Contributing to Open Source as a Product Manager
Demystifying open source and learning how to contribute as a non-technical techie
Introduction
When you hear the phrase ‘Open Source,’ what comes to mind??
Coding? Software engineering? Github? Markdown? etc.
Just like many of you are right now, I was once confused about what open source meant and worse of, I always wondered,
how can a product manager efficiently contribute to open source?
I scanned through the internet looking for answers to both concerns and even though I understood what Open source meant, I still had a hard time figuring out how to contribute to it. Anyways, this was until I heard about Outreachy. We will come to that but before then let me help demystify the concept of, OPEN SOURCE, for you.
What is Open Source?
Open source refers to a type of software or project where the original source code is made freely available to the public. It means that anyone can view, use, modify, and distribute the software without restrictions.
It’s like having a recipe for a delicious dish that you can share with anyone and they can modify it to suit their taste.
Why is Open Source Encouraged?
Open source promotes collaboration and community involvement, allowing people from all over the world to contribute their ideas and improvements. It’s like a big team effort where everyone can benefit from and contribute to making the software better.
Open Source for Non- Technical Techies
Even if you’re not a technical person like me (I am a product manager), there are several ways you can contribute to open source projects:
- Documentation: Many open source projects need help with writing and improving documentation. You can contribute by writing tutorials, guides, or improving existing documentation to make it more accessible and understandable for users.
- Testing and Bug Reporting: As a non-technical user, you can test open source software and report any bugs or issues you encounter. This helps developers identify and fix problems, improving the overall quality of the software.
- User Support: Participate in forums, discussion boards, or mailing lists related to the open source project. Offer help to other users by answering questions, providing guidance, or sharing your experiences with the software.
- Translation: If you’re fluent in multiple languages, you can contribute by translating software interfaces, documentation, or websites into different languages. This helps make the software more accessible to users worldwide.
- Design and User Experience (UX): If you have design skills, you can contribute by creating or improving the user interface, icons, or other visual elements of the project. Good design and UX greatly enhance the usability and appeal of open source software.
- User Research: Every company building a problem solving product is interested in knowing the minds of its users regardless of what stage the product is. You can contribute by carrying our user surveys on target users, initial users, customers etc. in order to give feedback to the company. You will have contributed immensely by doing this and they will value it.
- Advocacy: Another way to effectively contribute to open spurce projects is to spread the word about open source projects. Write blog posts, share on social media, or give presentations at events to raise awareness and attract more users and contributors to the project.
Remember, contributing to open source is not limited to coding. Every contribution, no matter how small, can make a difference in the success of an open source project.
Now, What is Outreachy?
Remember how I said I had scanned the internet looking for how best to contribute to Open Source as a product manager?
On a certain day, I was scanning through a tech community (HerTechTrail) slack channel and I came across a post about Outreachy. Well, just like so many other open source communities like CHAOSS, LINUX, Girl Script Summer of Code (GSSoC), Outreachy is a program that provides internships and opportunities for individuals who are traditionally underrepresented in the field of open source software development.
The program aims to increase diversity and inclusivity by offering internships to women, trans men, genderqueer individuals, and people from other marginalized groups. Through Outreachy, participants have the chance to work on real-world projects with experienced mentors from various open source communities.
The program offers three-month internships where participants receive a stipend for their work (Actually $7,000USD). These internships can be done remotely, allowing individuals from different parts of the world to participate.
Outreachy internships are open twice a year
- Mid-year internships run from May through August
- End-of-year internships run from December through March.
Outreachy not only focuses on coding but also includes other areas like design, documentation, user experience, and more. It provides a supportive environment for individuals who may be new to open source and helps them gain practical experience, develop their skills, and build connections within the open source community.
The program encourages individuals to apply even if they don’t have prior experience in open source. It values diversity and aims to create a welcoming and inclusive community where everyone’s contributions are appreciated.
You can read more about Outreachy and subscribe to this newsletter if you’d like to be notified when the next initial application phase opens.
How I contributed to Open Source via Outreachy as a PM
I decided to apply for the May- August phase and I was asked to submit an initial application. I got selected to go on to the contribution stage and I had to scroll through the project list to choose a project to contribute to. (Projects are basically provided by Open source companies. It can be specific to a product or to the company in general).
After minutes of scrolling and scrolling (because most of the projects required technical skills that I did not have and I cannot come and kee myself lol), I came across The Oppia Foundation and it was like I had struck gold.
The Oppia Foundation is an education technology platform that aims to address educational inequality and expand access to quality education through the creation and use of personalized, engaging, and effective lessons that are specially designed to meet the unique needs of under-resourced learners around the world.
I quickly looked through the project requirement and tasks and I saw that I could do the. The tasks included things like;
- Conduct an extensive User Research and go-to-market activities to increase usage and awareness of Oppia on web and mobile in underprivileged areas in your community.
- Conduct a research with students to validate the effectiveness of the platform to ensure that users are able to use it correctly and that they have a good experience.
- Translate English lessons on the platform to another language you are comfortable with.
- Engage in community outreach and developed impactful partnerships with schools and nonprofits that will benefit a large number of students.
- Draft documents used in reaching out to potential partners and implementing pilot plans for implementation of Oppia lessons, as well as plans for longer-term use of the lessons.
- Create Videos as a means of storytelling and documentary of kids learning using the Oppia Platform.
- Conduct at least 2 studies out of the following: Android baseline; Web baseline; Lesson effectiveness; and Onboarding + Lesson Player + Learner Dashboard.
- Identified several bugs in the web app affecting the smooth learning of kids to the engineering team.
I attempted almost all the tasks and submitted.
I wasn’t selected as an intern for the next stage but I had contributed to open source durlingsss!! That was what mattered and because I was genuinely interested in the project, I did not mind continuing to contribute. (As a tip, don’t just contribute for contributing sake. Get involved with a project you really like and care about).
Right now, that opportunity is sitting pretty in my resume as a project I have contributed to as open source, highlighting the skills I picked up on the way such as presentation skills, UX research skills, documentation, market research and communication skills.
So you see, Open Source is indeed open to everyone to contribute. You just have to find a way to do so and a project that resonates with you.
I hope you enjoyed reading and if you came looking for answers, I hope this helped.
Feel free to drop a comment, clap or ask further questions about Outreachy, Oppia and open source for non-technical techies in general.
Byeee.
