learning

In August 2025, I had the chance to attend Open Source Summit Europe 2025, a flagship event by the Linux Foundation, held in Amsterdam from 25 to 27 August. As a first-time speaker and designer stepping into a developer-dominated space, I joined thousands of contributors, maintainers, and innovators for four days of talks, workshops, and community days focused on advancing open source software. What started with a bit of hesitation quickly turned into an inspiring experience, proving that design has a vital seat at the open source table.

The Sustain Africa event is a one-day unconference held at the OSCA Festival, a huge open source conference hosted by the Open Source Community Africa (OSCA). It brings together builders and users of open source projects to discuss key aspects of OSS, including design, governance, web development, and maintainer burnout. As a designer, I found the conversations on sustaining OSS design really valuable.

At Superbloom, clients often are curious about audience and how to reach people beyond the usual suspect for an app or tool. Most recently, we were approached by a client who asked a vital question with real implications: How can our tool and brand better appeal to marginalized genders and identities? It's a question more organizations should be asking — especially those building tools meant to empower or protect users, such as privacy-focused software. But as simple as the question sounds, answering it—and acting on it—requires a deliberate, often uncomfortable reckoning.

If you’re creating technology in 2025, take a hint from the feature wish lists of activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. Here’s our 2025 guide to what you should consider including in every tech tool and why.