Outreachy project - Mapping values and motivations of the Tor network

Project

• Research about relay operators' motivations, community core values, relay flags, the biggest relay families, and other Tor metrics that can be used for gamification. This research should include all types of relays: Guards, middle nodes, bridges, and exit nodes.
• Learn from the previous gamification efforts, and use research to imagine how we can improve and create a new gamification project.
• Build a classification system to organize the different motivations and values expressed by relay operators, including highlighting any "don'ts" for a potential gamification experience.
• Produce a report analyzing the findings and highlighting the most promising paths to be used as part of the gamification project.
• Build a prototype project brief with suggestions of possible gamification methods with realistic mockups.
• Produce a blog post summarizing the project, including its findings and the project brief.

Timeline

Week 1 and 2

Dec 6 - Dec 19

• Study: Understand Tor relays
• Passive UX research: Research about relay operators' motivations, community core values, relay flags, the biggest relay families

Week 3 and 4

Dec 20 - Jan 2

• Data analysis: Understand Tor metrics that can be used for gamification.
• Study: Learn from the previous gamifications efforts
• Study: Other gamification examples from other projects or open source communities

Week 5 and 6

Jan 3 - Jan 16

• Refining: Build a classification system to organize the different motivations and values expressed by relay operators
• Testing: Filtering factors the classification system with due constraints
• Ideation: Brainstorming all possible ways of gamifying the relay operator experience
• Report: Reporting the most promising paths for gamification

Week 7 and 8

Jan 17 - Jan 30

• Building Mockups: Build a prototype project brief with suggestions of possible gamification methods with realistic mockups.

Week 9 and 10

Jan 31 - Feb 13

• Continued from above: Continue building mockups
• Testing: possibly A/B test or simulate mockups with relay operators.

Week 11 and 12

Feb 14 - Feb 27

• Deploy: Possibly deploy the finished gamification experience / High-fidelity mockup
• Test: Test the live mockup as it is seen across a bigger pool of users
• Feedback gathering

Last 5 days

Feb 28 - Mar 4

• Propose improvements / future work from feedback gathered.
• Produce a blog post summarizing the project, including its findings and the project brief.