⬇️ Open source slides: https://gitlab.com/pedroms/presentations/tree/2019-10-30-zain-talks-remote-design-gitlab How we do design at GitLab, a totally remote and transparent organization, with an open source product where anyone in the world can contribute and see what we’re working on. Event: The Zain Talks #10 (https://www.meetup.com/zain-talks/events/265526426/) Date: October 30, 2019 Location: Nest Collective Downtown, Coimbra, Portugal

1. Remote
Designat GitLab
Pedro Moreira da Silva
Senior Product Designer at GitLab
@PedroMScom
Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides

2. @PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 2

3. What’s GitLab?
GitLab is an open source tool for people to collaborate
on software development, from idea to production.
It unifies code repository management, project
management, code review, CI/CD, monitoring, and more,
into a single UI.
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 3

4. The entire DevOps lifecycle in one application
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 4

5. Is it any good?
— 2014, GitLab was incorporated
— $2.75B valuation after Series E funding
— 4th fastest-growing software company in America
— 2/3 market share in the self-managed Git market
— 2,500+ contributors
— One of the top 30 open source projects
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 5

6. Used by more than 100,000 organizations
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 6

7. @PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 7

8. !"
The secret sauce
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 8

9. !"
The secret sauce
1. Open source
2. Transparency
3. Public handbook
4. Remote-only
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 9

10. !
Open source
1. Started in 2011 by Dmitriy in
Ukraine, without running
water.
2. First commit in October 2011
3. Released every month on the
22nd since then.
4. gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-
foss/commit/0f43e98e…
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 10

11. !"
Two flavors
— GitLab Community Edition:
free and open source
— GitLab Enterprise Edition:
paid and open core (public
code under proprietary
license)
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 11

12. !
Our work is public
— Everything happens in public
repositories on GitLab.com
— Even our proprietary software
is publicly readable
— Everyone can contribute, even
customers!
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 12

13. What else is public?
How about…
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 13

14. What else is public?
How about…
Everything.
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 14

15. !
Everything is open to the world
!
How we make product decisions about.gitlab.com/handbook/product
!
How our sales team works about.gitlab.com/handbook/sales
!
Our vacation policy about.gitlab.com/handbook/paid-time-off
!
Our stock option policies about.gitlab.com/handbook/stock-options
!
Our hiring policies about.gitlab.com/handbook/hiring
!
How much you can earn as a <your role here>
about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/global-compensation/calculator
15

16. @PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 16

17. Open tasks
List of open UX issues
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 17

18. Open source files
Sketch library, mockups, icons,
illustrations
Design Project
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 18

19. Open artifacts/
deliverables
Sketches, works in progress,
diagrams
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 19

20. Open previews/
teasers
Dribbble shots and tweets
Inviting participation at GitLab
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 20

21. Open stories/case
studies
Blog posts, webcasts,
and talks (like this one!)
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 21

22. Open research
Hypotheses, videos, insights,
recommendations
UX Research Insights
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 22

23. Open meetings
Recurring or one-time video calls
YouTube channel
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 23

24. “Yeah this is all great, but…
how do you do all of this?”
— You
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 24

25. Remote-only
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 25

26. 990+ team members
63 countries
16+ timezones
0 offices
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 26

27. Everyone works
from home or
from a co-work
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 27

28. Everyone works
in Pajamas
(That is, by the way, the name of our
Design System: design.gitlab.com)
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 28

29. !
Remote-only means…
— We can hire the best people
— You choose the time and
place to work
— We measure results, not hours
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 29

30. But remote-only also means:
many challenges to do design
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 30

31. !
Key learnings from the past 3 years
1. Open source project, open design
2. Great communication
3. Async collaboration
4. Small steps, boring solutions
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 31

32. !
1. Open design: transparency levels
1. World (Open source, government, public institutions)
2. User community (Closed source products/services)
3. Customers/clients
4. Company (Internal projects)
5. Department
6. Project team (Most projects)
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 32

33. @PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 33

34. !
1. Open design: benefits
— It brings clarity to your work and process
— Clients, colleagues, and users feel included and
valued
— You get diverse feedback from a wider group of
people
— Other people learn from what you did right/wrong
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 34

35. !✍
2. Great communication
about.gitlab.com/handbook/communication
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 35

36. !✍
2. Great communication
1. Share ideas in the lowest fidelity possible
2. Set expectations
3. Overcommunicate, ask for feedback, antecipate
questions, share the rationale
4. Provide context and use ubiquitous language
5. Keep a Single Source of Truth
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 36

37. ⏱
3. Async collaboration
1. Written communication first
2. Work as if people are offline
3. Sometimes sync communication is better
4. Use digital tools to collaborate
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 37

38. !
4. Small steps, boring
solutions
@PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 38

39. @PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 39

40. @PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 40

41. @PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 41

42. @PedroMScom • Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal • Open source slides 42

43. Thank you
@pedromscom
pedroms.com
Open source slides
Psst, we’re hiring worldwide:
about.gitlab.com/jobs
Zain Talks, October 30, 2019 @ Coimbra, Portugal 43