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What does it take to win a design challenge?

dougw

I know it can be very hard to win a design challenge so I thought I would put down a few pointers on how to succeed:
First, I want to clarify that none of these remarks are a criticism of contest rules or the judges and judging process.
The contests are great and the judges do a fine job.

The advice here is not what I actually do when competing, but I do projects for more reasons than just winning. However, if you want to win, these tips should help.
A key concept in winning is that you will never have enough time to do everything you think should be done to give you the best chance of winning, so you need to focus on those activities that will give you the highest chance with the least effort. Of course, you still need to apply the maximum effort you can muster, just apply it where it counts.
For example recent design challenges require 5 blogs plus an intro blog and a final blog, and they have scoring points associated with each of these blogs. These points are pretty much automatic for all blogs except the final blog, as long as you post something.

  • There is no requirement for the first 6 blogs to have any significant content or any fancy multimedia content. A simple paragraph of text or a few bullets will net you full points for each of these blogs. It is easy to look at some of the other project blogs to see how little work is needed. As I mentioned this is not what I do, but from a winning perspective, you are far better off spending all your time on the final blog.

  • Recent contests also have a participation category where scoring points are awarded for participation. This doesn't require much, I think just answering a couple of questions that show up in comments under your blog should be enough to get full points.

  • Some contests have a leaderboard that shows a running tally of normal "participation" points that you get for comments and likes, but this can be ignored. Maximizing this leaderboard number doesn't count for anything. In some contests the participation tally for the winning entry had less than 10% of the points that other projects accumulated - and the participation scores that actually counted were the same for all the contenders, regardless of the large difference in leaderboard scores. So the advice here is don't waste a lot of time and effort participating with comments on other projects. Again this is not what I do, but it will let you focus on things that count.

  • Do not waste any time on bells and whistles and cute features in your project, build your main concept in the fastest way possible and get it working well enough to present. If by some miracle you finish your final blog early, you can add some bells and whistles or polish up your final blog. Of course I don't do my projects this way, but going down those extra feature rabbit holes is a dangerous risk and not part of a winning strategy. A high percentage of contestants never finish their project.

  • Don't do a lot of videos, they take an enormous amount of time and are hard to do well enough to impress the judges. If you do make a video, keep the camera totally still and try to get a lot of light on the subject. (I do a lot of videos, but there are more productive things to spend time on)

  • Take a lot of pictures - they are quick - much faster than writing text descriptions and it is way easier to take nice pictures than nice video.

  • Add a lot of graphs of your test data, this is where you want to spend a lot of time, although oscilloscope images can save time if you have a scope. For some reason, graphs count heavily with judges.

  • You do not need to waste time designing a PCB or waste money on such items. Judges don't attach much if any weight to this kind of design work, even though it is a design challenge, so the time spent and the risk taken that it won't work are not worth the effort. Plus it can mess up your schedule big time. If you have seen my projects, you know I almost always design a PCB, but I do it because I like designing - it doesn't impress anyone.

  • Do not bother 3D printing cases for your project. They take a lot of time to design and a lot of time to print. You can quickly make pretty much anything with cardboard and duct tape and cardboard mechanical things are so easy to adjust. Re-spinning a 3D print is very time-consuming. With a little care, a cardboard box can look just fine and it is easier to paint.
    (I always 3D print my mechanics these days, and I am not thrilled when I get beaten by a cardboard box, but cardboard is perfectly competitive in many ways)


Is all this sound advice?
I have been a member on element14 for 10 years and have attempted 15 design challenges. I only won 6 times, but that 40% win rate is a bit better than the random chance of about 1 out of 20 contestants in each challenge. As mentioned, I don't follow the above advice, but this is because I like the creativity of designing electronic circuits and printed circuit boards and 3D printed mechanics.

I also like to make my blogs as entertaining as possible, with lots of multimedia content. It takes more time and effort than the above advice, but I generally want my projects to survive for a few years and I want the blogs to be entertaining for members to view. Judges are not mandated to determine which project was liked by the members, so that doesn't need to be an objective in creating a winning project. Judges are expected to choose what they think is the best project.


Note that the above advice may become obsolete as contest rules and judging evolve, but when you are strapped for time, they should help you get through it.

There are a lot of other things involved in winning, like choosing a sexy project and of course there is the whole issue of writing a successful proposal to be chosen as a competitor.

I am actually much more successful at writing proposal than winning contests, but that is a topic for another time - it is much different than competing in the build phase. If you are having trouble writing successful proposals, mention it in the comments below.


I should mention that the experimenting challenges are slightly different from design challenges, but they have an even bigger focus on graphs and data that design challenges.

I have participated in 7 experimenting challenges, but only won one of them. I always try to have fun doing something creative instead of sticking to rigorous test and measurement aimed at proving the manufacturer's data sheet is accurate.

My proposals get accepted, but the judges aren't looking to see who spent hundreds of hours on design work. So you probably don't want to do what I do with experimenting challenges. If you want to win an experimenting challenge, the same advice from above applies, but you will also likely need some expensive test instrumentation and you will need to spend a lot of time taking rigorous measurements. Check out some of Gough's superlative work if you want to get an idea of what is needed to win an experimenting challenge. My advice here is find a way to have fun with the challenge and don't count heavily on winning.


