Let’s talk open design

At Canonical, we’re committed to open-source principles and fostering collaboration. Over the last 20 years, Ubuntu’s brand has become a leader in open source, with an open operating system. Our community shapes Ubuntu’s journey, and we recognise room for improvement in how we collaborate, particularly in design at Canonical. Despite most of our development being open source, our design processes often lack transparency, particularly in visuals, user interaction, and research.

We are excited to announce that we kickstarted a working group within the Design team with a mission to empower external designers to contribute to open-source projects. Our focus is on building resources that bridge the gap between designers and open-source project maintainers, making it easier for designers to dive into projects and for maintainers to receive valuable design contributions and feedback.

Before we figure out how to support you, we’re checking out ongoing Open Design initiatives and understanding the needs, motivations, and interests of designers and project maintainers. We’re learning tons along the way and prioritising ideas on how to move forward!

As we kick things off, your input would be invaluable in shaping our efforts. Therefore, we are inviting open source maintainers and designers to participate in this survey. Your input will provide valuable insights and help us ensure we’re on the right track.

Cheers,

– The Open Design Working Group