$2000 Vesta IT Self Service Design Tournament

Welcome to the Vesta IT Self Service Design Contest. The goal of this contest is to produce Storyboards that design and capture the new requirements for the IT Self Service Web Application. IT Self Service is a new project for TopCoder. Vesta already has an existing web application, though, so we're calling this Version 2. IT Self Service serves two primary purposes: 1. Generate Help Desk tickets when Vesta Employee's/Users have IT problems 2. Provide access to the IT Knowledge Base The overall goal of this application is to drive users to the Knowledge Base, so that they can solve their own problems. This will cut down on the number of Help Desk tickets created. Additionally, Vesta would like to encourage all their employee's/staff to use this Self Service tool as much as possible, rather than resorting to other means of reporting problems or requesting information (phone calls, emails, etc). That means the site needs to be: - easy to use - easy to understand - fun! and helpful (while still remaining simple) Keep these goals in mind when planning your design! At the end of this contest the Client is looking to have a set of clean, intuitive, and easy-to-use designs that meets the requirements described within the Contest Details.

Round 1

At the end of Round 1, the Client will choose five (5) Round 1 winners, each will win $100 and a Design Review. These winners and any member who had a passing submission in Round 1 will be eligible to compete in Round 2 for the additional $1500 in prizes.

Round 2

Round 2 will start with the announcement of the Five (5) $100 Round 1 winners and their design review from the Client.
Contest Details Vesta has already been working on their Version 2 of "IT Self Service" web appliation. They have engaged the TopCoder Studio Community to make it even better! The attached requirements document describes out the functional pieces of the application, and also contains screenshots of their application-in-progress. We want you to meet all the functional requirements, of course, but we DO NOT want you to simply re-color the existing screens. Use your imagination. Think about how a user could most easily get to the features they need. Think of the provided screenshots as just a way to visualize the requirements, then design your own application from there. Target User - All corporate employees of Vesta who require IT support and information Judging Criteria - How well you design and plan out the IT Self Service Pages - Cleanliness of your graphics and design - User Experience Logos (Reference Self Service V2 mockup) - You can use the provided logo source files - All other (non-vesta company) logos should be placeholder/fake logos - Desktop, Email, Printer should be your own design Stock Photography Watermarked comp photography from istockphoto.com is allowed in this contest. You must follow these instructions or your submission will fail screening: 1) You must include a completed Third Party Content worksheet. It belongs in your Submission folder/zip file -- NOT your Source folder/zip file. 2) Only use photos, and only use them from iStockPhoto. Other iStockPhoto artwork is not allowed. 3) Be sure to keep the watermark intact. If the image is cropped in such a way that the watermark is not visible, please be sure to include the entire image in your source files so we can see that it is a comp image from iStockphoto.com. Contest Deliverables Round One 1-Self-Service-HomePage = Your submitted design solution for a review (show all the modules) 2-FeaturedServices = Your submitted design solution for a review (show a Service Landing Page) 3-RequestForm = Your submitted design solution for a review (show the Request Landing Page) Please provide any additional screens you would like reviewed in Round 1. Notes.jpg = A file that explains your design and solution Round Two ALL IT-Self-Service-Screen(s) = Final Designs Please provide all screens/steps to show how your application would work. Notes.jpg = A file that explains your design and solution NUMBER your submissions in the order you would like the Client to view them (ie. 01-description.jpg, 02-description.jpg etc.) Submission & Source Files Preview Image Please create your preview image as one (1) 1024x1024 JPG or PNG file in RGB color mode at 72dpi and place a screenshot of your submission within it. You are free to resize or crop your submission to fit this size, but do not add any filters or elements for dramatic effect, such as drop shadows or reflections. Submission File All Requested Contest Submission Requirements stated above. Source Files All original source files of the submitted design. Files should be created in Adobe Photoshop, Gimp, Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape and saved as layered PSD files, AI or EPS files. . Final Fixes As part of the final fixes phase you may be asked to modify fonts (sizes or colors) or modify overall storyboard colors.