Road tests are quite different again. I won't cover them here, but if you want to do a road test, you should definitely apply and make sure your genuine interest is spelled out in your proposal and include a link to an example of your work. If you want more pointers, mention it in the comments below.

I hope this discussion, including comments below, helps members compete more effectively in design challenges.

Parents

  • I loved and found your thoughts very interesting. To me, it's like a reminder list of things not to do in design challenges.

    Blogs with no meaningful content? Never, neither the sponsor nor the readers deserve that.

    Filling forums with questions you won't follow up on? The community members who answer your questions don't deserve that disrespect.

    Stopping participation in forums? What is a community without communication? When forums work well, we all benefit from the exchange of ideas.

    All participants owe respect and gratitude to those funding the program. Your insight about doing a project as quickly as possible and doing it well enough to present it is spot on. Interestingly, it's how the industry works in my sector. When a business opportunity arises, the focus is on getting out there as soon as possible. No one thinks about product quality; it's all about getting those customers first. Those who care about product quality get sidelined and are only brought in when things go south.

    Videos are a double-edged sword. A well-edited video consumes a lot of time for the creator, and a poorly made video is torture for the viewer. I envy those who can create well-edited videos; mine are basic, unedited, and only meant to show that something works. I'm lazy when it comes to watching videos; I prefer reading and looking at images at my own pace.

    When assessing a project, I find it unlikely that someone will watch a video for a second or third time. They will probably skim the blog instead.

    As a reader, photos are important to me, but they need a good description.

    As for graphs, I've used them, but unless it's a component experiment challenge, I find them rather boring. They overwhelm me, and I sometimes feel foolish for not understanding what I'm supposed to see in those graphs, especially when the challenger is trying to replicate official lab-made graph data sheets.

    In the challenges, my premise has always been to spend zero euros, not because I'm stingy, but because I can't afford it. When I receive a project basket from Project14, I buy components intuitively, what I think I'll need for upcoming projects, and I try to fit those components in somehow. Winning prizes with very low budgets is something I admire.

    Creating a PCB was a challenge in my last project, but it was for saving time. I couldn't imagine connecting 17 potentiometers and two multiplexers on breadboards. I'm always impressed when someone makes PCBs.

    Regarding 3D printing, if it's not a challenge requirement, I'll try to avoid it. I live with five people in a 60m2 house, and if I start printing something for 8 to 12 hours, I'll surely get kicked out :)

    I've participated in six design challenges, winning the first prize in four and the second prize in the other two. I don't have a secret to winning; I've always competed for fun and to take pride in what I present. Interestingly, most of these were in challenges with a steep learning curve, which I find more challenging than doing something I already know and find boring.

    The judges' work is very demanding. I participated as a judge in the 'Experimenting with Gesture Sensors' challenge. I remember creating a spreadsheet with 20 scoring criteria ranging from 0 to 5, derived from the contest's guidelines.

    Following the criteria on that sheet, your participation would probably be among the winners, but I understand that each judge has their own criteria, it is a voluntary work that absorbs incredible time and it is not a good time having to decide between projects that are both deserving of a great prize. The differences are in the subtleties, I am more inclined to reward good ideas and projects that solve a need than projects that replicate the results of a data sheet.

    I'm a big fan of your projects and your designs filled with great common sense, and I hope you continue with the same enthusiasm in your participation. It's true that everyone loves a sweet treat, and I also believe that your success rate doesn't reflect the dedication you put into it.

Reply

  • I loved and found your thoughts very interesting. To me, it's like a reminder list of things not to do in design challenges.

    Blogs with no meaningful content? Never, neither the sponsor nor the readers deserve that.

    Filling forums with questions you won't follow up on? The community members who answer your questions don't deserve that disrespect.

    Stopping participation in forums? What is a community without communication? When forums work well, we all benefit from the exchange of ideas.

    All participants owe respect and gratitude to those funding the program. Your insight about doing a project as quickly as possible and doing it well enough to present it is spot on. Interestingly, it's how the industry works in my sector. When a business opportunity arises, the focus is on getting out there as soon as possible. No one thinks about product quality; it's all about getting those customers first. Those who care about product quality get sidelined and are only brought in when things go south.

    Videos are a double-edged sword. A well-edited video consumes a lot of time for the creator, and a poorly made video is torture for the viewer. I envy those who can create well-edited videos; mine are basic, unedited, and only meant to show that something works. I'm lazy when it comes to watching videos; I prefer reading and looking at images at my own pace.

    When assessing a project, I find it unlikely that someone will watch a video for a second or third time. They will probably skim the blog instead.

    As a reader, photos are important to me, but they need a good description.

    As for graphs, I've used them, but unless it's a component experiment challenge, I find them rather boring. They overwhelm me, and I sometimes feel foolish for not understanding what I'm supposed to see in those graphs, especially when the challenger is trying to replicate official lab-made graph data sheets.

