Focused on chatbots, the most recent hackathon was the third total for Edmunds and EPAM. The first hackathon, in 2014, was dedicated to mobile app development, and the second, in 2015, was focused on big data innovation. Edmunds has implemented a number of creative solutions thanks to previous hackathons, and was eager to see what great ideas would spring from the third event in four years.
Edmunds chose chatbots as the theme of the hackathon in order to spur ideas that could lead to more mature solutions for Edmunds.com. After working on implementing them for about a year before the event, Edmunds’ goal was to automate interaction with clients, keep the site user’s attention as they navigate the user interface, and help users find the information they need about the car they want.