Episode 229: OSCA 2023 with Stephen Okonkwo on Design and OSCA Festival

Guest Stephen Okonkwo Panelist Richard Littauer Show Notes In this
episode of Sustain, the OSCA 2023 series, host Richard welcomes
Steve Okonkwo, a multidisciplinary designer who actively
contributes to the Open Source Community Africa (OSCA). Steve sheds
light on his role in enhancing user experience through thoughtful
design, particularly for OSCA, and shares his dedication to
continue elevating the design team's work. Richard and Steve
discuss the Sustain sub-event, the importance of design in open
source, and the intricacies of conference planning around open
source products. Steve also touches on the significance of
research, the need for transparency in open source communities, and
his personal journey and future aspirations within the design
landscape. Press download now to hear more! [00:01:07] Steve tells
us about his career as a multidisciplinary designer and his work in
open source. He discusses his focus on improving user experience
through design, including website and brand identity design for
OSCA. [00:02:01] Richard compliments the OSCA’s branding,
particularly the orange logos, and Steve mentions that OSCA has
been his primary focus, and he plans to continue supporting their
design team. [00:02:55] There was a large attendance at the last
OSCAFest and a Sustain sub-event. Steve tells us he was the design
facilitator for the design side of Sustain. [00:03:40] Steve
highlights key points from OSCA discussions, including the growing
opportunities for designers in open source and the importance of
contributing to project aesthetics. [00:05:30] The conversation
shifts to the iterative nature of web design and user experience,
and Steve emphasizes the importance of research and testing in
design updates to prevent overwhelming users. [00:06:37] Richard
discusses the uniqueness of working with open source communities
and the need for transparency. Steve talks about his approach to
working with open source, emphasizing transparency, communications,
and commitment to quality. [00:08:09] Richard asks about building a
conference around open source products, and Steve shares insights
from OSCAFest, including showcasing new tools like Penpot.
[00:10:15] Richard inquires about challenges in designing the OSCA
festival, and Steven mentions issues with physical artwork and
space design. [00:11:02] What’s next for Steve? He talks about his
current role as a multidisciplinary designer in Spokane,
Washington, and his aspirations in open source design. [00:12:06]
Find out where you can find out more about Steve’s work on the web.
Quotes [00:05:19] “They always say in the tech industry, the web is
never done.” [00:05:45] “Research is a very important part of
design.” Links SustainOSS (https://sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS
Twitter
(https://twitter.com/SustainOSS?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
SustainOSS Discourse (https://discourse.sustainoss.org/)
podcast@sustainoss.org (mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org) SustainOSS
Mastodon (https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open
Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
(https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/@richlitt) Richard Littauer Instagram
(https://www.instagram.com/richlittv3) Steve Okonkwo Twitter
(https://twitter.com/steveanthny) Stephen Okonkwo LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenokonkwo/) Steve Okonkwo Website
(https://read.cv/steve990) Penpot (https://penpot.app/) OSCA
(https://oscafrica.org/) OSCA Festival
(https://festival.oscafrica.org/) Credits Produced by Richard
Littauer (https://www.burntfen.com/) Edited by Paul M. Bahr at
Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by
DeAnn Bahr Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/)
Special Guest: Stephen Okonkwo.