LUX - Exponentials App Design Concepts Challenge

Welcome to another LUX Challenge! The LUX is a "Live User Experience Design Challenge" that we like to run live at a customer event or conference. The "LUX - Exponentials App Design Concepts Challenge" will be run during the next 8 Days. At the end of the challenge we will take the iPad and presentation screens you create and share your collective creative talent! 

This LUX challege is focused on iPad UX/UI design concepts and exploring general look-and-feel direction for the new Exponentials iPad app. The Exponentials iPad application will serve as a tool to educate users and help them understand all the different exponential technologies. The app needs to create a natural, immersive user experience filled with visualizations and other rich-content.

We have listed areas below for you to explore with your design concepts. For this challenge, we would like you to pick a handful of these areas to focus on. We are looking for a broad range of creative ideas to move forward with and refine in future design challenges.
 

Note: This is our 15th LUX Challenge! No previous experience in a LUX challenge is needed to compete - jump in and give it a try! Make sure to follow the challenge forum and ask questions as things move very fast in a LUX challenge.

Important Rule Challenge for this Design Challenge
You are allowed to submit your designs at any time during this challenge. You are allowed to submit to the final phase even if you did not submit to the checkpoint phase. All submissions will be accepted (that pass screening!). Note: while we are allowing this challenge to be "open" throughout we do recommend you submit to the checkpoint so we can review and provide valuable feedback. Good luck!

 

Round 1

In Round 1, you should pick 3 or more areas to explore from the challenge spec.
- NOTE: If anything is unclear, please ask for clarification on the forum and we will be happy to help!

Round 2

In Round 2, you will need to include all Round 1 deliverables (updated based on checkpoint feedback) plus any additional areas to explore.
- NOTE: If anything is unclear, please ask for clarification on the forum and we will be happy to help!

Challenge Overview:
The goal for this challenge is UX/UI design exploration and concepts for the new Exponentials iPad app. The Exponentials iPad application will serve as a tool to educate users and help them understand all the different exponential technologies. The app needs to create a natural, immersive user experience filled with visualizations and other rich-content. We have listed some areas below for you to explore with your design concepts. For this challenge, we would like you to pick a handful of these areas to focus on. We are looking for a broad range of creative ideas to move forward with and refine in downstream design challenges.

Member Payments
We are offering 8 Placements! Plus Checkpoint prizes!
1) $2000
2) $1500
3) $1000
4) $500
5) $500
6) $250
7) $250
8) $150

Checkpoint Review
- Blake Walles (bwalles) and the client design review if you submit your initial designs to the checkpoint
- We are awarding 5 Checkpoints at $100 each. 
- We will be providing feedback for ALL checkpoint submitters (and throughout the challenge)

LUX Design Problem
We are looking to design and build an educational, native iPad app that explores exponential technologies. Exponentials are considered groundbreaking new technologies that are changing their respective industries. The app is also exploring the companies that are behind these technologies and how they are all linked together and how they influence additional “exponential” technologies.  

The application needs to present a wide variety of content in a fun, immersive learning experience. We expect this new application to be filled with visualizations and other rich-content that is connected with related content in a web that allows the user to seamlessly flow from one topic to another (drilling up, down, and sideways in terms of detail). Below is a full list of the Exponential technologies that will eventually need to be included in the app:

Exponential Technologies (for Version 1):
1) Advanced Robotics
2) Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality
3) Cognitive Analytics
4) Digital Medicine
5) DIY & Maker Movement
6) Internet of Things
7) Networks & Sensors

NOTE: This list will be expanded to 12 or 13 exponential technologies, maybe even more in the future.  Please consider this in your designs!

Design Challenge
We are looking for your most innovative and interactive UI designs. We want you to think outside the box and create something that is visually stunning yet professional and engaging. We are looking for your iPad designs and concepts for this educational native iPad app that explores exponential technologies. 

For this challenge we want you to focus on 1 of the 13 exponential technologies, Robotics. 

