1st Place - $500 Cash + Vazkor Technologies 2016 "Champion" T-Shirt
2nd Place - $100 Amazon Gift Card + Vazkor Technologies 2016 "Finalist" T-Shirt
3rd Place - $50 Amazon Gift Card + Vazkor Technologies 2016 "Finalist" T-Shirt
4th Place - $25 Amazon Gift Card + Vazkor Technologies 2016 "Finalist" T-Shirt
Ready to get started? Specifications for the 2016 Software Challenge (Posted @ 9:55am on Sept 13, 2016)
Can a new user get started with little instruction?
Discoverability:Is it easy to navigate the solution?
Usability:Is the user required to use the mouse and keyboard more than necessary?
Hierarchy:Are there clear "calls to actions"? Are the most important buttons/features prominent in the correct context?
Are you using common functions/elements to handle and manage repetitive tasks?
Is your code documented?We might not immediately understand the purpose for certain code snippets (especially considering we will be reading through multiple code-bases to pick the winner).
Is the design efficient?Ultimately this is the part that will matter the most and it's hard to give you a "cheat sheet" for this part. We can suggest areas of focus, but the actual list is nearly endless: Does the design lend itself to tighter (e.g. generally this means less) code? Are you implementing features that are more complicated than they need to be to adhere to the spec? Even with a good design, are you writing unnecessary code? Are you using the correct data types? Are you using the correct conditional structures and control of flow?
Even if you do not have experience with relational databases, this would be one element that is worth researching before beginning. We predict the winner will use a relational database design, and they are essentially a requirement for business software.
Are you using the correct data types for your fields?Are you using a key/identity to keep row ID's unique. Are using real numbers of integers for specific values?
This software only needs to run on desktop. However, if we feel two or more entries are “tied”, we might use responsiveness as the deciding factor.
Coding platform:We generally develop with C# and Microsoft SQL Server, but PHP/MySQL is fine, as well as using Java/Oracle, or Java/MySQL.
Turning in the project early.We will not give an earlier entry any more weight than a later entry, as long as the project is turned in by the contest deadline.
Length of time it takes to complete.The earlier you get started, the more time you have to improve your entry before submitting it, but we do not need to know how long it took you to complete as long as you turn it in by the contest deadline.