DESIGNING A BETTER FUTURE: YOUR GUIDE TO DESIGN CONTRIBUTION IN OPEN SOURCE

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Open-source projects often lack the UX expertise needed to make powerful software approachable, while designers struggle to discover contribution opportunities in developer-oriented environments such as GitHub. Meaningful contributions can include user research, clearer project descriptions, onboarding improvements, navigation, error messages, accessibility, and better documentation of design processes rather than just visual assets. Designers can begin by exploring projects they already use, reviewing contribution guidelines, finding relevant issues, and collaborating directly with maintainers, even without extensive technical knowledge.