Challenge Summary
Welcome to the “Topcoder Community Communications Ideation Challenge.”
In this challenge, we are looking for new ideas on the best ways to communicate with Topcoder members about all the latest Topcoder news, challenge activities, gig/freelance opportunities, or important community announcements.
Note: while we are allowing this challenge to be "open" we do recommend you submit to the Rolling Checkpoint so we can review and provide valuable feedback. Top 5 Rolling Checkpoint winners will receive $50 prizes. Good luck!
Note: We feel you already get enough emails so we try to not blast you with constant emails. This might still be part of your solution but we are looking for other ideas (or tell us to blast you with emails!)
Important Note:
Although there is no limit to the number of submissions you can upload, you should only upload multiple submissions if each one is substantially different. Within these constraints, you are free to describe any number of alternative approaches and extra features. In fact, we encourage you to do so. You can't have too many ideas.
Judging Criteria
In this challenge, we are looking for new ideas on the best ways to communicate with Topcoder members about all the latest Topcoder news, challenge activities, gig/freelance opportunities, or important community announcements.
Timeline:
- Start: Wednesday, 01/28/2021
- Rolling Checkpoint End: Wednesday, 02/03/2021 9AM EST
- Submission End: Wednesday 02/10/2021 9AM EST
Prizes:
- 1st Place: $600
- 2nd Place: $400
- 3rd Place: $300
- 4th Place: $150
- 5th Place: $75
- Rolling Checkpoint Prizes : (5): $50 each
Important Rule for all Ideation Challenges
You are allowed to submit your ideas at any time during this challenge. You are also allowed to submit to the final phase even if you did not submit to the checkpoint phase. All ideation submissions will be accepted (that pass screening).Note: while we are allowing this challenge to be "open" we do recommend you submit to the Rolling Checkpoint so we can review and provide valuable feedback. Top 5 Rolling Checkpoint winners will receive $50 prizes. Good luck!
Challenge Objective:
Generate ideation concepts to describe how the Topcoder team can create a better experience for communication with Topcoder members. These concepts may be expressed in a variety of ways: sketches, rough diagrams, written descriptions, storyboards, videos, etc.The Problem
Topcoder has a variety of announcements (daily, weekly, monthly) related to new challenges, new developer programs, etc. and we are consistently surprised by Topcoder members telling us they "did not hear" about X program or Y challenge after we have posted it on the site, on social media, and in our newsletter. Our goal is to keep bringing new opportunities to Topcoder members and we want to make sure they are aware of things like Digital Run bonus programs, Topcoder Skill Builder Challenges, new customer challenges, and ideation challenges like this one that we are excited about.Note: We feel you already get enough emails so we try to not blast you with constant emails. This might still be part of your solution but we are looking for other ideas (or tell us to blast you with emails!)
Some Idea starters:
- Platform or software options? What are some current communication options you think to be useful and adopted?
- Best ways to view Topcoder news? Should we change how we feed the information?
- Currently, Topcoder shares news using Email Newsletter, Social Media like Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, Twitter & Instagram.
- Is there any data/proof in your idea to help support your idea?
- Is your idea useful over time?
- Think about how to adapt to the fast-paced technology and latest communication apps like Slack, Whatsapp, etc
Challenge Deliverables
We are looking for innovative ideas & realistic ideas! In a challenge like this, we need a structure to your ideas so we can understand them and make it easier for reviewing, judging, and feedback. With your submission, please be sure to include the following:- Name: Idea name and/or any "tagline" you would like to associate with your idea.
- Idea: High-level overview/statement of your idea: one or two sentences describing your idea
- User Story: This is critical. 2-3 paragraphs of what the application accomplishes, the main benefits a user will experience, and in what situations would the user want to use the application.
- Key Feature Sets: We need you to pinpoint key features a user would engage. How does this solve and include the new Topcoder Communication way? How do the features make this communication easy and desirable for our users?
- Details: Paper napkin sketches, rough diagrams, written descriptions, video, or any designs/images to better explain and pitch your idea.
Important Note:
Although there is no limit to the number of submissions you can upload, you should only upload multiple submissions if each one is substantially different. Within these constraints, you are free to describe any number of alternative approaches and extra features. In fact, we encourage you to do so. You can't have too many ideas.
Judging Criteria
- Feasibility of your idea.
- What do you think members will prefer?
- The creativity of ideas and ease-of-use to successfully engage users.
- Idea scenario coverage and details.
- Adherence to the requested deliverable format.
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.