Each team works one at a time, and are given ten minutes to work through the problem, while the other teams wait in a sound proof room. The goal is to expose the dynamic intangibles of design in progress, and allow an audience to listen in on four teams and observing how they work. We wanted to show some of the essence of design work than can not be captured in papers, panel sessions or workshops. All team members wore microphones while onstage, and the whiteboard is shown on the video display so the audience can listen and watch. We use a scoring system to give the format a framework, but the competition isn't really the point.
Human nature being what it is, competition helps to get people to go up on stage and do things.
Brenda Laurel, Bill Moggridge, and Andrew Dillon were our expert panelists, and they provided commentary and judging for the event. These panelists were on stage, with the best view of the action. Every team member wore a live microphone, an the audience and the panelists were able to hear their conversations, and view their work as they did it. Each category was worth ten points, and each panelist scored every team. Teamwork considered how well the team worked together, and how they organized their time and approach.