Time management:

One key challenge in this hackathon project was managing time constraints, which prevented the development of an eco-activity tracking feature that could have further enhanced user engagement and provided meaningful insights into environmental impact.

Team efficiency improvement:

From this experience, I learned the importance of improving team efficiency through clearly defined roles, including those of project managers, creating detailed timelines, assigning a minute-taker for meetings, and documenting plans, progress, and feedback in written formats to foster better collaboration and accountability. Additionally, I realized that an over-emphasis on implementation led to insufficient focus on the slide presentation, highlighting the need for a better balance between execution and communication.

A stronger business model needed:

Finally, I also recognized that ecoScore needs a stronger business model. Typical credit card incentives range from 1–5%, but even at the higher end, a 5% VISA reward isn't compelling enough to drive user behavior or differentiate the offering. This insight underscored how crucial a sustainable financial strategy is—not just for user incentives, but also for securing partnerships and sponsorships to support long-term growth. Moving forward, I plan to integrate these lessons by streamlining workflows, enhancing team collaboration, and delivering well-rounded outputs that address both product functionality and business strategic viability.