System and method for design development

• US 7,770,143 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TopCoder, Inc. (Wipro Limited)
• Original Assignee: TopCoder, Inc. (Wipro Limited)
• Inventors: Hughes, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiang; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tat; Binh C
• Application Number:
  US11/655,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20070180416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 716/1, 716 4- 6, 717/102, 717/168
• US Class Current: 716/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization

Abstract

This invention relates to a system and methods for developing designs. In one embodiment, a method includes electronically distributing a specification for a design to a distributed community of designers, receiving designs from each of a subset of the community of designers in response to the distributed design specification, screening received designs that do not meet the specification, facilitating evaluation of a subset of the received designs by a number of evaluators; and selecting a preferred design in response to the facilitated evaluation of the designs.

Claims

1. A system for providing designs comprising graphical and/or creative design elements by conducting a multi-round development process with a distributed community of designers, comprising:

a communications module for electronically distributing a first specification comprising requirements for a design comprising graphical and/or creative design elements to a distributed community of designers and for receiving designs comprising graphical and/or creative design elements from each of a subset of the community of designers in response to the design requirements, and for electronically distributing a second specification comprising refinements of the first specification based on received designs;

a screening module for identifying received designs that meet the specifications;

an evaluation and ranking of module for facilitating evaluation of a subset of the received designs by a customer that requested the design;

a selection module for selecting preferred designs in response to the facilitated evaluation of the designs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the designs are ranked according to predetermined criteria.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the evaluation module facilitates scoring using a scorecard.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the designs comprise a web site design.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the design comprise a design for a software application.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the software application may be provided over the internet as a web-based application.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the specification comprises one or more requirement selected from the set of requirements of:

type of design, size of the design, size and color requirements, desired or undesired themes for the design, background information for creating the design, acceptable files type and format, and required documentation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the screening module facilitates comparing received designs with specification requirements.