Within Mautic, we are constantly striving to improve our community and the experience for all our contributors. Our UX/UI Tiger Team, announced in a blog post at the end of 2023, was formed to focus specifically on enhancing the user experience and user interface of Mautic. Since its inception, the team has made significant strides, but we've also faced some challenges along the way.

Listening to the community

We deeply value the feedback from our community, and we've heard your concerns loud and clear. Here are some of the struggles that have been highlighted:

Communication

There have been instances where the communication from the UX/UI Tiger Team was perceived as too direct, missing the nuance required for effective dialogue.

Decision process

Some community members felt that their voices were not heard, and decisions appeared to be pushed forward without a clear explanation of the rationale behind them.

Collaboration

The perception that the main decision-makers were from a single company led to concerns about a lack of diverse input, even though this was not the intention.

Addressing the challenges

In response to this feedback, we want to highlight that the changes in regards to the UX/UI Tiger Team governance are part of a bigger framework, and this framework will also be applied to all other Tiger Teams within the Mautic community.  What we are learning as we're implementing our first Tiger Team is informing how we'll develop and grow them in the future. Our goal is to foster a more inclusive, transparent, and collaborative environment across the whole project.

Improved communication

We will ensure that all communications are more nuanced and considerate of diverse perspectives within the community. Regular updates will be shared to keep everyone informed about ongoing projects and decisions, e.g. via blog posts of the tiger team.

Inclusive decision process

For bigger topics that require community input (referred to as ‘significant decisions’ in the governance model), we will initiate debates within the Tiger Team Assembly. This approach will ensure that all voices are heard, and a consensus is reached before any major changes are implemented. You can participate in these discussions and provide your input at our UX/UI Tiger Team Assembly.

To ensure the needed input and feedback can be gathered in, it’s the responsibility of the Tiger Team to share the debate in other channels like the #tt-ux_ui Slack channel or more publicly in co-ordination with the Marketing Team. 

Any decisions which are deemed to be non-trivial decisions (according to the governance model) are being shared as individual posts on Slack for discussion and collaboration. 

Trivial decisions are made within the individual pull request with explanations which inform the reviewer as to the decision being made and the rationale. 

Enhanced collaboration

We recognize the importance of diverse perspectives. While it's true that this project has been funded by Dropsolid, and that two main members from the same company have been actively involved, we are committed to ensuring that decisions reflect the broader community's input. 

Already, extra members from the community joined the discussions on Slack and on Github, and we will actively seek participation from a wider range of contributors to avoid any perception of bias.

How you can help

We believe that the strength of the Mautic community lies in its diversity and collective expertise. Here’s how you can contribute to the UX/UI Tiger Team:

• Join the team: Anyone is welcome to join the UX/UI Tiger Team. Whether you have expertise in UX/UI design or simply have ideas to improve the user experience, your contributions are valuable.
• Provide feedback: Share your thoughts and feedback on current projects. Your insights help us make informed decisions that benefit the entire community.
• Test proposed changes: Help to move things forward by testing and reviewing proposed changes. This can all be done in the browser and all you need to know is how to log into Mautic, check the documentation for more detail.
• Share ideas: If you have innovative ideas to enhance the Mautic user experience, we want to hear them. Your creativity can drive significant improvements.
• Participate in discussions: Engage in debates and discussions on our UX/UI Tiger Team Assembly or join the conversation on the #tt-ux_ui Slack channel.

Your involvement can make a real difference. Together, we can build a better Mautic.

Moving Forward

We are dedicated to taking the learnings from the process in shaping the UX/UI Tiger Team within the community for future teams to be formed. Your feedback is crucial to this process, and we are committed to continuous improvement. By establishing a clear governance structure, we aim to create a more transparent and inclusive environment where every member of the community feels valued and heard.