Top UI Prototype Copilot lunarkid: An Interview

thomaskranitsas: What is your Topcoder story? How did you start?
lunarkid: Back in 2007, I read in a local newspaper about abedavera becoming a Topcoder Design Champion. I was curious about what is Topcoder and ended up as a Topcoder member. And the journey continues today.
thomaskranitsas: What do you like the most about Topcoder?
lunarkid:
- Working with many global enterprise companies and so many cool projects with the latest technology usage.
- Collaboration with Topcoder friends around the world.
thomaskranitsas: As a copilot what do you expect from a UI prototype challenge?
Where should competitors focus on when competing on UI Prototype? (eg: pixel perfect matching of the designs vs code quality)
lunarkid: UI Prototype winning submissions can be used in the next development with less effort. I'm kind of sad when I see the UI Prototype code not used properly after we build a good quality one.
So, we need to raise the level: Look & feel must follow the storyboard design, and the code needs to be easily converted when moving to actual development like API Services & Database.
thomaskranitsas: You are definitely one of the best copilots and you motivate many members to compete in the UI Prototype track.
If you check the “Who is your favorite copilot and why (and you can’t pick yourself!)?” question in
the interviews of all the UI Prototype finalists you’ll find your handle in almost all of them which is pretty amazing! What would you suggest to new members who want to start with UI Prototype?
lunarkid: I'm so honored to hear that! That motivates me to become better copilot.
For the new members of UI Prototype:
- Learn all basic of HTML/CSS/Javascripts code. They will be handy when you learn the new web framework like Backbone.js, Ember.js, AngularJS, ReactJS, etc
- I think this working flow can guide new users to build the UI prototype. Write all HTML code first Then build the layout with CSS Lastly build the Javascript functions
- Don't get tired testing across different browsers and different devices. ( I know the feeling. :) )
thomaskranitsas: Can you point out few things that members should avoid when competing in UI Prototype challenges?
lunarkid:
- Do not build UI Prototype based on templates you find on websites. You'll end up editing lots of things. Start from zero and fill it with any necessary style & library.
- Do not forget to comment/give explanation for critical points in your code
- Do not make CSS redundancy, prepare them wisely.
- Create Javascript code that does not break the performances.
- Remove unused codes
This article is part of the 5 Weeks to Learn Topcoder educational series. Want to learn more? Check out the entire series and all the helpful content here.