Overview

Community App is Topcoder’s site for community members. Members can manage their profile, learn, find and compete in challenges, ...etc. We’d like to add a new Dashboard page to Community App. This challenge is a technical Ideation challenge. In this challenge you will research available software, tools, libraries, 3rd party services, ...etc and make a recommendation as to the best approach to build this new Dashboard. Research should concentrate on both frontend and backend parts of this Dashboard. No coding is required in this challenge - it is purely a research challenge.

The Dashboard Concept

The new Dashboard will be your “Single Source of Truth” that will cater to your expectations and needs to give you the ultimate connected member experience. It will display pertinent information about challenges, Topcoder events, and other platform opportunities. The two core features of the dashboard includes a newsfeed and a My Challenge tracker both aimed at keeping you connected so you’ll never have to miss an exciting opportunity or news.

A lot of the content on the new Dashboard will be automatically generated by Topcoder (challenge recommendations, winner announcements, deadlines, ..etc). In addition to this - the Dashboard will allow for various "social" features - the ability to "follow" people, post comments, "like" (thumbs-up) news items, announcements or posts, ...etc. These social features are a key part of the plan for the dashboard and figuring out how we can build this is a key part of this challenge.

Example user interactions on the Dashboard

1. New users will be introduced to the Topcoder platform and community. They will understand the first few activities they should do to become familiar with competing so they can start earning money as soon as possible.
2. Users can track deadlines and challenge updates and stay informed when new opportunities become available such as TaaS, TCX, etc.
3. Users can interact with their friends on Topcoder through the platform - congratulating them or commenting on something they are doing. They will know when their friends on Topcoder win challenges, when there are changes to their ratings, their progress on a leaderboard, etc.

Conceptual images of the Dashboard (early concept images)

Final Submission Guidelines

Submission Requirements and Guidelines

Submission must include the following (can be more than this, but must include this)

Overview of your submission: The approach you took on this challenge and a summary of your findings.

Details of Research: What software, tools, platforms, libraries, ...etc. did you research in the process of working on your submission? Provide references and details on your thoughts and evaluations of the different things you researched.

Detailed recommendation: The new Dashboard will be a part of Topcoder’s community-app. How would you build it and why? Would you use a larger software platform and integrate it into Community App? Is there something already out there that we should take and customize? Would you use a combination of 3rd party libraries and tools? Would you build it from scratch? How can it be a seamless part of Community App? How will it support the "social" features? What sort of backend is this going to need and how would that work? Did you consider security and privacy in your recommendation? Describe your recommendation in detail and support your recommendation above the other options. Use text, images, diagrams, external references, ...etc as needed to support your recommendation.

Anything else?: What aren't we thinking about that we should be?

Additional Guidelines

Diagrams, visual-aids, ...etc are welcome and may help make your recommendation and research clear.

In addition to tools, software, and services that provide full platforms, also consider libraries and tools that could be used to develop these features ourselves.

Scoring

This challenge will be subjectively reviewed by Topcoder, using the Ideation scorecard. We will use the criteria below for the review and will be as fair and consistent as possible. Feedback will be provided after the review period and decisions will be final. There is not an appeals phase. Multiple submissions are allowed, but only your latest submission will be considered.

Thoroughness of your submission: Did you review, research, and report back on a wide range of options, tools, software, libraries? Did you include details on each - pros and cons, how do you believe it does or does not fit well with the overall goal, ...etc?

Completeness of your recommendation: How detailed was your recommendation? Does it include solid reasoning for why you're recommending it over other options? Does it include details on how you'd recommend building this from both a front-end AND back-end perspective? Is there reference information about your recommendation? Is it presented cleanly and clearly?