Usability and target group focus in open source projects — Evaluation of Prototype Fund rounds 15 & 16
- Knowledge Sharing
- Photo by Sebastian Dumitru on Unsplash
“Seamlessness”, which refers to an as smooth as possible user experience, is a core objective in UX design for apps and websites but also for software components. The success of many dominant and profit-oriented applications lies, amongst others, in their convenient default settings and their focus on reaching as many users as possible, not least because it is incentivised by their profit orientation.
For Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), on the other hand, it is often assumed that design, usability, and target-group orientation only play a minor role — no bells and whistles, but also no focus on the user experience. The presumed causes are manifold. In our evaluation report, we therefore looked into what role user friendliness and reaching target groups play in the projects supported by the Prototype Fund.
In this blog post, you will get an insight into the status quo regarding usability and reaching target groups in our funding rounds 15 and 16 (1), the possible reasons behind this (2), as well as how the Prototype Fund can improve its support in both areas for the projects (3).
The detailed evaluation report can be found here (German).
1 How are grantees active in the areas usability and reaching target groups?
To find out more about the activities regarding usability and target-group reach in funding rounds 15 and 16, we launched an online survey and conducted thirteen interviews with funding recipients.
We were presented with a heterogeneous landscape of activities in the field: While some projects are in ongoing and direct exchange with their user group, others do not collect feedback during the funding phase. The methods used to find out about the needs of users also differ greatly and range from informal discussions to classic user testing. The degree of structure varies considerably too; however, many projects act intuitively rather than methodically structured during the funding phase.
The channels through which feedback is collected and through which users can reach out to the projects are similarly diverse: E-mails, contact forms, and issue trackers common for FOSS projects are used, as well as social media, forums, chat channels, and community meetings. The interviews further show that, on the one hand, a third of the projects do not (yet) reach any target group. On the other hand, two thirds of the prototypes are already being used by test users, the organization in which the prototype was developed, or by third parties.
2 Possible reasons for the approach to user-friendliness and reaching target groups
There are a number of possible reasons, why the grantees worked more intuitively and with less emphasis on usability and reaching users during the funding period:
Non-economic motivation
Economic interests appear to play a less important role among those surveyed. Reaching an as large as possible group of (in some way) paying users is therefore less incentified, compared to proprietary applications.
Expectations towards the target group
Some of the projects are of particular interest to developers. Among the grantees, there is a desire for the communities around their projects to get actively involved in them. This may include the idea that such communities also drive the user friendliness in the projects by configuring the applications according to their needs.
Little previous experience with design and public relations work
Most of those receiving funding rate their practical knowledge in the areas of design, usability, communication, and public relations as rather low. This distribution may have led to less activity in the two focus areas due to a lack of previous experience.
Limited resources
Measures such as extensive A/B testing are expensive; FOSS projects notoriously suffer from a shortage of resources. The Prototype Fund also places a tight limit on project development by addressing software developers and short funding periods. This can lead to a lack of capacity for certain tasks. It is also possible that more activities in both areas will take place outside of the funding period.
3 How does the Prototype Fund provide support in terms of user focus and what can be improved in the future?
The Prototype Fund supports grantees in both areas through individual coachings and a variety of online consultation hours on the topics of user testing, community building and branding, as well as through a knowledge base. Based on the survey results, we see some room for adjustments in the application and funding phase to increase the emphasis on usability and target group reach:
Selection of funded projects
In the selection of grantees, greater attention can be put on ensuring that skills for developing user-friendly software and target-group reach are more strongly represented in the projects. In addition, it can be taken into account if projects intend to reach broader user groups.
Support during funding
In terms of support, greater emphasis can be placed on domain support in connection to both fields. Grantees can be supported, for example, in shaping their expectations towards their target groups or if necessary in adjusting unrealistic wishes concerning community contributions. In addition, the explicit allocation of resources for less technical tasks can drive the prioritization of usability and reaching target groups.
4 Conclusion
In general, there is an awareness and some activity for user friendliness and reaching target groups in the funded projects. However, the overall picture is heterogeneous - as are the projects and their target groups.
Even if the role of the two fields is less central in FOSS projects than in strictly profit-oriented contexts, usability and reaching target groups should not be neglected. It is essential for FOSS projects to provide a worthwhile user experience to unfold their potential for as many people as possible and to recognise the effort put into them. Both fields should therefore be given appropriate attention in both project planning and funding.
