About Us

We are a community of designers and developers who want to improve the usability and design of open-source software and learn from each other.

Software should be designed well

Software that is difficult to use causes inefficiency, limits user expression, is a security risk and is plainly not fun. Thoughtful designers can prevent these problems, whether done by a professional designer or an interested amateur. This is particularly important in open source software which often has been created by programmers for programmers.

Connecting people and help them grow

We connect people who are interested in design in open source projects with each other to exchange experiences, practices and advice. To do this, we run a forum, post on social media, organize events and provide a job board. An important part of developing expertise is how we work and the artifacts we create. No work is perfect and always context-dependent. This is not about finding the right way to work, but finding a way that works by learning from each other.

Valuing mutual respect and learning from each other

We value knowledge and experience in all it’s forms. For example you might be:

• a new designer exploring opportunities, skills and finding community,
• a highly technical engineer that has questions and thoughts about usability and users of Open Source Software you use or build
• an established designers with decades of experience looking to make an impact in an under-served technology space.

We want all these people to come together to share, learn and make Design in Open Source Software sustainable, actionable and valued. Respect is essential. We do not assume everyone is familiar with the terminologies of design, tech or Open Source Software and we want to hold space for people to ask questions, critique, agree and disagree thoughtfully and with care. Try to listen more than you speak and ensure you are sharing equal space with others in discussions and do not try to force your ideas or views on others. We wrote the essential ground rules in our Code of Conduct.

If you want to participate in the community, go to How to Join, where we show the different platforms we use for communicating, building this website and services like the job board and how the community is governed.

Our community

Open Source Design is an open community. There are no membership fees or formal requirements - only our Code of Conduct. People contribute in whatever way fits them: designing, coding, writing, giving feedback, helping at events, or supporting us financially through Open Collective.

We are sustained by the time people give and by the support of our backers. If you want to get involved, see How to Join.

A note on our name

We chose “Open Source Design” rather than “Free Software Design” for practical reasons, not political ones. Open source has broader public recognition, its acronyms are more approachable, and the term extends naturally beyond software to hardware, architecture, and manufacturing. Many of our members care deeply about free software and use it daily - our name is not a rejection of those values, just a pragmatic choice about how to reach the widest audience.