Interviewing 2024 Executive Committee: Software Challenge Contest 

Hello everyone! This is KAI from MURAN PR Team! 

The day of MURAN is fast approaching. 

Various exciting projects are in progress for DENSO MURAN 2024, and one such project is “Software Challenge Contest”: a unique event with an aim to foster creativity and coding skills among DENSO employees who are new to coding. 

We had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Fukada and Mr. Shito, who are key figures in this project, to learn more about this innovative contest. 

Ms. Fukada 

MURAN Managing Team 

Sub-Leader 

She conceptualized the Software Challenge Contest and leads the project as part of the secretariat. 

Mr. Shito 

MURAN Digital Planning Team 

Software Challenge Project Leader 

He supports the project with his extensive digital expertise. 

Q: What exactly is “Software Challenge Contest”? 

Ms. Fukada: It is a contest where DENSO employees, who are interested in developing apps or games but are not confident in their programming skills, can break out of their shells to try it out and compete with others. It provides an opportunity to learn programming skills through practical experiences such as developing a video game. 

Mr. Shito: It’s a learning opportunity for beginners to create something through programming. There are also study sessions where participants can exchange information and improve their skills. 

Q: How did the project start? 

Ms. Fukada: During the last DENSO MURAN(2022), it was difficult to hold the traditional hardware-focused idea contest due to the pandemic. So, we instead decided to hold a software-focused event on a smaller scale, which is much more feasible as development can be done remotely. 

Mr. Shito: Another reason is that the company has also started focusing more on the software field. Last time, we had two categories for the contest: one for experts and one for beginners, allowing both groups to participate comfortably. 

Q: What changes have been made since the last contest? 

Ms. Fukada: The contest was limited to DENSO Japan employees only, but this year, we expanded the contest to include all DENSO employees worldwide. We also merged the expert category with the traditional idea contest (allowing both hardware or software), and we renamed the remaining beginner category as “Software Challenge Contest”. 

Mr. Shito: Based on feedback we received from previous contest’s participants, we decided to provide further support for beginners this time. We prepared educational materials for two programming languages: “Scratch” and “JavaScript”. For JavaScript(which most participants selected), we created new textbooks and tutorials, and conducted four online training sessions. Additionally, we set up chat rooms and study sessions for participants to share information and improve their skills, instead of just competing. 

Q: What kind of software are participants asked to develop? 

Ms. Fukada: Games or apps, anything. Since we expect many children to attend the event, we encouraged participants to create something that would be enjoyable for both adults and children. 

Mr. Shito: Initially, there was a suggestion to focus on software which is useful for work but based on my experience attending MURAN as a child, I thought it would be more engaging for visitors if the creation was something fun to play with. Also, unlike work-related software, non-work-related software(especially video games) does not have a defined goal or function, allowing participants to refine their creation boundlessly. On the day of the event, there will be a popularity vote by attendees and a review by experts, focusing on creativity rather than technical aspects. 

Q: Can you tell us about the exhibition on the day of MURAN? 

Ms. Fukada: At the venue, visitors can try out the apps and games that made it to the finals and vote for their favorites. 

Mr. Shito: Also, visitors can meet the developers where they can learn tips on how to play and hear behind-the-scenes stories about the development of the app. 

Ms. Fukada: For those who cannot attend the venue, they can still experience the software and vote online on the day of MURAN. We are also exhibiting the works that unfortunately couldn’t make it to the finals online. 

Q: Finally, do you have a message for the readers? 

Ms. Fukada: Thank you for reading this article! Both the participants and the executive committee have been spending so much effort creating and setting up for this MURAN event. We sincerely hope you enjoy it either online or at the real venue! 

Mr. Shito: Please try out the creative works of DENSO and DENSO Group employees that you may not believe are made by beginners. We hope this will inspire you to try programming yourself! 

Thank you so much, Ms. Fukada and Mr. Shito! 

Through this interview, I was overwhelmed by your passion for the Software Challenge Contest as a member of the organizing committee.  

Don’t miss the chance to experience the results of this project, created with the full efforts of the organizing committee and the participants, either at the MURAN venue or online venue!