Our mission is to make Tor usable for everyone by promoting the principles of human-centered design throughout the Tor Project, and the wider community too. Though small, we're a full-stack design team encompassing the following disciplines:
Our mission is to make Tor usable for everyone by promoting the principles of human-centered design throughout the Tor Project, and the wider community too. Though small, we're a full-stack design team encompassing the following disciplines:
* User experience (UX) and product design
* User experience (UX) and product design
* Ethical user research
* Ethical user research
* Brand design
* Brand design
We hold weekly meetings to share what we're working on and plan our tasks for the coming week **every Monday at 1600 UTC**. Guests with an interest in the usability of censorship-circumvention and privacy preserving technology are always welcome. If you'd like to join, please reach out via one of the communication methods listed below.
We hold weekly meetings to share what we're working on and plan our tasks for the coming week **every Monday at 1600 UTC**. Guests with an interest in the usability of censorship-circumvention and privacy preserving technology are always welcome. If you'd like to join, please reach out via one of the communication methods listed below.
## Team members
## Team members
The UX Team includes volunteers from across the globe who collaborate with the following core contributors:
The UX Team includes volunteers from across the globe who collaborate with the following core contributors:
| name | role | email | IRC |
| name | role | email | IRC |
|------|----------|-------|-----|
|------|----------|-------|-----|
| Duncan | UX Team Lead | duncan at torproject dot org | donuts |
| Duncan | UX Team Lead | duncan at torproject dot org | donuts |
If you'd like to contribute to open user research at the Tor Project, please see our [checklist for new volunteers](https://community.torproject.org/user-research/how-to-volunteer/) and join us at one of our future team meetings.
If you'd like to contribute to open user research at the Tor Project, please see our [checklist for new volunteers](https://community.torproject.org/user-research/how-to-volunteer/) and join us at one of our future team meetings.
## How to reach us
## How to reach us
### Text-based chat
### Text-based chat
UX Team members are active in the `#tor-ux`[IRC channel](https://www.torproject.org/about/contact.html.en#irc) on the [OFTC network](https://oftc.net/), and the equivalent [matrix channel](https://matrix.org/)`#tor-ux:matrix.org`, on weekdays from around 1400–2200 UTC. However, please keep any discussion on these channels on-topic, and see `#tor` for general user support instead.
UX Team members are active in the `#tor-ux`[IRC channel](https://www.torproject.org/about/contact.html.en#irc) on the [OFTC network](https://oftc.net/), and the equivalent [matrix channel](https://matrix.org/)`#tor-ux:matrix.org`, on weekdays from around 1400–2200 UTC. However, please keep any discussion on these channels on-topic, and see `#tor` for general user support instead.
### Email
### Email
We can be reached privately via the email alias **ux-team at torproject dot org**.
We can be reached privately via the email alias **ux-team at torproject dot org**.
### On the forum
### On the forum
We're also active on the [Tor Project forum](https://forum.torproject.net/). Although there isn't a dedicated section for the UX Team, we typically monitor and reply to posts in the [Tor Browser Feedback](https://forum.torproject.net/c/feedback/tor-browser-feedback/7), [Tor Browser Alpha Feedback](https://forum.torproject.net/c/feedback/tor-browser-alpha-feedback/6) and [Website Feedback](https://forum.torproject.net/c/feedback/websites-feedback/9) sections, alongside recent Tor Browser release posts within the [News](https://forum.torproject.net/c/news/11) section.
We're also active on the [Tor Project forum](https://forum.torproject.net/). Although there isn't a dedicated section for the UX Team, we typically monitor and reply to posts in the [Tor Browser Feedback](https://forum.torproject.net/c/feedback/tor-browser-feedback/7), [Tor Browser Alpha Feedback](https://forum.torproject.net/c/feedback/tor-browser-alpha-feedback/6) and [Website Feedback](https://forum.torproject.net/c/feedback/websites-feedback/9) sections, alongside recent Tor Browser release posts within the [News](https://forum.torproject.net/c/news/11) section.
## Current priorities
## Current priorities
For the next year, our priorities are to:
For the next year, our priorities are to:
- Support the design and development of the Tor VPN.
- Support the design and development of the Tor VPN.
- Release Tor Browser 13.5 and 14.0 featuring product improvements based on empirical research.
- Release Tor Browser 13.5 and 14.0 featuring product improvements based on empirical research.
- Design and ship new features to Android in parallel with desktop.
- Design and ship new features to Android in parallel with desktop.
- Conduct qualitative, community-focused user research in China, Latin America and East Africa.
- Conduct qualitative, community-focused user research in China, Latin America and East Africa.
- Improve developer hand-off, standardize our development cycles and document our design/development methodology.
- Improve developer hand-off, standardize our development cycles and document our design/development methodology.
- Update and expand our product design libraries and tooling.
- Update and expand our product design libraries and tooling.
- Refresh the Tor brand and release an updated style guide.
- Refresh the Tor brand and release an updated style guide.
- Continue to boost fundraising, outreach and communications efforts with good design.
- Continue to boost fundraising, outreach and communications efforts with good design.
### Our projects
### Our projects
Here's what we're working on right now:
Here's what we're working on right now:
*[Sponsor 9 – Usability and Community Intervention on Support for Democracy and Human Rights](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/48)
*[Project 9 – Usability and Community Intervention on Support for Democracy and Human Rights](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/48)
*[Sponsor 96 – Rapid Expansion of Access to the Uncensored Internet through Tor in China, Hong Kong, & Tibet](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/24)
*[Project 96 – Rapid Expansion of Access to the Uncensored Internet through Tor in China, Hong Kong, & Tibet](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/24)
*[Sponsor 101 – Tor VPN Client for Android](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/32)
*[Project 101 – Tor VPN Client for Android](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/32)
*[Sponsor 131 – Refactoring Tor Browser for Desktop](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/applications/-/milestones/11)
*[Project 131 – Refactoring Tor Browser for Desktop](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/applications/-/milestones/11)
*[Sponsor 144 – Creating a public bank of user stories](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?label_name%5B%5D=Sponsor+144)
*[Project 144 – Creating a public bank of user stories](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?label_name%5B%5D=Sponsor+144)
*[UX Kanban](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/boards?label_name[]=UX%20Team): Tracks all issues that impact Tor's user experience across the organization.
*[UX Kanban](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/boards?label_name[]=UX%20Team): Tracks all issues that impact Tor's user experience across the organization.
*[Team Kanban](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/boards?scope=all&label_name[]=UX%20Team): Tracks the issues currently assigned to the UX Team (including upcoming tasks).
*[Team Kanban](https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/boards?scope=all&label_name[]=UX%20Team): Tracks the issues currently assigned to the UX Team (including upcoming tasks).
*[UX Team Roadmap](https://www.figma.com/file/n4ETd0cUkcfj3KyclJQnt3/UX-Team-Planning?node-id=0%3A1): An overview of the team's quarterly roadmap and priorities.
*[UX Team Roadmap](https://www.figma.com/file/n4ETd0cUkcfj3KyclJQnt3/UX-Team-Planning?node-id=0%3A1): An overview of the team's quarterly roadmap and priorities.
*[UX Repository](https://gitlab.torproject.org/ux): Home to all the UX-related tickets and public files that don't belong in a specific repo.
*[UX Repository](https://gitlab.torproject.org/ux): Home to all the UX-related tickets and public files that don't belong in a specific repo.
