Hey all. Kinda new-ish to open source (always loved the idea, been using some of them for years, like VLC, audacity, handbrake, Firefox, etc) but started getting more and more into it recently, messing around with linux, running a NAS with various docker apps etc. I’m a designer, and one thing I noticed is how a lot of FOSS have terrible user interfaces. I know they are often made by engineers who focus more on functionality than design, but I also read some comments about doing kind of bad design on purpose. Like keeping things plain, boring, “function over form” kind of design. Is that a thing in the scene? I’m asking because I would like to get involved. I don’t code but I could help with design assets, user interface design etc. I’d love some small projects to build a UI/UX portfolio slowly on spare time. Anyone knows where I should look to get projects I could get involved in?
Modern UIs suck in general, be it FOSS or not FOSS. The “slick” and “minimal” apple style interfaces are just a mess of monochrome icons all over the place.
Yes, I’m ranting.
Honestly best approach is to find some small projects you feel need help. Introduce yourself to the development team and offer time and suggestions. Eventually one will say yes.
But as a visually impaired developer I’ll give you a heads up. Most pro non foss ui is freaking awfull for accessibility. The choices made over the last 20 year are just bad. OS is far from perfect. But I find the interfaces generally work way better with enlarged text then anything using modern UI ideals.
So please if you get involved. Remember accessibility is more complex the let voice assist work. Most blind folks have some vision. And rellying on the Systems accessibility options is not enough for us to be able to use software in a competitive way.
OS software using the UIs designers seem to dislike. Is generally more customisable for font sizes and colour options accross different parts of the system. In ways able folks would just never consider. This allows us to actually layout software so we only need magnifiers or text readers for things we individually rarely need to read. But can increase the stuff we do in ways that allow us to work at competitive speeds.
Modern UI design is pecomming less accessible as the software becomes much more complex but developers of ui tools seem to see disability as a 0 or 100% slowing disabled users with some ability down to the point they are unemployable.
Please please try to avoid moving the OS stuff we can use that way as well.
I work in web and educational design and we always have to keep accessibility in mind. It does limit the type of design we can do though, so it can be a bit frustrating as a designer. On my end I try to get the AA accessibility score, it’s a good middle ground. I make sure to have good contrasts in my Headings, colours, add desciptions to images etc.
Yeah thanks for the effort. You would be stunned at how many web sites make no effort.
Many modern web sites often fail miserably, especially scripted ones. But mostly because companies just don’t care. As you say it is hard work. So when companies outsource that hard work is rarely if ever asked for up front. And the cost to modify existing site is hugew…
But remember if we are talking software. Again all the pro measures are based on 0 or 100% able. So again leave all disabled depending on solutions that slow down workload.
All the laws on the West only require reasonable accomadations. And being less productive is never considered reasonable. Or in anyway a hope for a successful career.
So with so much software moving to Web apps. Those AA standards rarely help beyond making the page usable. If your career depends on performance as almost all do. Most disabled are not able to efficiently use them.
#DeltaChat a privacy-focused messenger would benefit a lot of a designer, take a look at https://delta.chat/ and contribute if you can! ❤️
Great concept!
I don’t have any better tips for getting involved, but I just want to say thanks! OSS clearly needs help from skilled designers all over the place. Any time someone like you steps up, it’s a good thing. n_n
As someone else building a UI/UX portfolio, thanks for the inspiration OP! I’m glad you asked :)
one thing I noticed is how a lot of FOSS have terrible user interfaces. Like keeping things plain, boring, “function over form” kind of design. Is that a thing in the scene?
Kinda/sorta. Generally the people you have building your architecture don’t have the same skills as a designer is what it boils down to. Single dev projects don’t get the chance to outsource frontends, so they just kinda deliver something that works and call it good enough.
A lot of large projects have design areas. Gere’s gnomes
this is great, thanks!
And here’s KDE’s: https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/design
but I also read some comments about doing kind of bad design on purpose. Like keeping things plain, boring, “function over form” kind of design. Is that a thing in the scene?
Not for most projects as far as I have seen. You are right that for a lot of things, UX/UI can be a bit of an after-thought, but for some projects it can get a lot of attention.
I feel as though a lot of projects have recently reached a point where they have time to begin thinking about how things look though, and it’s nice because I think it has made Linux and open source as a whole much more appealing to a wider audience.
It used to be that you would show someone a Linux desktop and they would recoil from it because of how things looked, but now when I show friends screenshots of customized window managers and applications in their current state, so many more people are attracted to it because the aesthetics now crush a lot of what the proprietary stuff has.
Even my parents in their late 60’s when I put them on Mint with Cinnamon felt as though they could more easily find where things were compared to Windows, and felt as though it is the embodiment of what an actual modern OS should be.
All in all, if anyone claims they don’t want a better UX/UI because they are focusing on “function”, it usually just means they don’t understand the meaning of the word. People like you who want to contribute on that end are very welcome.
Yeah, as a designer I’m a mac user on my main work machine. A decade ago I installed some version of linux to revive and old laptop and it was… Ok. But I recently got a steamdeck with steamOS and I really love the look and customization of desktop mode, which made me look into different linux distros, comparing interfaces and it’s true some of them look pretty cool. I think the main thing is to set it up as simple or as complicated as you need, the option to work without all the windows or macos bloat.
People who make foss apps generally know and care more about programming than secondary things, such as design.
I’ve seen people with weird personal preferences, and some who seemingly perceived design as unnecessary, just getting in the way of “real” work. I think it’s mostly just lack of time and knowledge than an active decision though.
If you have thoughts about my app, I welcome them.
