2025-03-11 –, Wintergarten
Why don’t more designers contribute to open source? We'll share insights from our research, presenting key obstacles like intimidating contribution platforms and unclear documentation, along with actionable solutions to improve collaboration between designers and developers.
In this talk, we’ll explore the challenges of design contribution in open source projects and the issues faced by designers and maintainers. We conducted a comprehensive survey with both designers and open source maintainers, as well as in-depth interviews with several designers to get a closer look at their experiences.
We'll share our key findings, including the biggest obstacles designers face—like the intimidating nature of contribution platforms, confusing documentation, and a lack of clear entry points. But it's not just about identifying the problems; we’ll also discuss practical strategies to overcome these challenges. We’ll provide actionable insights on how maintainers and communities can make open source more welcoming for designers, along with tips for designers on how to get started with their first contributions. We will showcase what we’ve implemented to help facilitate this change.
Why is this relevant? For open source solutions to gain traction beyond tech enthusiasts and the corporate sphere, we need more accessible and better-designed projects. Involving designers is essential for creating user-friendly, accessible, and visually appealing software. Yet, numerous challenges remain for maintainers looking for design assistance and for designers aiming to contribute effectively to open source projects.This talk will give both designers and maintainers valuable insights into how they can collaborate more effectively and contribute to a healthier, more inclusive open source ecosystem.
Main Takeaways:
- A clear understanding of the key obstacles preventing designers from engaging with open-source projects.
- Practical strategies to improve documentation and contribution platforms, making them more designer-friendly.
- Insights and recommendations for both designers and maintainers to foster better collaboration and create impactful, user-centered open-source software.
Whether you're a designer curious about open source or a maintainer looking to attract diverse contributors, this session will share our ongoing findings and early tools to make open source more accessible. We’re eager for your feedback to refine these insights and create a more welcoming environment for everyone.
I'm a Senior UX Designer at Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, where I also contribute to our Open Design initiative. I began my career as a visual designer and evolved into UX, driven by a passion for solving complex problems and creating impactful user experiences. With over 10 years of experience spanning startups to enterprises, I’ve tackled diverse challenges across industries like hospitality, behavioral data, and compliance and risk management. Beyond design, I’m a curious human who loves exploring new ideas and making a positive impact.
Leia is a UX designer at Canonical and a member of the Open Design working group. Driven by a mission to create positive societal impact through accessible technology, she advocates for incorporating non-code contributions and user feedback into open-source projects.
Kola is a UX Designer at Canonical, and a member of their Open Design Initiative.
With over 6 years of experience, he has helped ship and scale products across Enterprise SaaS, Fintech, Developer tools, and AI.
In his spare time, Kola teaches design with CareerFoundry GmbH, and mentors junior designers for free on ADPList.