Elements to Explore:
We are looking for your concepts to integrate different types of information in a highly interactive way. Information will be in the form of charts, graphs, maps, videos, static content, etc. We are looking to explore how a user will interact with the data. We have included some sample information in a PDF file and you can also use information or data from other sources as well (as long as they are properly attributed).  We are looking for these interactions to be visually stunning as well as have unique interactions/animations. Think outside the box on this one. 

The overall look and design should be really refined and slick. Do some quick research on the latest iOS design patterns and modern user interfaces. This needs to be a showcase app for the client and your designs should reflect that. Review the inspiration files we hae supplied for great UI examples, layouts, really good typography, etc. You should be considering all of these things as you design.

Areas for Exploration:
1) Logo Exploration - Explore a logo for "Exponentials"
- Your logo should reflect a modern looking logo that fits for you concept. It is not requirred, nor should you focus solely on a logo (this is NOT a logo challenge), but bonus points awarded for a fun logo exploration.
- Something simple and clean that doesn't distract from your screen designs.
- Showcase your logo design and how this application will initially look/branding.

2) Explore the UX for navigating 13+ Exponential technologies.
- Consider this a exponential dashboard

3) Explore secondary navigation schemes
- Explore "What, How, Market Opportunity, Financial Opportunity, Use Cases, Trends, and Connections between technologies

4) Explore drill down for 1 Exponential Technology

5) Explore designs for educational content for that technology that would answer the question of "What is it"
- Videos, Images, and static content around defining what that technology is.
- Provide an overview

6) Explore designs for pages for showing content around "How does it work?"
- Could be an infographic or additional static content

7) Explore designs for financial and market opportunity

8) Explore designs for Use Cases (text heavy templates)

9) Explore related content and how these technologies are linked

10) Explore iconography to represent technologies

11) Explore a dynamic news feed
- We need to include a place for a dynamic feed showcasing news, articles, etc. in the app. We need to determine both placement and the view in the overall app for this dynamic news feed. Some example news articles have been provided ("Example news for dynamic feed.zip" - attached to challenge spec).  The client is very flexible in how this news feed is executed, we want your creative ideas. Some questions to think about: "Is it a static element on every exponential homepage with content specific to that exponential?  Is it in a slider on the right side of the screen that can be pulled out on every page (with content updated depending on the page?"  Please explore these questions and come up with a recommendation in your design.

NOTE: You are NOT required to cover all of these areas in one submission. Please pick a handful of these areas to focus on and come up with creative designs for. 

Branding Guidelines / Elements to Retain:
Basic client branding guidelines: It should have a modern look and modern typography (Frutiger, Helvetica, etc.).  
- We are open to your creative choices on other design aspects such as color.

Design Requirements:
iPad resolution: 2048 x 1536px at 264dpi (length can extend to fit your designs)

Design Inspiration:
We have provided some mood board inspiration items to help you with this challenge.  Please do NOT copy these - they are provided as design inspiration only.  You will find this design inspiration in the Exponentials mood board shared folder.

Suggested Screens:
Screen 1 - Home Page / Dashboard
Your homepage/landing screen should include the following functionality and UI elements:

- Ability to select one of the 13 available exponential technologies. Think about grids, sliders, interesting UI/navigation flows. However, keep in mind that this needs to be expandable as more technologies are added. Don’t design something that can only accommodate a fixed number of items. 
- Ability to search technologies (this should be a secondary function)
- Change the view of the content (this is not a requirement, but might be a nice feature depending on your design. Think about what makes the most sense from a usability perspective). If you are designing a grid view, what would a List View look like, for example.
- A way to filter the content by industry
- UI elements to save/favorite sections to your profile. A Read Later feature or some way to bookmark where you left off might be nice.
- Indication of when a section has been updated or if new data has been pulled. The content within the app will constantly be evolving and changing. We need a clear way to tell the user when a section has been updated with new content and then what that content is when the tap into it.
- Ability to see/view a My Profile screen (see details below)
- Navigation. Think of interesting native UI flows and ideas. We are interested in your unique ideas. How does the navigation work? Might need to show multiple states to explain your idea. Also think about how the user can quickly move between different technologies via the navigation (not necessarily going back to the Home Page every time) This is also needs to remain extremely flexible. More technologies will be added later (beyond the initial 13), your navigation structure and design needs to be able to accommodate growth.
- Alert icon/functionality in the header area. Shows when saved/favorites sections and/or technologies have updated content or data available. Selecting this will open the My Profile screen (or a notifications style panel) and show a brief highlight of what section/content has been update. Tapping on this would take you directly there.

