Contributing to Open Source as a Product Designer

This article shares the author’s experience and advice on contributing to an open-source project from a non-developer designer’s perspective.

• Misconceptions about barriers to open source: The author previously hesitated to participate in open source, including GSoC, because they did not know how to code. They later realized that designers and other non-developers also have accessible ways to contribute.
• Getting started with a low-risk contribution: They began with a small issue—adding alternative text to images—and learned the collaboration process, including forking a Git repository, creating a branch, using the terminal, and submitting a Merge Request.
• Applying a designer’s strengths: The author made a more substantial contribution by writing guides for new designers, developers, and brand team members in Pajamas, GitLab’s design system. Their own confusion as a beginner became the basis for improving information architecture and documentation.
• Responding to feedback and failure: Reviewing developer documentation revealed the importance of structuring content for its intended audience. The author also explains that an automated pipeline error or red check during an MR is often not the contributor’s fault and should not cause unnecessary anxiety.
• Conclusion: The courage to begin matters more than technical expertise. Designers can contribute meaningfully to open source through documentation, information architecture, and accessibility improvements.