Enabling designer community as Firefox OS contributor

Firefox OS successfully lunched in Bangladesh. Already lots  of local apps and content available at Firefox Marketplace. And the number of apps are growing day by day. But we noticed the available apps does not looks good and attractive enough because of bad UI/UX design of the apps. The main reason is, lack of adequate knowledge and capacity of UI/UX design of the developers. To improve the situation Mozilla Bangladesh arrange an workshop on 21 November, 2014 at the Bishwo Shahitto Kendra, Dhaka for developers and designer to aware them about basics of UI and UX design for Firefox OS apps. Here Mozillian Rifaz wrote a blog describing what happened at the event.

Sashoto Seeam on the stage

Scopes and Opportunities

The initial goal of the event was to aware FirefoxOS apps developers about the
Firefox OS UI guidelines, basic tips and tricks about the UI and UX of
smart phone apps. So that people who are developing apps for Firefox OS
or already have some apps in marketplace can improve their UI and UX of
their apps and attract more users. But when we start promoting the event, we felt that their are more scopes of that event. We can engage and aware not only Firefox OS app developers, you can engage other developers who works for other platform like iOS or Android. Also there is a large designer community exists in the country who are designing for web/mobile apps and services. And it is a good opportunity to aware and enable them for Firefox OS app design.

Event audience

Basics you need to arrange the event

• Invite some of the greatest UI and UX designers as speaker of the event from the designer communities who already works in other platforms and have lots of fan followers within the communities. They'll talk about basics of UI and UX, and How you can design a better apps.
• Invite some good Firefox OS app developers as speaker who has some good apps at the marketplace and has knowledge about UI and UX and the Firefox OS app design guidelines. Actually they are making the connection between the designers tips and tricks with the Firefox OS development knowledge to bring a successful app in Marketplace. Also they can advice participants about the Marketplace itself.
• Promote the event publicly at the designer communities and the developers communities.
• Find a decent sized venue and arrange some good food for the event.
• 3 hours long workshop is not enough to go in depth of UI/UX designing or app development. So prepare the sessions and slid decks to cover basics of the topic.
• Also don't go so deep in topic while you are going to answer a question and query from audience. Keep in mind your track.

 

One of the event speakers

Expected outputs

• Attendees will have clear concept about user friendly interface and how to provide better User Experience in their mobile devices.
• Improvements in the description, screenshots, title and every other bit related to an app in the marketplace.
• New and innovative design for apps in the Marketplace.
• Grow connection between apps developers (coder) and UI/UX designers.
• New recruitment for the community.

Part of crowd

The event was only 3 hours long. It is not good enough to go in depth of
UI and UX design or app development. But it could be a good start to enable more
divers community to Firefox OS app development.

Blog post: http://rifaz.ghost.io/uiux-workshop-for-making-mobile-apps-and-firefox-os/
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/123203088@N08/sets/72157649420102235/
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUazE80dnX4u2usLoYVpK8N9FStKKj-ti

Slides used at the event:

• http://slides.com/sashotoseeam/
• http://slides.com/salmanrahmandesh/firefox-marketplace-payment-system#/
• http://www.slideshare.net/rOQSTArMushfiq/ui-design-41889992

Mozilla Bangladesh Maker Parties 2014

Maker Party is Mozilla's global campaign to teach the web. Through thousands of community-run events around the world, Maker Party unites educators, organizations and enthusiastic web users with hands-on learning and making this year from July 15 - September 15. The season has been began and lots of party pictures and news are coming at social medias. Mozilla Bangladesh also celebrating Maker Party season 2014 with at least 20 Maker Parties around the country arranged by community members.

Community members are promoting Webmaker from so long and they arranged lot of Webmaker events around the country. But we have noticed, there are some misconceptions about Webmaker projects and its goals among community members. As a result we experienced limited knowledge transfer, lack of community practice on makes and Webmaker tools. Sometimes we found the core values are missing at Webmaker events. Even missing Make!

In 2014 Mozilla Bangladesh community wants to reshuffle the whole Webmaker efforts and utilize the maker party season to spread the ideas, philosophy and values to the community members and as well grow the maker community. To do this we did series of online meetings with community members to identify the problems and fall backs of previous efforts. And decided to arrange as many as possible but at least 20 Maker Party around the country to spread Webmaker. We make an open call to community and we got more than 30 community members who want to arrange more than 30 maker parties at their home or universities with their friends, family members and colleagues. We suggest them two types of event and activities for their parties. Kitchen party for small size party with friends and family members. Hack Jam for medium size parties. Activities are open to hack for party owners.

For this year maker parties, we are encouraging participants to making things with the Webmaker tools at their maker parties and share them with others through social media. People will learn there about web, how it works and make the web with the Webmaker tools. We suggest them to make something related to our culture and heritage, specially about the hand made things which are important part of our culture but we are loosing them due to modernization. That is why the #tag for all the parties and makes is #BanglaMake14. You can find all the related activities with this hash-tag at social media and webmaker.org.

As the season began, parties and makes are coming out. More parties are coming next. If you want to join a maker party find one around you. If there is no party around you, let's host your own party. Let's Teach, Learn and Make.

WoMoz in Bangladesh, TechFest and what next

As the Mozilla manifesto underlines, we believe that all individuals must have the ability to shape their own experiences on the Internet. In order to ensure that we must improve the visibility of all minorities. We need to take special care to women, because this is the largest group among all minorities.

