Beyond Sharing:
Open Source Design
DebConf, August 1st, 2010
Open Source is great!
But does it really work beyond code?
We celebrate Free Software
But we have yet to master collaboration in interface design
Diagram
1. Scratching an Itch
- Why open code? - easy / others can help me get this working
- Why open design? - hard / "works for me"
- Chicken & Egg - Designers don’t use OSS
2. Granularity
- In coding (software) and writing (wikis) the building block is granular - a character
- Allows for varied contribution:
- Accessible ladder of contribution
- History
- Moderation
- Transparency
3. Language
Encodeing / Decoding
Stuart Hall 1980
Encoding
- Finding a language is an initial step in design (graphic, color, layout, animation, interaction...)
- Coding without a shared language is impossible
- Setting collaboration standards is essential
- Standardization VS. Innovation
Decoding
- Code either executes or it doesn’t, but a message interpretation isn’t binary
- iNcOnsIstEncy fragments the message
But the computer levels both ugly and beautiful code
- Wikipedia has largely rational guidelines for decision making, design doesn’t
So is it simply undoable?
(would I be wasting your time if I thought so?)
User Generated Content
User Generated Interfaces
Fixing it:
1. Scratching an Itch
- Free as in free beer is nice, but it's not enough
- We can't expect/force the use of bad tools as an ideological statement
- Innovate on our strengths - networking & Collaboration
- Some success with webdesign
*Still very code-based
Fixing it:
2. Granularity
- When possible, use granular building blocks - namely: use code
Get designers on version control systems
- Put all master files online
Explore file collaboration & versioning tools (Git? Dropbox?)
Fixing it:
3. Language
Collaborative Encoding:
- 1st step:
Conduct a networked research
(we already have collaborative tools for that)
- 2nd step:
Define a modular and extensible language
* Support simple inheritance (like in CSS)
- 3rd step:
Document the language (style guides)
Fixing it:
3. Language
Collaborative Decoding:
- Some design decisions are rational, and can achieve consensus, like:
- UX research
- Technical aspects of design
- Design best practices (in typography, use of icons, interaction paradigms...)
- Blogs share resources and documentation
Scaling subjectivity
The paradox of usability
Leadership or Openness
A nuanced analysis of OS:
Openness + Leadership
We can’t just sprinkle design with the magic pixie dust of “Open Source”
Collaboration is hard!
Let’s make it easier
Thanks!
DebConf, August 1st, 2010
