Challenge Summary
Welcome to the Climate Resilience Data Permafrost App Design Concepts! This challenge is focused on creating design concepts/visual ideas for an application that will be used by Alaskans to rate infrastructure risk.
The proposed app will develop a simplified risk zonation procedure for permafrost degradation based on substrate, ice content and the regional permafrost thaw potential.
We currently do not have any formal requirements. We are looking for you to provide design concepts and click-paths. This is the first step in planning our mobile user experience!
Note that this challenge is focused on developing concepts for an optimal user experience and interface. The scientific merit of these concepts will need to be further researched.
Round 1
Submit your design for a Checkpoint feedback:
1. Select area of interest.
2. Evaluate surface properties.
5. View risk evaluation.
- If you have time - please provide us with a click map for your design.
- Readme.jpg : Provide notes about your submission.
- Make sure all pages have correct flow! Use correct file numbering. (00, 01, 02, 03)
Round 2
Final Design plus Checkpoint feedback:
1. Select area of interest.
2. Evaluate surface properties.
3. View geological model.
4. View future projection.
5. View risk evaluation.
- If you have time - please provide us with a click map for your design.
- Readme.jpg : Provide notes about your submission.
- Make sure all pages have correct flow! Use correct file numbering. (00, 01, 02, 03)
App Description:
The last 50 years has seen the increased warmness of Alaska. Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the national average primary due to climate change. Warming air and ground temperatures, permafrost melting, changes in the freeze/thaw patterns of the soil is affecting infrastructures. Permafrost means soil that has been frozen more than two consecutive years. It degrades at temperatures above freezing. Degrading permafrost changes the surface hydrology, saturates, and can kill boreal forests among other effects. An estimated 14% of Alaskans live in areas sensitive to permafrost degradation. Some Alaskan communities rely on a single road or airstrip for their survival. Alaska is already feeling the effects of warming on infrastructure – changes in the permafrost layer and active topsoil layer causes land to shrink and bulge; changes which causes infrastructure buckling. The proposed app provides an infrastructure risk rating by analyzing modeled ground temperature data and modeled data of the thickness of the soil layer on top of the permafrost layer – all over a period. A user is able to swipe the temperature layers across years to view an aggressive change in ground temperature.
We are looking for the [topcoder] design Community to help us with planning our new "user experience" (UX).
Design Concept Goals:
- How should this application look like?
- How quickly the user can find what he wants?
- The application should be easy to use.
- Think simple but effective solutions! Have fun creating this - let us know how you think it should work!
- We want this to be MODERN application design!
Screen Size:
- Mobile Resolution: Design for iPhone 6 Retina Display 750px x 1334px.
Make sure you create graphic in 'shape' format, so when resize for retina versions, graphic still look sharp! It will be great if you can provide the landscape version.
Supporting Documents:
- The Permafrost App Idea Document (Permafrost App.pdf), this is provided for more background and info about the app.
Required Features:
- We would like you to suggest features/screens that this app should incorporate
1) Select area of interest:
- When the user opens the app he will be able to select the area of his interest.
2) Evaluate surface properties:
- The app will use certain models and data sets to provide the user with information about bedrock, soil/vegetation and ice content surface properties.
3) View geological model:
- User can view the engineering geological model of the area of interest.
4) View future projection:
- The application will calculate the projection of future ground temperature regime and calculate PTP.
- User can view the projection.
5) View risk evaluation:
- Please read section 3.3 Methodology.
- The risk evaluation data will be calculated and displayed following the information in the flow chart.
Important Note: please provide all screens needed to describe the workflow, we'll not look at less than 5 screens as we feel this will not be enough to demonstrate the core ideas of the app.
Important:
- Keep things consistent. This means all graphic styles should work together.
- All of the graphics should have a similar feel and general aesthetic appearance
Target User:
- Alaskans.
Judging Criteria:
- How well you plan the user experience and capture your ideas visually
- Cleanliness of your graphics and design
- Your design should possible to build and make sense as a mobile application
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 for your submission files.
Source Files
All original source files of the submitted design. Files should be created in Adobe Photoshop and saved as layered PSD file, or Adobe Illustrator as a layered AI 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. We may ask you to update your design or graphics based on checkpoint feedback.
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.