Re: Design in the open

[Seif Lotfy <seif lotfy com>]

I am happy Allan drafted the problem thoroughly and and also provided initial steps that could solve it.

Well done.

On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 7:45 PM, Karen Sandler <karen gnome org> wrote:

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...

I think Karen raises a good point here. I think there should be 2 kind of proposals.

• A feature proposal: Where a feature is discussed and the technologies needed for it are decided, if the design team thinks the feature is not good then an detailed explanation would help. Also if the feature is a not accepted then there is no need to discuss the technology.
• A technical proposal: Where libraries or services that could optimize performance/maintenance or prove to be beneficial in the future for existing modules can be suggested to be used. Technical proposals should not include any features, else it is a feature proposal.

> * 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

I would like to propose that we contact the people at KDE, since they already formed a community task force that manages and handles day to day disputes and work on improving communication in the community in a professional manner. AFAIK (I might be mistaken) they were given some negotiation seminar during DS 2011.

 

> * 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

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Thanks Allan for taking the time to detail the problem as much as possible. It is nice to have this discussion going in a peaceful manner.

Cheers

Seif