Challenge Summary
Welcome to the Styx - Spec Builder Storyboard Contest, the goals of this contest are simple:
- Reskin & redesign the application using modern controls
- Welcome, but not necessary: small/slight functional & usability enhancements to improve the overall user experience
Round 1
For milestone review, you must submit the first 6 screens and the toolbar icons with the 1024 px and wider screens. We will choose 3 milestone winners, each one will get $100 milestone prize and provide general feedbacks to all submission and specific feedback to each milestone winner submission.
Round 2
In the final round, you will submit the full submission with the 1024 px and wider screens which is improved and revised based on the provided feedbacks in round one.
Client is looking to create a new desktop application to replace an existing application that was written in VB, the purpose is to improve the UI look & feel and switch to new technoligies. The new application will be implemented using C#.NET with WPF.
For this contest, you'll use the attached documents as input to understand how the current application works. In addition, you can download the existing application(link will be provided on forum) so that you can try the application yourself. We're not looking to add new features, so the storyboard design will need to mimic the same set of features but reskin & redesign it using mordern controls that are applicable to the selected technologies. The existing VB application runs on Windows XP 32 bit so you'll need to have that environment to run it locally.
I have attached the screenshots (along with notes) of the application, so it shouldn't be a problem even if you don't have the envrionment to run the application. Just cover all the required screenshots list below and you should be fine.
Required Screens
002
003
005
009
014
018
021
026
031
032
the popup message dialogs in 016, 019, 023, 028 (just the top most small dialog, no need for the main window behind that)
the toobar icons
Windows UI Guidelines:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa511258
Sample WPF apps:
http://www.softpedia.com/progScreenshots/Family-Show-Screenshot-147864.html
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/28030/Inside-xamSalesManager-a-NetAdvantage-for-WPF-Show
http://archive.msdn.microsoft.com/WPFPresents/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=3536
http://www.mapdotnet.com/index.php?view=entry&year=2011&month=09&day=21&id=51%3Akiller-wpf-apps&option=com_lyftenbloggie
Since the UI guidelines are not WPF specific, it might make more sense for you to check the sample WPF apps to see how the UI of WPF apps is usually designed.
IMPORTANT
- Keep simple and clean design! And have great user experience.
- Group/package each graphics in its own folder layer with appropriate names/titles.
- Keep things consistent. This means all graphics styles should work together.
- All of the graphic should have a similar feel and general aesthetic appearance.
- Make sure your design use Windows standard fonts (arial, tahoma, etc)
- All text must be editable and non-graphical.
- You must provide us how every screens looks in 1024px width and more wider screens.
Target Audience
- Primary target audience is architects and engineers. They have a fairly good degree of proficiency with Windows. They are busy and under pressure and look for faster, more efficent ways of doing things. They have a good understanding of building systems such as fire alarm, but may not be very familiar with the products offered by our company.
- A secondary audience would be our dealers who have a very good understanding of the product lines. They may create specifications for architects and engineers and hand them over to them. The net result is the same whether our dealers are using the program, or whether the A&Es are creating the specifictions themselves -- the underlying text is provided by the company, so there's a measure of consistency.
Judging Criteria
- Coverage of features in the application
- User Experience
- How well you create the storyboard designs
- Cleanliness of your graphics and design.
Branding Guidelines
- We would like a splash screen with branding information and will provide artwork to the pixel dimensions specified by the coder. Similarly, there will be an About box that will provide copyright information. While the specific branding and presentation is yet to be decided, you may look at the current application and get an idea of how it will need to look like.
Submission & Source Files
Preview Image
Please create your preview image as one (1) 1024x1024px JPG or PNG file in RGB color mode at 72dpi and place a screenshot of your submission within it.
Submission File
All Requested Contest Submission Requirements stated above. Files should be saved as JPG/PNG format.
Source Files
All original source files of the submitted design. Files should be created in Adobe Photoshop and saved as layered PSD file.
Final Fixes
As part of the final fixes phase you may be asked to modify your graphics (sizes or colors) or modify overall colors.
Please read the challenge specification carefully and watch the forums for any questions or feedback concerning this challenge. It is important that you monitor any updates provided by the client or Studio Admins in the forums. Please post any questions you might have for the client in the forums.