BitcoinDesign
Create an education program for designers
Raj from Bitshala and Dulce from Librería de Satoshi recently approached Mo and I about possibly creating educational material for designers who want to become active in the open source bitcoin ecosystem. They have programs for developers, but not much to offer when designers show up. This is of course also of interest to the Bitcoin Design Community at large. We have a ton of resources in the guide and sister projects, but are not very good at providing a path and support for aspiring designers.
I also asked Eriol Fox, open design powerhouse involved with Open Source Design, Superbloom and related initiatives. I think we could split up our own goals here into Open Design and Bitcoin Design tracks, and see if we can collaborate on the Open Design education part (we already have lots of bitcoin stuff in the guide anyways). There seem to be various spread out initiatives, but sustainability is an issue, and it would be nice to have a go-to place to send people to. But there also seems to be a lot of interest, as this is a common need.
There are also kinds of things we could do, from text-based online material for solo or group learning, to online video courses, fellowships, in-person workshops, etc. Maybe the end goal is to have all of that, but where do we start?
I think two exercises would be good at the beginning:
- Educators to describe what needs they have and what they'd like to see happen (and what has worked previously)
- We collaborate on a rough first curriculum outline (this is how we started the Bitcoin Design Guide, too)
The results should help us better understand what we want to aim for and how much everyone aligns, and then come up with a plan. Maybe there already is a ton of existing material, and we just need to create a better format for it. Maybe it's super hard, and maybe it isn't. Hard to tell without doing some discovery.
Anyhow, what do you think?
Hey @GBKS, thanks for starting the convo.
- Quick question: Why are there two tracks: Open Design and Bitcoin Design? What is the difference?
- I agree the design the first curriculum is a best impossible start. Since each community can adapt the curriculum to different formats such, online, in person, mentorship-guide program, etc.
@dulcedu just for practical purposes of creating the program. Contributing as a designer to a bitcoin project is probably very similar to a non-bitcoin project. There are others, like Eriol, who are interested in creating an open design curriculum, and we can partner on that aspect, and the complement it with the unique aspects of contributing to a bitcoin project. Does that make sense?
Totally, make sense and I completely agree, contributing as a designer to a bitcoin project is probably very similar to a non-bitcoin project.
It's live, check it out at opendesign.guide.
... OK, something is live. I very quickly mashed this together using Claude (for text) and Midjourney (for images). And you know what, it turned out pretty great as a foundation for us to built on (totally feels weird and like cheating). My suggested next steps:
- Review whether this general content architecture is good (curriculum format and the 12 chapter breakdown)
- Review and revise one chapter at a time
Some things I'd definitely like to revise:
- More inspiring case studies
- Better examples for first contributions, final projects, etc
- Way more links to relevant resources, including YouTube videos, assets, etc
- Proper about page listing contributors, etc
- The about page also lists extra resources like slide decks, an educator forum, etc... we need to decide if that is something we want
- Not sure if the listed tools and resources and actually what people use. Also add links to learning material for each one to make it easier to get started
- More detail about version control and why it is so important, and how to think about it properly. This is a big blocker for newcomers
- Explain accessibility better so it's not just about button contrast, but about making software work for you
- Cross-link relevant sections
I also think personal stories and quotes from designers are really important to add.
It's summer and things are a bit slow, but I'd like to keep moving things forward. I'll chip away a bit here and there.
I posted in Discord about starting a reading club for the Open Design Guide. First step is to see who would be interested in participating, then start scheduling if there's interest.
Hi, I'm curious why some initiatives can't stay sustainable while others are doing well. Understanding this could improve the concepts and designs of open design guide. Do you have any thoughts on this? Also, I’d like to know the URLs for both.
@hitomimomimo good question. I'll make my answer about financial sustainability (sustaining a community is a slightly different thing).
I think that many projects don't achieve sustainability because that's not something the maintainers are really interested in or good at. It takes an entrepreneurial spirit, and many people are in open-source because they want to just build and tinker. Fundraising, non-profit paperwork, budgeting, etc are not intuitive or enjoyable for most people. Some take it on because they see that it is necessary, allows them to work on things they enjoy, etc. Others shy away from it.
