OnePlus boasts of a loyal community of fans, and the company from time to time asks this community for feedback and the suggested features that they want to see in their beloved phone. Taking such user participation a notch up, the Chinese company has come up with a OnePlus challenge, called the OxygenOS Product Manager Challenge, to allow fans to design a new feature for their upcoming phone.
OxygenOS Product Manager Challenge – what is it?
Under this new OnePlus challenge, all you need to do is submit an idea of a feature that you want to see in the OxygenOS. If OnePlus likes it and votes it the best, it will be implemented. Sounds easy, but it’s not.
Participants not only have to suggest a feature, but also prove why it should be implemented. For this, users will have to answer a few questions: who are the users; what is the proposed function; what is the user value; if there are existing comparable functions in the smartphone industry; and how is your proposed feature superior?
A product manager faces similar questions in their day-to-day life. That is why the challenge is named the OxygenOS Product Manager Challenge.
“Perhaps you’ve posted a few suggestions yourself, convinced that these changes will create a better device experience. But put to the test, would your idea survive the logical hoops of implementation?….. If you have a dream feature you’d like to see implemented into OxygenOS, we hereby invite you to take on our Product Manager Challenge,” OnePlus says.
Apart from answering these questions, participants will also need to explain how the feature will work and integrate with the system. Also, users can provide relevant details in the form of sketches. Users are required to show each screen and how the feature would flow from screen to screen.
To help the participants, OnePlus has made available a reference design process, similar to what the product managers at the company use.
How to enter the OnePlus challenge?
So, what you get for such efforts? OnePlus says the winner will be flown to the nearest OnePlus VIP launch event. Also, the winner gets a free phone that they helped build. As to who decides the winner, the Chinese company says it will be senior members of the OnePlus software development team.
OnePlus’ OxygenOS Product Manager Challenge is now open and will run until Feb. 22. Winners will be announced by mid-March, and thereafter, their design will be implemented.
To participate in the OnePlus challenge, you need to enter your idea in the Tech Section of the OnePlus forums. Don’t forget to put #PMChallenge in the title. Check this link for more information on the OxygenOS Product Manager Challenge.
This new OnePlus challenge is surely an engaging way to encourage users to come up with valuable suggestions. The OxygenOS offers the look and feel of stock Android despite offering several additions and tweaks. And, this new OxygenOS Product Manager Challenge is only going to further improve the OS.
OnePlus 7 screen – what to expect?
The challenge makes it clear that OnePlus is aggressively working on its next flagship, possibly OnePlus 7. There are several rumors and reports regarding the expected features and specifications. The latest rumor claims that the next OnePlus phone won’t feature a notch screen display. Instead, the company may adopt a punch hole design or even a full-screen design. To achieve a bezel-less screen, the OnePlus 7 may sport a slider camera.
Even though OnePlus is aggressively working on its next device, it still has a few issues to fix related to its current flagship. Last week, several OnePlus 6T users complained of the battery draining faster than usual. Many users claim that Google Play Services is taking up more battery power than before, resulting in a loss of battery life.
One user on Reddit noted that the battery starts to drain quickly from 80% onward, and gets halved without any heavy usage. Most of the affected users claim a drop in screen-on time from about 6-7 hours to around four hours.
OnePlus came out with the 6T in late October 2018. The handset, which runs on Android 9 Pie, is also available in a special McLaren Edition.
