Slack is neither open, nor open source. Why use it here?
We actually have a statement on why we use some closed tools in our notes document: SustainOSS UX & Design Working Group - Google Docs
Hereās it copy pasted: We currently choose to use tools that are not OSS tools e.g. Zoom for meetings, Slack (Open Collectiveās slack) and Google docs for notes for a few reasons:
- Google docs allows for real-time collaborative note making where we can all see whatās happening clearly without the risk of ālosingā the notes like an Etherpad or the need to set up a host for the pad or host elsewhere
- Zoom meets our video conferencing needs currently and unless sphere is a strong voice to move to Big Blue Button or similar weāll continue to use a tool which is accessible and usable for us as a group easily.
- Slack is currently where Open Collective communicate and is a more synchronous for of comms than discourse forum. We have the need to communicate in this way especially for podcast recording when we need to send instant messages and see when others are online so we can make sure recordings happen.
- We generally bias towards tools that are familiar and accessible to people (designers) that are not familiar with OSS tools due to many designers being unfamiliar with OSS tools vs. proprietary tools. We want to be welcoming to designers that may have just discovered OSS and not have what we use (google, zoom, BBB, Etherpad etc.) a barrier to entry for new members. We bias towards inclusion into OSS and not use of OSS as a mandatory entry point to OSS as a community/subject area.
I personally (as in this is not an opinion that is unanimously shared by the Sustain Design & UX working group) believe that we should not gatekeep participation in OSS for designers by forcing them to use OSS tools only - designers are just beginning to use these OSS tools and it is currently more important to engage and welcome designers where they feel comfortable, rather than mandating they use OSS from their first point of contact with the group.
We do encourage, advise and support designers that then want to use OSS tools as a replacement or addition to closed tools.
Speaking about non-OSS Slack alternative, there is at least Discord with a decent onboarding UX, unlike Slack.
I use discord in many of my own personal projects 
but the consensus from the design & UX working group was to sometimes use slack and I respect my fellow working group collaborators needs.
Are there any metrics about new people in the WG over its lifetime? And also old people being active? For me, Slack is the barrier, and it would be interesting to see if it can be measured with data. Even if it is non-conclusive, and poll would do better.
Do you feel that Slack is a barrier for your participation in Design & UX WG?
- Yes
- No
0 voters
Sustain Design & UX working group meetingwas supposed to happen 2021-10-12T15:00:00Z ā 2021-10-12T16:00:00Z.
Video & Audio room: Jitsi Meet
Agenda SustainOSS UX & Design Working Group - Google Docs
But nobody turned up - it might be because of some scheduling communications errors but regardless, we can push the agenda to Novemberās call and have some more time to check in with folks on the day/time and if it works for them.
Next Sustain Design & UX WG call will be 2021-11-09T16:00:00Z ā 2021-11-09T17:00:00Z
Video & Audio room: Jitsi Meet
Agenda SustainOSS UX & Design Working Group - Google Docs
This is planned after some daylight savings changes so keep an eye on the time just in case it changes according to winter clock changes!
Oops, I totally missed this!
Is there a calendar invite in place? I relied on the previous one to keep the date/time up-to-date. It would be nice if we could have another one. Iām not always on top of things so it helps if I can follow along with someone elseās calendar invite.
It works to send a letter two hours before. Not everybody who might subscribe to thread may be so involved to add a calendar entry. It also may bring random wondering people from the forum into sessions.
No worries at all, Iāll ask the sustain group next time we chat if we can get the event back on the shared calendar with the updated info re. video room. and Iāll see if the direct calendar invite owned by Memo and Richard can be updated 
1 Like
I do try to do this, but when Iām working at my paid job before the meeting sometimes I donāt get time to send reminders 
Maybe apply to Job Application for UX Research Manager at GitLab and then your paid job will include setting reminders on UX.
Iām very happy at my current job thanks. Also GitLab have rejected me twice in the past so I wonāt think about applying to them for several years.
Also please consider how appropriate is it to suggest people leave jobs here on this forum. I certainly find it not helpful and a presumptious.
I feel like being attacked for suggesting a solution to the empty meetings problem. Ouch!
I considered the appropriateness, and I found there is nothing wrong in discussing various UX jobs or proposing a shift (if I am not a disruptive HR on the hunt, which I am not). If people have no reasons to switch, they will just ignore it. Although that particular one was just a proof that some UX Manager positions exist. But I can understand that might have been triggered you. Personally I didnāt even have guts to apply to GitLab or Google or whatever, because I am not the superstar everybody wants, and being rejected is too painful. The only thought of it pulls me down into the deep caves of depression and dark melancholy. Not very productive.
Whatever. If it is not about companies and jobs, how do you feel about bringing some folks from GitLab for recorded meeting to discuss their UX design and planning process? I am very curious about their process. Which metrics they consider to be a good UX target for each release, how do they track them, how do they plan, how do they approach the critics like that GitLab is slow (and do they think that it is slow, and what do they do as a UX team about it).
Handling critics in Open Source projects is an interesting topic, as whole awesome projects burn down, infrastructures destroyed, because of public critics. And I guess the design and UX are the most subjective things to withstand a constant flow of various feedack. To spice it up, if there is no feedback, if people are not feeling like telling about bad things, then both design and UX will suffer. And the users be like "the mice pricked and cried, but ate the cactus. "
Iāve spoken to the team and individuals at GitLab and specifically the design team before about open source design and this group - they also find it difficult to manage a big workload and volunteer community commitments so I put no pressure on them attending any community groups.
Next Sustain Design & UX WG call will be 2021-11-09T16:00:00Z ā 2021-11-09T17:00:00Z See your timezone time here
Video & Audio room: Jitsi Meet
Agenda SustainOSS UX & Design Working Group - Google Docs
This is planned after some daylight savings changes so keep an eye on the time just in case it changes according to winter clock changes!
We have a few things on the agenda including looking over Eriolās UX in OSS Maturity draft a few admin conversations, a planned demo on OSS program management and a few open discussion points:
Continue a discussion on the content types - What works for the orgs that are scaling design understanding.
Continue discussing what our impressions of OSS design understanding is right now?
Via Sloan Foundation: How is design understood in the context of scientific open source software, or in the context of researchers based in universities?
1 Like
Thanks, looking forward to it! I have the invitation to remind me. 
I also have some submissions to the design resources form launched one or two months back. We could discuss what people have shared and what to do with this content too.
1 Like
Pining folks here that we have our monthly call 2021-11-09T16:00:00Z ā 2021-11-09T17:00:00Z
In this meeting room: Jitsi Meet
Various agenda items here! SustainOSS UX & Design Working Group - Google Docs
1 Like
Hey folks reminding everyone that we have our meeting coming up 2021-12-14T17:00:00Z ā 2021-12-14T18:00:00Z
In this meeting room: Jitsi Meet
Various agenda items here! SustainOSS UX & Design Working Group - Google Docs
Just so weāre clear, weāll be only spending the first 15 mins doing intros etc. and spending the remaining 45 mins dicussing the main topic:
Explore themes for Design category and map out new content
Weāre going to look at these themes: Explore themes for Design category and map out new content Ā· Issue #83 Ā· unicef/inventory Ā· GitHub
And choose what to do next with this from the options described in the issue!
1 Like