Why talk about this competition?#
As an independent participant, I was fortunate enough to win third place in this competition (of course, it was mostly luck, but there were also some methodologies). As for the prizes of the competition, I was originally more interested in the Microsoft internship opportunity. However, due to the speculation of the internet winter, there was no follow-up at all. No one contacted me about the internship, and I inquired with the competition staff and asked in the group, but there was no response.
Award situation#
Third prize, which is third place, with a prize of 5000 after tax, 4000, and a bunch of physical prizes. There is also a nice glass trophy. Then I went to treat my roommate to a buffet.
The delivered package was so big that I was exhausted carrying it back to the dormitory alone.
I don't know if it's 11.4 kilograms or 11.4 pounds. I hope it's not 11.4 pounds, or I'll be exhausted carrying it.
What is this competition?#
Participants choose to develop under the theme of "Changes and Challenges in the Post-Epidemic Era," focusing on three main themes: "Technology Improving Life," "Empowering Productivity," and "Diversity and Inclusion." They develop creative plug-ins to help us see a bigger world.
The official website of this competition, https://edgecontest.microsoft.com/index.html, is currently inaccessible. From this, we can speculate that this competition was organized by the Edge China team to enrich the extension ecosystem of Edge browser.
Some competition information#
Here are some brief and key information that will help with my analysis of the competition.
Methodology derived from analysis#
Lightweight technology#
By simply analyzing the four requirements mentioned above in the competition information, as a technical mixed bag, what can I see at a glance? There are no technical requirements! This form of competition, where a project needs to be completed within a certain period of time, is indeed very difficult to complete projects with high technical requirements. Everyone's technical abilities are not much different. So we don't need to focus on technical skills.
Product ability#
Practicality, usability, aesthetics, and innovation are actually referring to product ability. I had just started cultivating my product skills not long before that, so it was a good opportunity to test them in this competition. And product ability is precisely the ability to overtake in the competition. Because many of the participants are technical players, I really can't compete with them.
Comprehensive ability#
In addition to the product itself, the competition also requires making PPTs, videos, etc., and the product output and launch can also earn points. This requires action and marketing skills. I usually like to read articles by product people, so I can roughly guess what the product judges like to see and write in that direction. Besides, it is a project that needs planning and launching as an individual participant, so comprehensive ability is essential.
My project#
I only found out about this competition a few days before the submission deadline when a friend mentioned it in the group chat (thank you very much to that friend, otherwise I would have had no idea).
I thought, how can I participate with only a few days left? Just go with the flow! But I can't completely slack off, so I had to do some analysis, which led to the content in the previous section. However, at that time, I didn't analyze it in such detail. I just briefly looked at the official website and made decisions based on my instincts.
Next, let me introduce my competition project and some thoughts at that time.
Meteor New Tab#
Before that#
Xiaoshu encountered several problems at that time:
- The naming was not straightforward enough, making it difficult to instantly understand the meaning of the names. After all, when naming, I was influenced by literary works with a literary consciousness.
- The interface lacked a sense of technology because I wanted to create a comfortable and Zen-like feeling.
- In order to give the product a spiritual power, I used some more whimsical slogans and promotions. Not straightforward enough!
- The product design did not meet the requirements of simplicity. The tile layout cannot meet everyone's needs.
Several thoughts at that time#
- English name for a more technological feel
- Interface design with a more technological feel
- Product name more straightforward
- Slogans more straightforward, rather than conveying ideas
- Product description more straightforward, rather than conveying ideas
Project summary#
Overall, the competition project is mainly based on the secondary creation of Xiaoshu. Different products and different styles are created for different markets. Meteor is still being maintained today and is moving further away from Xiaoshu. I hope these twin brothers have their own unique characteristics.
Conclusion#
I consider myself very lucky because there are few competitions like this, and many of the judges are product managers. I have also experienced competitions like "Internet+" before, and I feel that the judges lack the aura of product people. I felt a bit out of place in "Internet+," and I just sent it after winning a school award. The teacher later comforted me, saying that I didn't present the PPT well and wasn't polite enough during the defense.
The direction of this competition happened to be more suitable for me, and it was rare to have such a competition, so I am very lucky, and it is because of this luck that I was able to achieve such results as an individual participant. If I were to participate in an algorithm competition, I probably wouldn't get good results. Of course, I hope there will be more open and diverse competitions like this in the future. But I think I won't have the opportunity anymore because I'm about to graduate. Looking back at my campus life, it was not very exciting, just plain.