Re: Design in the open

["Karen Sandler" <karen gnome org>]

On Wed, April 25, 2012 9:27 am, Allan Day wrote:

Echoing what Brian said, I like these suggestions for improvement! Are
there any that we can turn into concrete initiatives that we can organize
soon and perhaps fundraise for? Or build some initiatives for GUADEC? I
include a few more detailed questions below along these lines.

> It is important to recognise that improving the state of design in
> GNOME isn?t just the responsibility of designers. There are things
> that all of us can do to help - from the release team and maintainers,
> to individual developers and community advocates. Here are some of my
> ideas for things that all of us can do to make design work more
> effectively and harmoniously as a part of GNOME:
>
> * a more rigorous (and better documented) feature proposal process

I think there's some confusion here - you're not talking about purely
technical proposals here too, are you? I assume this is more focused on
anything that interfaces with any elements of design...

> * new tools for displaying and discussing designs, such as something
> like Dribble or Design Hub
> * a process for resolving design disagreements - perhaps maintainers
> or the release team could mediate if a dispute seems intractable?

I think we should definitely explore this more, it goes hand in hand with
the other suggestions below - helping to stop bad behavior, soothing
ruffled feathers and communicating better.

> * better communications about where GNOME is going and what the
> project is trying to achieve
> * some kind of active community management role to help soothe ruffled
> feathers
> * advertised designer playgrounds and discussion areas (for people
> wanting to stretch their design wings)
> * tackle bad behaviour across the project in a more proactive manner
> (will ensure that disagreements don?t get out of hand)
> * micro release-cycles in which new features are advertised, completed
> and tested
> * better testing facilities so people can test and give feedback on UX
> changes before release time

What would this entail? This sounds like it could be incredibly helpful if
we could find the resources for it.

> * keep a running list of design tasks that are appropriate for newcomers
> * work to prevent design disputes - ensure early informal contact
> between designers and developers at the beginning of feature
> initiatives
>
> So there are lots of ways that we can do design better as a community,
> and contributors on this list can all play a part in helping to make
> us to be even more successful in this regard. It will take actions as
> well as words to move forward, of course - if you want to help, or
> have your own ideas, just get in touch.

thanks, Allan! I'm glad we're having these discussions and hope that we
can find ways for the Foundation to help too.

karen