_*A fourth speaker spot is available to allow for flexibility in scheduling, but ideally most UX forums should only have three speakers._
_*A fourth speaker spot is available to allow for flexibility in scheduling, but ideally most Upstream Forums should only have three speakers._
Tip for Product Design Managers: When adding new rows, include GitLab handles in parentheses after each name — e.g., `Name (@handle)`. This allows the [DesignOps UX Forum automation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/designops/-/tree/main/automations/ux-forum) to create tracking issues with correct @-mentions automatically.
Tip for Product Design Managers: When adding new rows, include GitLab handles in parentheses after each name — e.g., `Name (@handle)`. This allows the [DesignOps Upstream Forum automation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/designops/-/tree/main/automations/upstream-forum) to create tracking issues with correct @-mentions automatically.
The UX Forum is a recurring meeting for UX team members to share and discuss their work.
The Upstream Forum is a recurring meeting for UX team members to share and discuss their work.
---
## About UX Forum
## About Upstream Forum
{{% product/ux-forum %}}
{{% product/upstream-forum %}}
### Purpose
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@ description: >-
### Schedule
Forums are scheduled every two weeks. They are 60 minutes long to allow up to three team members to share for 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes of discussion time with the attendees. A fourth speaker spot is available to allow for flexibility in scheduling, but ideally most UX forums should only have three speakers.
Forums are scheduled every two weeks. They are 60 minutes long to allow up to three team members to share for 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes of discussion time with the attendees. A fourth speaker spot is available to allow for flexibility in scheduling, but ideally most Upstream Forums should only have three speakers.
- To be inclusive of our distributed team, we alternate the meeting start time every other occurrence to be either Americas/LAC/EMEA friendly or APAC friendly.
- Each forum is hosted by a Product Design Manager.
- Due to time zone restrictions for managers, the APAC UX Forum is hosted by another Product Designer, Technical Writer or UX researcher.
- Due to time zone restrictions for managers, the APAC Upstream Forum is hosted by another Product Designer, Technical Writer or UX researcher.
- Product Designers are assigned dates based on a randomly generated rotation:
- We ensure each designer has the opportunity to share twice a year.
- Gaps are left throughout the schedule for additional speakers.
@@ -42,11 +42,11 @@ If a speaker can't share on their assigned date, it's their responsibility to ma
- After you identify a trade, make an MR to update the schedule.
- Ask your Product Design Manager to review and merge.
**Live presentation is required**. Please do not record your topic in advance. The value of UX Forums comes from real-time discussion, the ability for attendees to ask questions and engage directly with you about your work, and the opportunity to share your work live with team members. Since we work remotely, these forums are one of the few occasions for this kind of direct interaction.
**Live presentation is required**. Please do not record your topic in advance. The value of Upstream Forums comes from real-time discussion, the ability for attendees to ask questions and engage directly with you about your work, and the opportunity to share your work live with team members. Since we work remotely, these forums are one of the few occasions for this kind of direct interaction.
{{% include "includes/product/ux-forum-schedule.md" %}}
{{% include "includes/product/upstream-forum-schedule.md" %}}
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ Successful forums share these aspects:
-**Informal**:
Avoid creating dedicated slides or assets, but use your best judgment to determine what's most effective: a prototype, a series of mockups, a process diagram, a journey map, a few slides, or something else.
The UX Forum is to share and discuss your work informally, not fancy storytelling.
The Upstream Forum is to share and discuss your work informally, not fancy storytelling.
-**Just enough sophistication**:
Help us strive for a [low level of shame](/handbook/values/#low-level-of-shame-when-dogfooding) and share your work with as little sophistication as possible.
While some topics gain from a more sophisticated story, this sophistication raises the perception of quality, puts unnecessary pressure on other speakers, and might make it harder for others to engage.
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ Examples of minimal forums:
### Preparation
- Prior to the UX Forum, add your specific topic to the meeting agenda.
- Prior to the Upstream Forum, add your specific topic to the meeting agenda.
- If this is an APAC forum and there is no host yet, consider [hosting](#hosting).
- Provide context for the problem:
- The scope of the problem
@@ -122,11 +122,11 @@ For more tips, see the [communication handbook page](/handbook/communication/#pr
## Hosting
Product Design Managers take turns hosting the UX Forum.
Product Design Managers take turns hosting the Upstream Forum.
### Recording the sessions
To limit the amount of post-UX Forum editing, please start and stop (not pause) the recording after each topic. This will ensure that each topic saves as an individual clip, which is much faster to edit than a 1-hour clip. Choose "record to computer" each time you record.
To limit the amount of post-Upstream Forum editing, please start and stop (not pause) the recording after each topic. This will ensure that each topic saves as an individual clip, which is much faster to edit than a 1-hour clip. Choose "record to computer" each time you record.
### Sharing on GitLab Unfiltered
@@ -135,10 +135,10 @@ If you need to edit the videos at all, you can use a video editor like iMovie.
Otherwise:
1. Locate the video clips on your computer.
1. Name the videos with "UX Forum" + the title of the topic.
1. Name the videos with "Upstream Forum" + the title of the topic.
1. Check with speakers to make sure the video is appropriate for the public (no customer names).
1. Upload the videos to [GitLab Unfiltered](https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05JrBw4t0Kq89nFXtkVviaIfYQPptwJz).
1. Add the videos to the [UX Forum playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05JrBw4t0Kq89nFXtkVviaIfYQPptwJz), and the [UX Team playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05JrBw4t0KqkW0oPW3n0HqVgKcONVnO5).
1. Add the videos to the [Upstream Forum playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05JrBw4t0Kq89nFXtkVviaIfYQPptwJz), and the [UX Team playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05JrBw4t0KqkW0oPW3n0HqVgKcONVnO5).
1. Set the visibility to Public.
1. NOTE: If the video content contains items that are un[SAFE](/handbook/legal/safe-framework/) mark the video as Private.
1. Share the YouTube links in `#upstream-studios` and `#product` Slack channels with a brief description of each topic.
@@ -153,9 +153,9 @@ Otherwise:
### Updating the schedule and preparing for next sessions
After each session, the [DesignOps UX Forum automation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/designops/-/tree/main/automations/ux-forum) automatically:
After each session, the [DesignOps Upstream Forum automation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/designops/-/tree/main/automations/upstream-forum) automatically:
1. Removes the completed session from the [schedule](https://gitlab.com/-/ide/project/gitlab-com/content-sites/handbook/edit/main/-/assets/includes/product/ux-forum-schedule.md) via an MR
1. Creates a [UX Forum tracking issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-design/-/issues?label_name=UX+Forum) in `gitlab-org/gitlab-design` for the next scheduled session, pre-filled with the host and speaker handles from the schedule
1. Removes the completed session from the [schedule](https://gitlab.com/-/ide/project/gitlab-com/content-sites/handbook/edit/main/-/assets/includes/product/upstream-forum-schedule.md) via an MR
1. Creates an [Upstream Forum tracking issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-design/-/issues?label_name=UX+Forum) in `gitlab-org/gitlab-design` for the next scheduled session, pre-filled with the host and speaker handles from the schedule
When editing the schedule, include GitLab handles in parentheses after each name — e.g., `Name (@handle)` — so the automation can @-mention the correct people.