    In the challenges, my premise has always been to spend zero euros, not because I'm stingy, but because I can't afford it. When I receive a project basket from Project14, I buy components intuitively, what I think I'll need for upcoming projects, and I try to fit those components in somehow. Winning prizes with very low budgets is something I admire.

    Creating a PCB was a challenge in my last project, but it was for saving time. I couldn't imagine connecting 17 potentiometers and two multiplexers on breadboards. I'm always impressed when someone makes PCBs.

    Regarding 3D printing, if it's not a challenge requirement, I'll try to avoid it. I live with five people in a 60m2 house, and if I start printing something for 8 to 12 hours, I'll surely get kicked out :)

    I've participated in six design challenges, winning the first prize in four and the second prize in the other two. I don't have a secret to winning; I've always competed for fun and to take pride in what I present. Interestingly, most of these were in challenges with a steep learning curve, which I find more challenging than doing something I already know and find boring.

    The judges' work is very demanding. I participated as a judge in the 'Experimenting with Gesture Sensors' challenge. I remember creating a spreadsheet with 20 scoring criteria ranging from 0 to 5, derived from the contest's guidelines.

    Following the criteria on that sheet, your participation would probably be among the winners, but I understand that each judge has their own criteria, it is a voluntary work that absorbs incredible time and it is not a good time having to decide between projects that are both deserving of a great prize. The differences are in the subtleties, I am more inclined to reward good ideas and projects that solve a need than projects that replicate the results of a data sheet.

    I'm a big fan of your projects and your designs filled with great common sense, and I hope you continue with the same enthusiasm in your participation. It's true that everyone loves a sweet treat, and I also believe that your success rate doesn't reflect the dedication you put into it.

Children
  • in reply to javagoza

    Great points. I also use a big spreadsheet when judging. And yes my 3D printing activity is not popular in my house either...Frowning2

  • in reply to javagoza

    I think intermediate blogs can be two-sided sword - in one way they make writing final blog easier, but at the other side, given experience level and skill of the participants, sometimes the only chance of winning could be some unusual idea. And if one has not very good design and implementation skills, coupled with limited time (thus resulting in final blog of limited quality), intermediate blogs can easily become "what to write that would be interesting but explore secondary parts of the project to not give off main project line too soon" to not ruin the surprise that could bring some additional points at the end  - consuming the time that could be put into final blog otherwise...

  • in reply to JWx

    That is a most interesting thought ... I've never thought about having any sort of "surprise". If anything, I try to lay everything out from the first introductory blog ... any surprises are purely organic and not-in-any-way planned.

    Perhaps that's something for me to think of in the future.

    - Gough

  • in reply to Gough Lui

    I think it depends on the strategy: one author will write intermediate blogs as a parts of final blog (and then aggregate them an the end) - but I don't know how it is perceived by the readers: when somebody reads all the intermediate blogs and then have to re-read it all as a final blog (maybe looking if something has changed). Another person can write intermediate blogs separately, which can be more interesting to the readers, but at risk of additional time needed: in this approach not all material from intermediate blogs goes into final one (and judges are asked to score only final blog) which can lower total score but provide more different material for the readers.

  • in reply to JWx
    JWx said:
    but I don't know how it is perceived by the readers: when somebody reads all the intermediate blogs and then have to re-read it all as a final blog

    This is a good, and difficult point to address.

    If someone lands on a blog post, how do they know it's part of more blog posts, how do they know what flow or structure it has, how do they even find those other blog posts?

    Another, perhaps unfortunate, purpose to doing multiple blog posts is that it shows engagement and dedication to the design challenge, and I see it as a "show your working out" kind of proof you're the one doing the work with it.

    It's a lot to juggle.

  • in reply to JWx

    Well, I used to have things as a sequence and not amalgamate everything into the final blog.

    But because of a rule change that the judges only judge the final blog and do not read any other - we are told to put everything in the final blog, else risk losing points. This is the only reason that I am polishing and slightly abridging the intermediate blogs into the final blog.

    As far as I can tell, with the new rules, there is no way around it if you want to score well.

    - Gough

  • in reply to Gough Lui
    Gough Lui said:
    I used to have things as a sequence and not amalgamate everything into the final blog

    That's how I like to follow along. Interesting series of blogs, and the wrap-up blog serving as a wrap-up. That's how you can keep someone's attention along the way. 

    The ones that write funny mandatory blogs lose me. The ones that repeat everything in the last blog, lose me too.
    If the series is something you can bite into and follow along, I stick around.  The last blog should be the apotheose. Like reading books - some books you stop reading, some you can't stop reading Slight smile

  • in reply to Jan Cumps

    That's how I feel as well, and it's a shame really; I nearly always provide intermediate material numbered so the ordering is obvious (and provide an index across the posts once they are all done.)  As the rule is that the final blog has to be standalone there's a lot of repeated material and I guess it puts some people off reading the newer material.  I'm trying to only summarise that intermediate material, but provide enough to make it useful, as well as provide a bunch of newer material.  It's a lot of work but the rules-are-the-rules.