Erioldoesdesign
commented
1 year ago Call has been done - now editing transcript for PII for public publishing
Open Erioldoesdesign opened 1 year ago
Erioldoesdesign
commented
1 year ago Call has been done - now editing transcript for PII for public publishing
Interview Script
Hi there Grey
We’re going to spend some time chatting about your design in OSS experience to date to get a sense of what you have done to date.
Will you be recording video/audio for the diary study or writing?
Not sure - probably video or writing
Do you want a Zoom room that will auto-record a video/audio for your weekly diary
That would be useful
In your survey it says you’ve been doing this for X time? How did you start in OSS?
5-6 years ago - meet up for comp sci ruby language in Bangkok - curious and looking for communities to hang out with as a hobby developer and likes solving problems. Went to hacknight meet up - dev’s hanging out and using different languages. started an event with friends - needed logos for meetup and created swag and t-shirts and related a conf (OSS conf 1) in Bangkok - 8 in the team.most are devs no designers
Events are all about organisation, setting up marketing sponsorship - not related to codebase or programming knowledge.
(OSS project 1) community saw what we were doing and reached out for help with (OSS conf 2) in Thailand marketing website for the event and was really popular doubled attendees to 300 and the next year approach to lead the entire conf. Previous lead was needing to take a step back to focus on family so they took this on to get involved in (OSS project 1) community.
(OSS conf 1) APAC - Asia pacific and community group - hosted (OSS conf 1) APAC in 2021 drew int. (OSS project 1) to help out with the international women's day event - design assets for the event and posters etc. Director saw that and asked to help out in (OSS conf 3) this year involved through to 2023 - online platform
How did you start in Design?
Design always a passion so helped out with the marketing and design. Graduated in business marketing - design has never been attractive for families in Singapore - really wanted to switch to design → dean encouraged to stay in marketing. Like marketing but regret not delving into design. Really interested in design.
Started a design agency
Not specialised in a single expertise → multitasking
What OSS do you contribute to and participate in?
(OSS project 1)
(OSS conf 2)
(OSS conf 1 & 3)
(OSS project 2) → (OSS project 2.1), (OSS project 2.2)
(OSS project 3)
How do you decided on a project that they’d like to work on/contribute to?
Understand what you are designing for.
Word of mouth to get ‘work’
OSS don’t create design issues often! people don’t know how to describe the problem but OSS people might know that there is a problem and very few if any people managing it. Stagnant problems. Logo created 10 yrs ago by founder - blend all the 7 projects together → trying to bring up the design problem don’t mind helping them out because of the long term use → just because you don’t have lots of money doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve proper logo/design. And am i available.
How much in need the project is.
Really hard to hand pick projects
not about funds!
What purpose and are they clear about the problems they want solved by the designer
Do you contribute to OSS as part of a paid role, volunteer (free) or both? in what ratio?
beginning 100% no pay - paid work early was marketing projects. 3 yrs in community thats when some small funds were offered
If you’re paid for OSS how does this feel to you?
It takes time - whats the reason does anyone appreciate and know who I am? and there is time involved in doing this. recognition of work
If you’re not paid for OSS how does this feel to you?
Always need to start somewhere - beginning was a passion and interest and challenge. No one wants to touch. unpaid causes burnout for vols.
What kind of design do you find yourself spending the most time doing? UX? UI? Research?
A variety! more time are the UI side and UX side these websites for (OSS conf 1) etc. big project because of numbers of people etc. Positioning of buttons, colours, contrast etc. takes a long time - outsource to friends to work together. not easy and have to understand dev target users → what are they familiar with. What words do they understand → avoid complaints
What tools and software do you use for your contributions?
Adobe CC XD, AI - UX & UI
Figma
Canva if working with devs and require them to contribute because of file sharing and making changes - slides/presentation, templates and making changes
Miro
Google drive/docs
Notion
Practicality in tools is important!
What kind of processes and communication happens between you and the others that work on the OSS? Who else works on the OSS?
Has to work well with the people that we collab with → prefer email comms and like chain of the thread re. before and after and could trace comms that way.
Notion is great for documenting the process, good export options.
Feedback real time
WYSIWYG
Be flexible to prevent that problem, if I proposal a tool for comms or collab and doesn’t work and doesn’t get feedback i would try other methods and ‘if better’ in another methods. Takes a longer time to find correct method.
not all OSS community members are professional some are just independent people
Sometimes they don’t talk in slack etc.
Presenting/shipping final product is fine but regular comms is hard
Don’t want a meeting for a small detail.
Design might not be what a dev has in their head
Be persistent.
Thinking ahead to when you might stop contributing to the OSS projects you do, how would you like to leave that project? what would the design aspects look like to you?
Going in and starting is easy
continuing and ending is hard
Moving leaving Thailand so practical not to stay for work
Did this step by step slowly, let them know and what they can still offer re. work
Still in the community where they are talking and discussing i will become a doormat personality and an adviser role re. what can be improved and where you can find things.
Leave amicably sometimes not easy.
Handed over and help new person to go through process smoothly → want to help them get used to role slowly. Person who took over left 5 months → new person just disappeared. Ghosted.
Is a common thing that can happen
Effort into OSS is the best solution to sustain knowledge → not talked enough about.
Proprietary is the grandma recipe that you want to keep to yourself
OSS is about sharing and being willing to accept changes