcome and introductions
We’ll kick off with a warm welcome, brief sponsor acknowledgments, and a quick introduction to our judges.
7:05 – 7:15 | Learn to build
A quick overview of the rules, goals, and a few real examples to set the stage before we start building.
7:15 – 8:15 | Main build session
This is the core build session. You’ll brainstorm, design, prototype, and test your product with live facilitator support as you go.
8:15 – 8:25 | Awards
We’ll finish the session by highlighting a few standout builds and awarding prizes to the products that stood out the most.
8:25 – 8:30 | Closing
We’ll close with key takeaways, next steps, and a quick look at how to keep building after the event.
8:30 – ??? | Afters
Stick around to continue your build or unwind with a glögg if you’d like.
Instructions
aka the “rules”
We’ll walk you through these steps live and show:
- An example prompt
- Lovable in action
- An example app built using the prompt and instructions below
Over the next 30–60 minutes, you’ll register for Lovable (if needed), brainstorm an app idea, build it, test it, and share your work with the judges and your peers.
Step 1 (~5 minutes): Register for Lovable
Use this link to register for Lovable the day of the event:
https://lovable.dev/invite/97DMCAT
Important notes:
- Do not use any credits yet
- If you already have an account, make sure you have at least 15 credits
- If you don’t have enough credits, creating a new Gmail account has been known to work wonders 🙂
Step 2a (~5 minutes): Brainstorm an Idea
Take a few minutes to think of an idea for an app. It can be anything you want.
Bonus points if:
- It solves a real-world problem
- It helps humans in a meaningful way
Keep the scope intentionally small.
Step 2b (~5 minutes): Complete the Build Template
You’ll use the following template as your Lovable build script.
Copy it exactly and fill in the brackets only:
“Create an app for [this audience] that solves [this primary use case].
The app should include:
- Basic authentication (sign up, sign in, sign out)
- Feature 2 [short description of what it does and why it matters to the user]
- Feature 3 [short description of what it does and why it matters to the user]
- Feature 4 [short description of what it does and why it matters to the user]
Use Lovable Cloud for the backend and Tailwind for the frontend.
No 3rd party API dependencies.
Build the minimum viable version needed to demonstrate the idea.”
Examples
Example 1
Create an app for remote workers that solves the problem of losing focus during the workday.
The app should include:
- Basic authentication (sign up, sign in, sign out)
- Focus sessions that let users start a timed work block to stay on task
- Distraction logging so users can note what pulled them away and reflect later
- A daily summary showing how many focused sessions were completed and why that matters for productivity
Use Lovable Cloud for the backend and Tailwind for the frontend.
No 3rd party API dependencies.
Build the minimum viable version needed to demonstrate the idea.
Example 2
Create an app for first-time homeowners that solves the problem of forgetting routine home maintenance.
The app should include:
- Basic authentication (sign up, sign in, sign out)
- A task list for common maintenance items and why they matter to home longevity
- A simple reminder view showing upcoming tasks and due dates
- A completed tasks history so users can track what’s been done over time
Use Lovable Cloud for the backend and Tailwind for the frontend.
No 3rd party API dependencies.
Build the minimum viable version needed to demonstrate the idea.
Step 3 (>1 minute): Generate Your App
Copy and paste your completed build script directly into the Lovable prompt.
Step 4 (~5 minutes): Let Lovable Build
Sit back and relax while Lovable builds your app.
This usually takes around five minutes.
Step 5 (~5 minutes): Test Functionality
Test your app and fix anything that needs to be fixed.
Guidelines:
- Don’t worry about visual polish yet
- Focus on core functionality
- A couple small bugs are okay
- A broken workflow is not
Tip: Don’t forget to test responsiveness on mobile.
Step 6: Share Your Build
Raise your hand when you’re ready.
You’ll have about 1 minute to share what you built and ask questions, time permitting.
Step 7 (~5 minutes): Enhance and Polish
Use any remaining credits to:
- Add a logo or brand colors
- Improve UI clarity
- Enhance features
- Add a simple marketing homepage (just ask for it in the prompt)
Step 8: Share Your Updates
Raise your hand again to share what you changed.
About 1 minute per person, time permitting.
Step 9: Judges Deliberate
Sit back, relax, and let the judges make their final rounds and deliberate.
Supplemental Materials
Here are a few resources to help you get started.
AI in Product Design Hackathon FAQs
This hackathon is for product designers, UX/UI designers, PMs, engineers, and anyone curious about using AI to build better digital products faster.
No prerequisites — just curiosity and a desire to learn.
A laptop and internet connection are required to follow along. A free trial to Lovable is needed to build. We’ll send more info closer to the event.
We’ll be broadcast live using Google Meet, so you can join from anywhere.
You can access the Google Meet hackathon link from your email (from hello@bignerd.design). You may need to check your spam box just in case. If you registered via an enterprise email address, the email may have been blocked entirely. If you accepted the invite on LinkedIn, we’ll send you the Meet link in your DMs. The link will also be posted at the top of this page a few days before the event.
If you cant find it or don’t have it, email Dan at hello@bignerd.design, or send a DM on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/danolsavsky/.
Yes — we’ll email participants ASAP and share the recording (with transcripts) on our YouTube channel and across our websites later on.