On 19-20 May 2017, the Paddl Games Canon Hack Challenge brought 30 talented students, graduates or emerging professionals together with 30 Canon subject matter experts to reimagine the customer experience.
Using design-thinking and innovation skills, five teams collaborated to deliver practical, implementable ideas in under 48 hours. The winning solution was developed by Canon Australia and delivered to market on 3 July, 2017.
Watch a recap of the Paddl Games Canon Hack Challenge below... 👇
“The Paddl Games Canon Hack Challenge surpassed all of our expectations and highlighted the wealth of home grown innovation and talent that exists in Australia. It inspired all those who participated to think and act differently, proving that the seemingly improbable, is indeed possible. It’s a credit to the students, the people at Canon and those that made it possible at Paddl and Edgelabs.” Gavin Gomes, Director, Canon Business Services
Canon developed the winning idea into a fully-fledged customer solution within six weeks of the Challenge. The solution was launched to market on 3 July, 2017 to business customers. By the end of October, 2017, it is expected that the product will have 20,000 users.
The Challenge presented a development opportunity for the selected Canon subject matter experts, supporting them to upskill in problem-solving and innovation skills, as well as their leadership capability. This increased employee engagement and boosted Canon's Net Promoter Score (NPS). It also facilitated the creation of opportunities for employees, outside of their normal roles.
The Canon Hack Challenge represented an innovative approach to solving commercial problems and addressing opportunities. It demonstrated a new way to rapidly develop ideas, build prototypes and create a go-to-market strategy that leverages future talent and subject matter experts.
Although Canon did not identify recruitment as a key outcome of the Challenge, exposure to Paddl's diverse pool of university and TAFE educated talent resulted in several full-time and casual hires. In certain cases, roles were created in different parts of the business, specifically for the Paddl Games participants.
Canon has also committed to an ongoing internship program, as part of its talent selection and development process.
“The Canon Hack Challenge was a fantastic opportunity to network with Canon employees and students. Within 48 hours, we were able to be mentored by industry experts and produce a prototype for a real business challenge.” Rebecca Yan, Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Laws, University of Sydney
Canon Australia continues to work with Paddl to drive innovation for its customers and community. In 2018, Canon supported a second Challenge, as part of the five-day COSBOA Innovation Games series sponsored by the Victorian State Government and Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia. This focused on developing high impact digital transformation strategies for small businesses, surfacing ten innovative concepts that the participating businesses could walk away and implement.
If you are a business or organisation and would like a group of local talent to work with, please contact us at: partnerships@paddl.com
Paddl empowers people with rapid upskilling and experience analytics to take on the ever-changing world of work.
