What is the best way to participate in Imagine Cup Software Design, go to Australia and win

Approaching February 15, 2012 - the deadline for submission of applications for the competition of program projects Imagine Cup . In this regard, we increasingly hear from students something like the following: “Yes, the Imagine Cup is very interesting, and we would like to go to the finals to Australia, but we don’t know at all where to start. We can not come up with a brilliant idea for the project ... "or" I am doing an excellent project in the evenings, but it is not at all suitable for the Imagine Cup "



Especially in order to help students avoid such doubts, come up with an idea and participate in the competition most effectively - we hold events Imagine Cup Student Camp. Such an event has already taken place in Moscow , and on February 11 it will be in St. Petersburg . In addition, especially for those who live far away - we will hold an abbreviated version of the event, Imagine Cup Virtual Student Camp on January 26 at 15:00 Moscow time .
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Below, I would like to share my thoughts on how and where to start.

Go outside - do something!

First: it is better to do at least something , than to postpone "the next year" or "until the idea appears." Make a simple project this year, take part, do not win - you still get useful competitive experience, and next year it will be easier. Start small , and then gradually improve, bringing the project to a winning one. You will surely like it!

How to come up with an idea?

The theme of the competition is “how technologies help us solve the complex problems of our time”. If you are already programming for fun, and you have a project, but you do not know how to fit it under the theme of the competition - think three times! If you still do not know - write to me! Almost always you can slightly modify an interesting project for you under the theme of the competition .

If you do not have your own idea, I recommend, following the site of the Imagine Cup, to look at the problems of humanity formulated by the UN . In this case, consider them in the most general way: for example, problems of education, health problems, etc. Next, under each of the common problems, list in a column any specific problems, and below them - already ideas of specific projects. Like that:



As a result, according to this scheme, three ideas of applications can be born (feel free to use them in their projects):

1. We make a simple WP7 application that allows you to exchange simple phrases in one language and get an answer to another.
2. We make a service that finds you pen-pal friends from different parts of the world, and you, communicating with them, fill in information about another country in a special document
3. We make a WP7 application to track well-being, doctor recommendations, etc. with a simple expert system and communication with the server, where for money you can get advice from a living doctor.

What you need to do after you come up with the idea:

1. Come up with a name for the project and the team. This is important because a good name will excite you while working on a project.
2. Gather a team of students if you have not done it yet. How to put together an ideal team is a topic for a separate message, but keep in mind that the team should have a leader , someone who can communicate with people from the stage ( pretty girl ), someone who can beautifully design the program interface and the text of the application ( designer ) and finally the programmer </ i>. It's great when these roles are combined: a pretty girl programmer who can draw can easily do a project by herself.
   Come up with wow . A good project very often wins simply because the jury is delighted with some kind of feature or idea. Even if the idea turned out to be not the most original, you can still add a wow factor at the expense of the original interface, the use of new technologies ( Kinect ), etc. Almost all projects presented at the international finals have some kind of wow chip: This is an improvised “iron” , or a cunning combination of reality with vitality due to augmented reality or geolocation . If you fail to come up with a wow - see above, it is better to participate with the project without wow than to wait for the next year or mega-inspiration.
   Apply to ImagineCup.com website. It is better to do it right away, because on the last day the site may be overloaded. Detailed instructions are available here .
   Then you need to do two things alternately: actually encode the prototype of the project and work on the presentation .
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