Challenge Summary
Welcome to IBM Castle - Modern Calendar UX Design Concepts Challenge!
This challenge is part of the IBM Castle Challenge Series. Competitors who win challenges in this series will compete in a leaderboard and earn points towards additional cash prizes.
The goal of this challenge is to design mobile and desktop responsive screens for a NEW Calendar incorporating modern ideas as to how a user interacts with scheduling time, meetings, events and tasks in their day-to-day life. What is a calendar really? But scheduled time in your day, week, month...
This is a follow-up challenge to the recently completed Castle Email Application and we now need you to incorporate a Calendar (or how a user schedules time) as part of this application!
We are looking for new concepts on this experience! Remove the idea of a "paper calendar" and think about how you might interact with "time" as part of the email application experience.
We are providing the current Mobile and Desktop designs and need you to focus on creating a great “responsive” design experience!
Note: These design challenges will be FAST and we will be providing FAST feedback! We will stay on schedule as there is no room to move our delivery date
Round 1
Initial Modern Calendar Component Solution on Desktop Screen Size
- Provide us with a click map for your design, with annotations for all interactions.
- Make sure all pages have correct flow. Please number your files (00, 01, 02, 03).
- Readme.jpg: If needed, provide notes about your submission
Round 2
Final Modern Calendar Component Solution on Desktop and Mobile Screen Size after combined Checkpoint Feedback
- Provide us with a click map for your design, with annotations for all interactions.
- Make sure all pages have correct flow. Please number your files (00, 01, 02, 03).
- Readme.jpg: If needed, provide notes about your submission
Challenge Details
The email application we are designing will eventually be used throughout IBM and will replace Gmail and other email applications created by outside vendors. It is very important that you pay attention to the details and think about the experience. We need you to consider each step and interaction in your concept.
Design Problem
We need a new calendar component as part of our new email application! We are looking for new design concepts on what this could be and how it integrates with our email application. The email application is a single page application so we DO NOT want the calendar to "pop out" into a new window… it needs to be an integrated experience.
Important = Accessibility:
Accessibility and 508 compliance is extremely important for this project. Please see below:
- Make sure when you are planning your designs you are also thinking about accessibility (http://www-03.ibm.com/able/access_ibm/disability.html).
- You can view the accessibility checklist here.(http://www-03.ibm.com/able/guidelines/web/ibm508wcag.html)
Downloadable Files
Google Drive Folder: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B31nrwic_6z0N3dkTmdDbGxsTHc&usp=sharing
Complete-Desktop-Fixes.zip - Use this Desktop Design as the base of this challenge submission.
New-Mobile-Design.zip - Some new mobile design
Old-Mobile-Design.zip - Old mobile design
General Requirements
- You need to keep your concepts within the current design style/branding of the desktop application
- You must think about how to design and arrange the application on Mobile and Desktop screens.
- Click around on provided desktop prototype and screenshots to get familiar with page flow and "calendar functions"
- Study other calendar applications... but think beyond "paper calendars". We strongly encourage you to reference and study all existing calendar/planning/event applications while planning out your concepts.
Required screen sizes:
1). Mobile Retina Portrait (750px x 1334px)
2). Desktop Standard Wide (1280px x Height up to your design)
Important: Practice good PSD source file etiquette: Check out: http://photoshopetiquette.com/files/.
Modern Calendar Design Concept Requirements
Think about how you use a calendar... now think about a corporate user... a lot of meetings, events, tasks etc.
As a user
- When I arrive at the office (or first open my computer in the morning) what are the things I need to do?
- Normally, I need to check my email but also plan my day, see what meeting I need to attend (cancel meetings) and plan my tasks.
- So I need to resolve things... the idea of accepting or declining meetings, looking at emails, planning tasks... how might this work in my the email application?
- As a user, I look at my calendar... I see my meetings, I see meeting conflicts and I see open availability.... how do I resolve meeting conflicts? What if IBM Watson could help?
- I need to be able to set "out of office"
- How do I schedule time, meeting etc?
- How does invite someone work (it is okay that it is similar to existing calendars... but how does it display in the email application?)
- I want to schedule a meeting room - the meeting rooms will only show based on your current location so that you do not have to manually view all of the rooms.
- Think about the Calendar requirements below - we still need to be able to do these things... but is there a better paradigm?
- As a user I want to be able to type into the Search bar (awesome bar) and create a calendar invite... what is this flow? I ask a question and it triggers a new flow?
- Think about "Quick View" and full-size calendar.. how does this work in a single page application?
Must have Calendar Services/Features
Review Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar, Apple Calendar etc... research!
- Manage Conflicts
- Cancel Meeting
- Create Meeting
- Re-schedule/move
- Invite Meeting
- Tasks
- Priority
Profile Setting
- Permissions
- Assistant
Details of Calendar Entry
- Attendees
- Date
- Time
- Topic
- Notes
- Attachments
- Links
- Location
- Travel time
- Timezone (Start/End)
- Phone Number
- Online Meeting
- Passcode
- Alert (SMS/Email/Notification)
- Visible/Private
- Representative Users
- Tags
- Owner
- Floating Time
- Blocking
See the attachment planning and whiteboarding!
Target Audience
- IBM Internal Users
- IBM External Vendors
Judging Criteria
- How well you suggest solution about Modern Calendar Design Concepts
- Keep things consistent with the existing design brand of IBM Castle Email Application.
- Cleanliness of your graphics and design.
- User Experience for Modern Calendar component.
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 Challenge submission requirements stated above.
Source Files
All source files of all graphics created in either Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator and saved as editable.
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.