Winner: Zillow Hackweek 12 - ZLeaderboard

Winner: Hackweek 12 - ZLeaderboard

Hackweek 12 – Judges’ Choice: ZLeaderboard Gamification Platform

I was a Judges’ Choice winner at Hackweek 12, where I designed and built ZLeaderboard, a real - time corporate gamification and leaderboard platform that transformed business activities into visible, reward - driven engagement across the organization.

The project demonstrated how game mechanics, real - time systems, and thoughtful UX can be combined to drive participation, motivation, and cultural alignment in an enterprise environment.

Platform Capabilities & Gamification Model

ZLeaderboard provided a flexible and extensible gamification framework, including: • Creation and management of custom leaderboards • Categorization by department, team, or organizational group • User assignment and participation controls • A badges and achievements system tied to milestones and behaviors • A points economy where earned points could be redeemed for corporate swag

These features enabled friendly competition while reinforcing desired behaviors and outcomes.

Real - Time Architecture & Technology Stack

The platform was architected as a real - time, event - driven system using a modern full-stack JavaScript ecosystem: • Node.js as the core runtime • Express for RESTful APIs and service orchestration • WebSockets for live leaderboard updates without page refreshes • Material Design for a clean, consistent, and intuitive user interface

The use of WebSockets ensured immediate visibility into score changes and rankings, reinforcing engagement through instant feedback loops.

Multi - Interface Delivery(CLI, Client, Web)

ZLeaderboard was delivered across multiple interaction surfaces to maximize accessibility: • A command - line interface(CLI) for administrators and automation workflows • A client application for persistent, ambient visibility • A web application for self - service participation and management

This multi - surface approach demonstrated strong attention to developer experience and user adoption.

Design for Extensibility & Scale

The system was intentionally designed to evolve beyond a hackathon prototype: • Modular service boundaries supporting rapid iteration • Event - based scoring updates to reduce coupling • Configurable rules for points, badges, and rewards • Scalable WebSocket infrastructure for concurrent users

These choices enabled future expansion without architectural rework.

Impact & Recognition

ZLeaderboard: • Increased cross - team engagement and visibility • Provided a reusable model for internal incentive systems • Demonstrated the value of real - time feedback in enterprise tools

The project earned Judges’ Choice at Hackweek 12, recognized for its technical execution, product thinking, and cultural impact.