It is also not easy to gather funds for open-source projects. The code/output is free to use, so many don't think twice about paying for it. Some projects try to normalize giving back, like the Open Source Pledge, or make it easier like GitHub Sponsors. But money certainly does not flow easily (we're actually in a pretty good place in the bitcoin ecosystem, because bitcoin is about money).
Just like everything, it takes someone, or a group of people, to continuously put in effort to keep it going. Sometimes also life happens, like someone starts a family, and they don't have the time anymore.
Also, I’d like to know the URLs for both.
What are you referring to by both?
Thank you so much for sharing your precious insights. An entrepreneurial spirit, it is.
I’d like to know the URLs for both.
I just wanted to know the URLs for the successful initiatives and the unsuccessful initiatives (the latter, if you can share them).
Quick update on this effort:
- The first Bitshala design fellowship is kicking off. Four designers are placed with projects for 6 months. A more public announcement to come.
- A first Bitcoin UX Bootcamp will happen at the Africa Bitcoin Conference (December 9-11).
- Another bootcamp in Brazil is in the planning for early 2025.
- The reading club for the Open Design Guide is done for now, after working through all 12 chapters. Next steps are content revision from gathered feedback (especially adding more resources, examples, and case studies).
Update: Sharing a high level visual overview of the current pathway for UX designers entering into the ecosystem with refering to the above resources mentioned as well as one that is being created as we speak.
Phase 1: Self guided learning This is where someone enters into the ecosystem with curiosity or passion and then guides their own learning process by using the materials/opportunities that already exist and have been created by the Bitcoin Design Community. Those being:
- Discord Community
- Bitcoin Design Guide
- Bitcoin UI Kit
- Open Design Guide
- Bitcoin UX research toolkit
- 4 Week learning toolkit (being created atm)
Phase 2: Student The materials have been explored and the individual could then either deepen that learning experience by doing the:
- Summer of Bitcoin Bootcamp
- Bitcoin UX Bootcamp
Phase 3: Fellow
- Bitshala fellowship Now with foundational learning and experience and a portfolio piece to back them, the individual can now move into a practical work experience where they are working hands on side-by-side with an bitcoin project or initiative.
Phase 4: Independent After completing phases 1 - 4 this individual would have gained foundational knowledge + hands on experience and have discovered the area within the ecosystem that they have the most passion for or would like to specialize in. They can then explore the following options:
- Grant with Bitcoin Design Foundation
- Grant with the Human Rights Foundation
- Grant with OpenSats
- Employment
- Start own business
Pondering Mo's ideas above and doing a bit of research (like the Apple, Unity and ₿Trust pathways), here are some further ideas on structuring this:
Core track & complementary programs
Maybe we are not doing ourselves a favor with this linear phased approach. It might be simpler to think of the self-guided learning as the core track, and the other things as complementary. We cannot promise to always have a bootcamp/fellowship/etc whenever people need it. That will vary on timing, location, fit, etc. So someone might attend a bootcamp or conference and get interested, and then enter the self-guided learning. Further along their journey, they might join Summer of Bitcoin, and maybe do a fellowship afterwards.
Cohort approach
For self-guided learning, a common format appears to be:
- Cohorts of 15-25 people.
- They start together and progress individually at their own pace.
- There's a dedicated forum and weekly check-ins, maybe also required milestone check-ins.
- 1-2 mentors are available and lead design critiques and feedback sessions
- Milestones every 3-4 weeks
- Multiple cohort start dates throughout the year
- Weekly Rhythm: Optional co-working sessions, peer feedback exchanges
- Monthly Rhythm: Mentor-led critique sessions, guest expert talks
- Phase Transitions: Group reflection sessions, project showcases
Pathways
Ours could look something like this:
- Intro to design (primarily self-guided & third-party since it's very basic, but helps with foundations)
- Intro to bitcoin for designers (learning the basics of bitcoin - Getting Started in the guide)
- Intro to design in open-source (navigating open-source, via Open Design Guide)
- Bitcoin design in practice (getting hands-on with various more complex challenges, possibly in collaboration with real projects)
We could also draw from the learning bootcamp.
If each pathway is 4-6 weeks, it might take half a year for someone to make it through. Quite a commitment. We'd also have to figure out how many mentors we'd need to have available at all times to make this work.
Once we've narrowed in on something, it would definitely be good to run these ideas past other orgs who run programs like this, to get a sanity check.