Tech For Good: Making the World a Better Place with No Code

Máirín Murray believes good ideas are everywhere. But, people need a spark to turn those ideas into reality, and she’s set out to be that spark to ignite change.

After spending the majority of her career creating digital products and spurring innovation within large corporations, she has turned her attention to inspiring action within the citizen developer community. “I have a background in tech, and I’ve always seen myself as a product creator,” Murray said. “But the more people I interacted with, the more I realized that everyone has the capacity to create. They just need help taking action.”

A Desire To Spark Change with Technology

Paired with her background in product design, Máirín has a passion for social causes. So, a few years ago she blended her experience and her passion to kickstart the Tech for Good movement in her home country of Ireland, along with co-founder Ellen Ward.

“Tech for Good really came together to inspire others to do more — more for their community, more for society, and more for the world,” Máirin said.

What is Tech for Good?

Tech for Good is an open group that brings people together from all sectors and roles within the tech industry, regardless of experience or skill-set, to share ideas and create technology for the benefit of the greater social good. As Murray quickly realized during her career, people often feel siloed in their work role, committed to the duties of their job and the company’s mission. But more often than not, the company’s mission isn’t always aligned with the problems facing society. That is where Tech for Good comes in: pulling together people from different backgrounds to use their experience in the tech or other sectors to create solutions that help solve societal issues.

Tech for Good's Social Impact App Challenge

Tech for Good hosts workshops, events, and challenges that aim to inspire action.

“Our job is to encourage, celebrate, and cheerlead ideas. We want people to be inspired and equipped to take these ideas and run with them. With the ultimate goal of creating a product that will benefit society,” Murray said.

And that is exactly what is happening at Tech for Good’s Social Impact App Challenge.

On March 16, 2021, more than 90 participants from more than eight different countries signed up to participate in Tech for Good’s latest challenge, the Tech for Good App Challenge. Over the course of next next two weeks (and beyond), these participants will be asked to share ideas and then turn those ideas into functional apps.

With the help of Thunkable, participants don’t need a background in coding or computer science to successfully create their app.

“This challenge is about getting 'hands-on.' Thunkable makes it possible to demystify technology and give access to citizen creators,” said Murray. “The barrier to entry for digital creation has been lowered with Thunkable. And, the aim of this challenge is to provide that spark to take action. Tools like Thunkable make it easy for anyone to build their idea, regardless of coding experience.”

Over the next couple of weeks, Tech for Good teams will create their Social Impact apps, and if an idea sticks, teams will be encouraged to continue working together to bring their apps to life. Ireland is awash with tech for good innovation and many of these are part of the Tech for Good Dublin community, including:

• See.Sense: an IoT cycling tech project for smart cities
• Space Engagers: an app for cataloging derelict buildings in Dublin and working with a Housing Trust to identify suitable candidates for renovation and reuse

“We can’t wait to see what comes from this Challenge,” said Arun Saigal, CEO of Thunkable. “We are proud to partner with Tech for Good Dublin and help innovators everywhere bring their ideas to life. Coding shouldn’t be a barrier to inspiring change and taking action.”

What's Next for Tech for Good?

We will keep you posted on the great creations that will come from the Social Impact App Challenge and all the great things Tech for Good continues to do. If you are interested in participating or would like to learn more about Tech for Good Dublin, check out more information on their MeetUp page or follow them on Twitter. You can also watch Máirín Murray’s TEDx Talk to be inspired about developing products and serving a greater purpose in society.

Final Thoughts

If you want to get started creating your own social impact app development or want to learn more about no code app creation, check out Thunkable. Our drag and drop app builder makes it easy for citizen creators to quickly turn their ideas into a reality without having to write a single line of code.