Screen 2a - Robotics Homepage/Landing Page
This is the screen that the user will see once they’ve selected Robotics from the Home Page/Dashboard. Should explore the following interactive features and UI elements:

- Introduction of Robotics, “What is it”. Brief overview that could contain text, images, galleries, videos, etc.
- Sub/Secondary Navigation: This should be an easy to use navigation system that once again, can expand if needed as more content sections are added. Think outside the box and make this visually engaging. Feel free to break away from the traditional nav structure, but it should remain user friendly, flexible and consistent across the Robotics section. Should include the follow sections for now:
   - Home (takes you back to this page)
   - Market Opportunity
   - Impact
   - Use Cases

Screen 2b - Robotics - Market Opportunity
- Use the included content as your guide in laying this section out
- We are open to your ideas and concepts on what would make a visually interesting and engaging page layout.
- Remember, this is a native iPad app and should be using mobile UX best practices
- The content also needs to be presented in a way that makes it dynamic. The content that we have supplied you will not be static. It will be ever changing and updating, your designs need to accommodate this.

Screen 2c - Robotics - Impact
- Use the included content as your guide in laying this section out
- We are thinking this section might need to be broken out into sub-sections. The information should be served up in small chunks that the user can quickly digest and understand. - Sections could be: Automate, Recon, Entertain, etc.
- Think about presenting the info using charts, graphs, etc.
- Needs a way to jump into a section to view the “Industry-Specific Use-Cases: Recon” for example.
- This should be a visually engaging and intuitive way to move up and down between the layers of content. 

Screen 2d - Robotics - Use Cases
- This sections content is coming from “How are Organizations using Advanced Robotics?” in the content ppt.
- Think of layouts that reflect your traditional Case Study designs that you might see on a design agency/studio site. This is more of the “Portfolio” piece of the Robotics section
- Will need to accommodate long form text, videos, infographics, images, galleries, etc.
- We are looking for your ideas on how to present this in a visually stunning way 

Screen 3 - My Profile
- View profile information
- This won't be a typical profile. The client does not want the user to have to create / register a profile. Instead, we want users to have the ability to do a local cache - the ability to save/tag to favorites to user’s phone without having to create a username.
- Main Components/Information (May need some sub-navigation to divide this content up and/or make it easier to read. Will make for a better UX)
   - View Saved/Favorited articles or sections of the site
   - View your Read Later selections. Maybe have the ability to view/read these selections directly on this screen? If not tapping on an item should take you directly to that item/article.
   - Show sections/technologies you are following that have updated content and/or data. (This is what the user will see when the select the “Alert” icon in the header section)
   - Change/add preferences: technologies to follow, favorite sections, etc.
   - Alert/notification settings: think native iPad app UX flows.

Target Audience
- Anyone who wants to learn about exponential technologies.

Judging Criteria
In order of importance, you will be judged on:
- How well does your design align with the objectives of the challenge
- How intuitive is the interaction / navigation of the application
- Creativity of your visualizations
- Cleanliness of your graphics and design.
- Overall Design and User Experience.

What to Submit
Preview JPG/PNG Image File 
Please create your preview image as one (1) 1024x768px JPG or PNG file in RGB color mode at 72dpi and place a screenshot of your submission within it.

Submission ZIP File 
All requested contest requirements/screens as JPG or PNG files. 

Source ZIP File 
All fully editable original source files of the submitted design as required by the contest under "Source Files" in the side bar.

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. See more information about Final Fixes.