About the competition

Welcome to the 2023 Business Olympics Sustainable Mobile App Idea Competition! We are excited to invite high school and community college students in the US to participate in this unique opportunity to develop an app that addresses sustainability issues.

This competition is organized by the NIU College of Business, OMI&IS department, and is open to all high school and community college students in the area. Whether you are a seasoned app developer or new to programming, we encourage you to form a team and take on this exciting challenge.

The competition has three phases:

1. Phase 1 (Submission of the Mobile App Idea Proposal - March 3rd - Virtual): The idea should be submitted as a proposal (1 page max) and should include a description of the problem your app aims to solve, the target audience, and any relevant data or information to support your idea. In addition you can prepare a 10 minutes presentation to better explain your idea to the judges. See more info in the Get Started, Submission Requirements & Resources sections.
2. Phase 2 (Submission of the Mobile App Idea Balsamiq Mockup - March 31st - Virtual ): The most interesting ideas will then move to Phase 2. In this phase the Teams will work on creating a Balsamiq mock up of the app. The Teams will submit a brief proposal outlining their app idea and how it addresses the selected sustainability issue. See more info in the Get Started, Submission Requirements & Resources sections.
3. Phase 3 (Mobile App Idea Competition Event day - April 1st - Barsema Hall - NIU College of Business - In person): While all the teams enrolled to the competition are invited and welcome to join us to the live event, only a handful of them will be selected to present the app in front of a panel of judges. In fact, the final step of the competition consists in the presentation of your app idea and mock-up at our in-person showcase event. Teams will have the opportunity to demonstrate the functionality and impact of their app (10 minutes) and answer questions from the judges (5 minutes). See more info in the Get Started, Submission Requirements & Resources sections.

The top two teams will receive cash prizes. All teams participating at the competition will receive participation certificates.  The best ideas might have the opportunity to have their app developed by partnering with the COB De LaVega Innovation Lab.

Get started for Phase 1

• Form a team with your peer at your school
• Identify a faculty advisor/coach at your school
• Register here your team for the Business Olympics competition 
• Give your idea a working title
• What is the problem you are trying to solve or the opportunity area you are interested in?
• Explain in a brief way what your idea will do/solve/provide. e.g. "make operations less costly" to sustainability issues. What is your proposed technical/app solution to the problem? What are the key features?
• How many people are affected by this problem or opportunity? Tell us more about who are the  users of your app.
• What is the cost of this problem or opportunity?
• How can you prove that?
• How do people currently cope with the problem you are trying to solve?
• Does something like your idea already exist? If it does, how does your version improve upon it? If it doesn't exist yet, why do you think that is?
• It takes a lot to get someone to change their current behavior. Why would someone change their current (coping) behavior to adopt your solution?
• What roadblocks are you dealing with/foresee with developing your idea?
• Describe, in as much detail as you can, what you need to build, technically evaluate, or prototype your idea to get to the next stage

Get started for Phase 2

Instructions to help participants effectively design their wireframe prototype using Balsamiq: 

1. Familiarize yourself with Balsamiq: Balsamiq is a user-friendly wireframing tool that is easy to use. Take some time to understand the application and its features. Balsamiq also provides tutorials and documentation that can help you get started. Look also at this example wireframe prototype created using Balsamiq for inspiration.
2. Define the app's core functionality: Before you start designing, ensure you clearly understand the app's core functionality. It will help you make design decisions that support the app's goals.
3. Start with low-fidelity wireframes: Balsamiq is designed for creating low-fidelity wireframes, which are simple sketches that convey the basic layout and functionality of the app. Start by creating a basic wireframe to get a sense of the app's layout and flow.
4. Focus on the user: As you design the app, keep the user in mind. Consider their needs, preferences, and behaviors, and develop the app with their experience in mind.
5. Use Balsamiq's design elements: Balsamiq provides a variety of design elements, including buttons, text fields, and icons, that can be used to create your wireframes. Use these elements to create a consistent visual language and ensure that your wireframes are easy to understand.
6. Use clear labeling and annotations: Make sure your wireframes are easy to understand by using clear labeling and annotations. Label each design element clearly and use annotations to provide additional context or notes.
7. Test and iterate: Once you have a basic wireframe, test it with users, and iterate based on their feedback. Use Balsamiq to make changes quickly and continue testing and iterating until you have a final design that meets the app's goals and the user's needs. 

By following the above instructions, participants should be able to design their wireframe prototype using Balsamiq effectively.

Get started for Phase 3 

• Attend the Business Olympics event and check the event program (April 1st at Barsema Hall)
• Present your final work (idea + Balsamiq mockup). You can prepare power point slides or simply showcase the Balsamiq mockup in front of the judges.

• Quality
  How creative, original, or innovative is the idea? Is there an actual distinctive competency? (hard to imitate, different enough from alternative offerings, easily recognizable to be superior)
• Value Proposition
  Does the solution have a real-world impact? Does it provide value to users? (significantly improves customer well-being/solves a problem, is distinctive, measurable, and sustainable. Succinctly stated, everybody can easily understand.)
• Feasibility
  Is this a viable offering? (the product/service is clear, reasonable/doable, and has the potential to create value)
• Customers
  Do they have well-defined target customers? (clear definition, insightful understanding, decision-maker and user-defined, customers are accessible, target customers represent significant opportunity).
• Presentation
  Did the team do a good job explaining all aspects of their solution? Were they able to articulate the value to users? Was the presentation well organized and easy to follow?
• UI Design
  Is it attractive for new users? Does it present captivating content? Is it easy to navigate? Is it consistent across the entire app?