Challenge Summary
Welcome to the TopCoder/CloudSpokes Community Design Concept Contest! As you may know, TopCoder and CloudSpokes each have their own impressive crowdsourcing development communities. Now that the two companies are joined, our ultimate goal is to bring those communities together and continue to enhance the overall community experience. We are looking for your design concepts and ideas on what the future designer, developer or alogrithmists “community” user experience should be like.
Round 1
Checkpoint Submission
- Show us your initial designs for feedback!
Round 2
Final Submission
- Final designs
- Any updates from the Checkpoint
For this contest we need you to focus on "Design Concepts"
(visual ideas with any notes for any explanations and interactions)
We are looking you to help us visually get the conversation started on how TopCoder and CloudSpokes communities should be merged together
As a community member, we value your ideas!
- What is important to you when you arrive on the site?
- How would you graphicallly direct new members to sign up?
- How would you let existing members know what’s new?
- What community/competition tools would be useful to you?
Design Concepts Problem
- We are merging two communities into one! We need to get the conversation started as to what the community experience should be like.
- What is the best community experience for our designers, developers and algorithmists?
- What should the new site look like? (colors?, branding etc)
Design Goal
We want to put the TC/CS community community member at the center of the user experience and allow them to see content (contests, forums, news etc) and personalized features that are relevant to them.
View 1 - "Logged out view"
- This is more of a marketing view for the why someone should join the TC/CS designer/developer/algorithm community
- Quickly register!
- What captures the attention of a Software Information Architect or User Experience Designer?
- What captures the attentio of a Software Developer?
- What capture the attention of an Algorithmist?
- This page needs to be interesting and excieting for a new member and quickly allow and existing member the ability to login
View 2 - "Logged in view"
- This is your view! What is going on in the community!
- Personalized features (that you might pick to see available to you)
- Available contests? (maybe you select to only see Design contests or maybe coding contests etc)
- Community news, forum feeds?
- Profile information = Stats, Ratings, Portfolio, Earnings etc. - what is important here?
What are you interested in seeing when you log into the site?
Primary Design Considerations:
- Flat design and great use of white space
- Simple, to the point. No clutter.
- Should be fun and enticing - not professional and stuffy
- The site will be responsive - start thinking about how that will work
- Focus on the layout and the user experience, not the branding.
- What should the new site look like? Colors? Initial branding approach? (as this is still undecided we are open to your design approach)
- If your inspired to have some fun and mashup a TC/CS logo you can include it or just use a small logo placeholder.
Don’t think about what we are expecting - design around your concepts and ideas.
Required Elements:
As this is the "start of the converstation" we do not have a lot of requirements - we really want to see your DESIGN CONCEPTS about what these user views should contain. However, we do have some suggestions.
Marketing
The "logged out view" should have more of a marketing "What we do and why you should join apporach"
Register & Login
This page will be viewed primarily by potential members who are new. How will you entice them to sign up? Also need a login button.
The Jump
This design must speak to the entire community -- not just to a specific group within the community. However, there should be clear paths or jump points for people to take. We think there will be 3 types of community members looking for contests: Software Developers, Algorithm Specialists and IA/UX Designers.
References
Flat Design Reference Docs:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2013/09/03/flat-and-thin-are-in/
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/09/the-ultimate-guide-to-flat-design/
http://fltdsgn.com/
Target Audience:
- You!
- The entire Topcoder Community AND the entire Cloudspokes community.
- New community members!
Branding Guidelines:
- Look at the existing color palettes - what colors do you prefer?
- Colors are open to you - but they do need to look good.
Judging Criteria:
- Did you think about what the community pages need?
- Were you able to convey your concepts and ideas visually
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
Submit JPG/PNG image files based on contest submission requirements stated above.
Source Files
All original source files. Original source files should be saved as layered Photoshop PSD files or AI / EPS (Illustrator) files.
Final Fixes
As part of the final fixes phase you may be asked to modify your graphics (sizes or colors) or modify overall colors. If items were missed from the checkpoint round you may be asked to include them in your final design.
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.