To achieve this goal WoMoz is a community composed of members from different Open Source projects. This community mainly dedicated to improving women's visibility and involvement in Free/Open Source and Mozilla, and to increase the number of women contributors.

WoMoz workshop

Mozilla Bangladesh has a project to grow the WoMoz community in Bangladesh to improve women's visibility and increase women's involvement in Free/Open Source and Mozilla and more women's contributions from Bangladesh. Mozilla Bangladesh already recruit two women Mozilla Reps and lot more women contributors in different Mozilla projects. They are having their own regular meetups, hangouts and events.

WoMoz hangout

To grow more and to aware and empower women the community arranged a day long event supported by Mozilla Bangladesh titled "CTG WoMoz TechFest" at Chittagong where more than 100 women participants learn about web, how to make web. They informed about Mozilla, make with webmaker and learn to develop app for Firefox OS. One of the participants named Jannatul Ferdows Jenny published her very first app at Firefox marketplace right after the event. She is student of Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology and she worked first time on Firefox app at the event. That proves how awesome and successful was the event.

CTG WoMoz Tech Fest

What is next? Many of them are eagerly waiting to know, what will be their next step? Many of them waiting for their next challenge. What we need to do to keep it rolling smoothly. We need more meet-ups, more workshops, more follow-up events. We have to give them more challenges for their self judgement, to be self motivated. Also we need to create more scopes for contribution and ensure rewards and recognitions for their contributions. We should thing about the key points I made bold to achieve our goals.

Mozilla Old Dhaka Meetup 1.0

Old Dhaka is the old or historic part of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It is the most crowded place in the country. Lots of people living here with many diversity and different profession. You can find people at here all most from every corner of the country. Lots of historic places and lots of interesting delicious foods is available here. Many community members of Mozilla Bangladesh are living in this part of the city including me. I proud for live in Old Dhaka.

But interesting fact is there is less presence of Mozilla here. We contribute to Mozilla from home, but met each other at other part of the city in any event or meetup. To meet Mozillians from Old Dhaka and plan some thing to increase the presence of Mozilla at this part of the city, I arranged a meetup for Old Dhaka Mozillians on 17 May, 2014 at Hotel Star old Dhaka branch.

The event was so successful, almost 15 people attend to the meetup including 5 reps. We did lot of discussions on different issues of our Mozilla activities and contributions. We decide to do some webmaker events in different schools and colleges at Old Dhaka. If possible we do hive events here. Since Mozilla Bangladesh is going to arrange MozCamp Alpha at Dhaka this month of next, we also utilize this occasion to discuss and plan the event. We talked about the MozCamp with other participants and inform them how the MozCamp will look like next.

Since the meetup was at old Dhaka and Hotel Star is famous for the traditional cuisine. I believe participants have enjoyed the meetup with food, fun and swag.

More event photos here https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=%23olddhakameet

Mozilla Bangladesh l10n Sprint May 2014

Mozilla Bangladesh organized a successful onsite l10n Sprint on 13 May 2014 at Hub Dhaka, Mirpur Dhaka to translate Firefox OS related strings and documents in Bangla. At the sprint 10 Mozillians gather at site and more than 5 Mozillians attended online. Mozillians complete localization and review of more than 1300 new Firefox OS strings. They translate Firefox OS related web content in Bangla which is more than 4000 words. They also review the scripts translated for Bangla voice over for Firefox OS related video content which is more than 7000 words. At the end of the sprint participants learned how to test Firefox OS through MozTrap. They committed to test Firefox OS and other incomplete tasks after the sprint from their home.

The event was so productive and successful and full of foods and fun. That was one of the best sprint I ever attended.

Event planning Pad: https://bangladesh.etherpad.mozilla.org/l10nSprintMay14?

More event photos: https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=%23MozBDl10nSprint

New Firefox Community Launch by Mozilla Bangldesh

I can remember the day 29 October back on 2009, we arranged a lunch party to celebrate Firefox 3.5 at Dhaka. That was the first event where we can manage to bring Firefox swags and distribute them to the participants. That was the day we decide we need to build and grow a community for Bangladesh to spread Firefox and words of Mozilla. And we start a Facebook page named Mozilla Bangladesh on that day. Feeling lucky that again I was again part of a launch party of Firefox 29.

It feels good when you got more than you wish. When you got lot more it deserves celebration. New Firefox (29) brings us once again that occasion to celebrate its launch with its new looks and exiting features. Mozilla Bangladesh arranged a community launch party to celebrate new Firefox launch on 9 May 2014 at Hub Dhaka, Mirpur Dhaka.

Mozilla table full of Firefox swags

At the party around 100 participants attended including all the Reps, active Mozillians and well wishers of Mozilla and Firefox browsers. The event start with an interesting ice breaking activities conducted by community lead Mahay Alam Khan.

Tapu Afrad taking about l10n

After that Reps Rahid, Noor, Aniruddha, Shafiul talked about different features of new Firefox and discussed about Mozilla missions and different products. The event ends with Q/A session. At last Mozillians are served with snacks and Firefox swags.

Participant group photo

Photos of the party:

• https://www.flickr.com/photos/mahayalamkhan/sets/72157644618600365/
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/ourherock/sets/72157644637379053

Launch party at News:

• http://www.prothom-alo.com/technology/article/213624
• http://www.kalerkantho.com/.../tech.../2014/05/12/83142
• http://ekhabor.com/2014/05/12/383/
• http://www.natunbarta.com/si-tech/2014/05/12/81326