[libreoffice-design] Team organization

Hi guys,
Sorry for my lack of involvement lately, I've been very busy.

I've been thinking about our team lately and I'd really like to rethink the
way we work. I feel like we don't have the basics down, and that's a
gigantic issue that also reflects on our work. Part of the problem is that
the team doesn't have a clear structure -- we need leads to resolve
controversies and bring consistency to the whole of LibreOffice. As Theodor
Nelson writes (and Jan Borchardt reiterates [1]), "The integration of
software cannot be achieved by committee, where everyone has to put in
their own additions (featuritis again). It must be controlled by
dictatorial artists with full say on the final cut. " Not only that --
having leads means having clear go-to people for design-related problems
and allows more effective communication -- the communication chaos that we
currently have would be reduced.

I'm thinking we could have these positions:
* UX lead
* Visual design lead
* User testing lead

The *user testing lead* would see to it that whatever needs to be tested
gets tested and that the tests are carried out well. The lead wouldn't have
to personally take part in tests -- as we have volunteers all over the
world, that would sometimes be impossible -- but they would have to make
sure that the tests get done and are sufficiently accurate to be useful.
The *visual design lead* would oversee all visual design related work. That
means making sure that all graphical elements that are needed get made and
follow a certain style. It also means creating visual design and branding
guidelines and style guides when they're needed.
The *UX lead* would care for the general UX of LibreOffice. That means
bringing attention to important UX bugs, watching over their progress, and
cooperating with the user testing lead, the visual design lead, and
developers based on what each bug requires. It also involves refining the
design process, from the bug report stage all the way to implementation.

It should be noted that these positions would pertain only to the software,
not to related projects such as the websites, social networks, branding
material, etc., to keep the workload lighter. However, rules and guidelines
for the software would apply to these projects when relevant. To further
lighten the workload, larger projects (e.g. Android remote, color
management, etc.) could have their own lead as well. The project lead would
report to the three leads listed above.

Having these three positions would change only the way we work within the
design team. The relationship of the team with other teams would not change
-- devs would still get the final say and leads would have no special roles
or privileges within TDF.

Anyway, chime in with your thoughts -- in order to work well, we really
need to get the core structure down.

Also, if you'd like to be a lead, please speak up. We have a shortage of
volunteers, so anyone interested is greatly appreciated.

[1] http://jancborchardt.net/usability-in-free-software

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