Learn Coding for Brother Printers

Ideation: Phase 1

Each Entrant shall submit for judging a plain text project description, for both challenges described above. Entrants may also submit an optional, supporting PDF document including diagrams, screen mock-ups, etc. for one or both challenges. The submission document(s) will be judged based on the following criteria:

Challenge 1: Improve the document workflow for Brother Motors’ car buying process or bring your own scenario.

Challenge 2: Create a dashboard for the all-in-one printer's administrator

1. Idea completeness or approach [20 points]

Clearly explain your ideas, for both the document workflow and the printer administrator’s dashboard, and how you plan to build them. Help the judges understand your perspective and development methods from ideation to completed projects (challenges 1 and 2).

1. Technical feasibility [20 points]

Can your planned projects (challenges 1 and 2) be implemented during the time allocated for the development phase?  Do your projects have a clearly defined architecture and technical scope (what they will and will not do)?

1. Creativity [30 points]

Do your ideas combine Brother Solutions Interface (BSI) elements in new ways?  Can your projects (challenges 1 and 2) innovate by integrating BSI with one or more open-source APIs or your own code to extend the capabilities offered by BSI?

1. Use of Brother Solutions Interface (BSI) [30 points]

How much will each project utilize BSI, where possible? How many different BSI capabilities were used?  We strongly suggest you understand the full range of BSI elements (capabilities) before entering your submission for the Ideation phase.

Development: Phase 2

Challenge 1: Improve the document workflow for the car buying process at a fictional car dealership or bring your own scenario.

Each Entrant shall submit for judging one 2-minute-long video demonstration of their project. Entrants may also submit an optional, supporting PDF document including diagrams, screen mock-ups, etc. for the above-described challenge. The submission asset(s) will be judged based on the following criteria:

1. Completeness [20 points]

Does your project demonstrate the use case from beginning to end?  The project should closely follow the proposed idea submitted during the Ideation phase.

1. Creativity / Innovation [30 points]

Does your project creatively combine multiple BSI elements to implement a new capability for the all-in-one-printer that enhances its value to customers? Does your project innovate by integrating BSI with one or more open-source APIs or your own code to create a new solution?

1. Use of the Brother Solutions Interface (BSI) [30 points]

BSI can perform many tasks otherwise requiring coding, additional apps or APIs, or manual processes, e.g., user interface display and input, user authentication and authorization, getting and setting device configuration parameters, document scanning and sending, printing, copying, faxing, and more. How much of your project’s functionality utilized BSI, where possible? How many different BSI capabilities were used?

When you code the Challenge 1, be sure to use the BSI commands listed as <required> in the table below, Development Phase 2 -- BSI Required and Optional Features, for the BSI + Document Workflow Integration.

1. Usability [20 points]

The all-in-one printer’s touch screen display gives the user more device control than physical buttons alone.  And the touch screen’s small size is a constraint for user interface designers.  When demonstrating your project, how easy are tasks performed while simultaneously reducing human error? Are errors captured and handled gracefully; can users recover without frustration?

Development: Phase 2

Challenge 2: Create a dashboard for the all-in-one printer's administrator

Each Entrant shall submit for judging one 2-minute-long video demonstration of their project. Entrants may also submit an optional, supporting PDF document including diagrams, screen mock-ups, etc. for the above-described challenge. The submission asset(s) will be judged based on the following criteria:

1. Completeness [15 points]

Does your project demonstrate the use case from beginning to end?  The project should closely follow the proposed idea submitted during the Ideation phase.

1. Creativity / Innovation [20 points]

Does your project creatively use multiple BSI elements and the subset of Brother’s proprietary MIB to implement a printer administrator’s dashboard?  Does your project both alert the admin to current issues and proactively warn the admin of upcoming issues?  Does your project innovate by integrating BSI with one or more open-source APIs or your own code to extend the capabilities of a typical admin’s dashboard?

When you code the Challenge 2, be sure to use the BSI commands listed as <required> in the table below, Development Phase 2 -- BSI Required and Optional Features, for the Administrator Dashboard.

1. User Interface [15 points]

Your project can implement the printer admin’s dashboard using the UI of your choice, e.g., web app, desktop app, mobile app, etc.  Does your project display information in an unambiguous way that is quickly understood? Can the dashboard be used effectively without help screens or user documentation?

Table: Development Phase 2 -- BSI Required and Optional Features