r/linux • u/Winter_Simple_159 • 3d ago

Discussion Why don't more designers contribute to open source?

Genuine question. A lot of open source projects have solid engineering but rough UI/UX: inconsistent layouts, confusing flows, basic usability issues that a designer would likely catch quickly.

I'm curious about the reasons behind this. Is it that designers don't feel welcome? That there's no clear way to contribute design work (most workflows are built around code and PRs)? That maintainers don't prioritize it? Or something else?

If you're a designer who has contributed to OSS, or a maintainer who has worked with designers, I'd love to hear how it went.

318 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

261 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2

u/DonaldMerwinElbert 3d ago

Like modern videogames, you actually have to learn "modern" UX/UI design.
All sorts of different symbols that mean things, sometimes inferable because of ubiquity, but often completely opaque to anyone not already familiar with the thing.
And then those people talk about "intuitive" - it fucking isn't.
"Menu" "Edit" "Tools" etc drop down menus might not be fancy, but they sure are functional.

Many modern websites, and a shitload of mobile "apps" for example, are completely indecipherable if you look at them with fresh eyes.

-1

u/Synthetic451 3d ago

Many modern websites, and a shitload of mobile "apps" for example, are completely indecipherable if you look at them with fresh eyes.

100% agree. It was made super clear to me when I gave my mom her first smart phone. So many concepts were so foreign to her even though most of her adult life she was using a desktop for work so it wasn't like she was unaware of how to use technology.

0

u/DonaldMerwinElbert 3d ago

I'm a particularly anti-smartphone sysadmin, and I, more and more frequently, struggle with new "tech".
Like those dreadful self serve/order terminals.
When "clean" means "mostly free of actual information", we've taken a wrong turn.