One thing that is special about KDE software is how it can mean different things depending on your perspective. This is very powerful from a technical perspective, but can make our work harder when we want to convey what our piece of software does and how it will affect its users’ life. How do we optimize our product development towards user acquisition and support?

At Akademy, I discussed shedding some light on the blurry lines that sometimes define our products, and did so based around the Marketing-Mix I was taught at university (so no, I’m not an expert!). I presented it first at a talk, then we had a subsequent BoF session to discuss it and see how it mapped to some projects (we did Plasma and Okular, as a test) to get acquainted with the concept.

What will evolving this process look like? For starters, having some people more knowledgeable on the topic involved. Some already told me they are interested in helping. Big thanks 😊. And then, let’s get our hands dirty.

Maybe more hands-on for each product? I can see ourselves sitting down and discussing how the status quo contrasts with the picture the Marketing Mix would suggest for our products. I have done it for some, and I have the feeling that there is a lot of unexplored potential.

Is your work available on the places you would like it available? Is the product you have in mind the same you’re promoting?

Now are you interested in helping with this process? Would you like to see how we can polish the product you are maintaining? Is there a product in KDE that you think could use this kind of help? Comment down below or send me an e-mail at aleixpol@kde.org and I’ll see to finding some time to sit down and working on it.