Graham Morrison
on 18 December 2025
FOSDEM is one of the biggest and most exciting open source events of the year, held at the Solbosch campus of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels), Belgium.
Thousands of open source contributors and enthusiasts attend, often with several folks from Canonical among them. The next one is coming quickly, with FOSDEM 2026 being held across the weekend of January 31st – February 1st.
For the first time, a few of us from the Design and Documentation teams at Canonical are going to both attend and organize a free FOSDEM Fringe event on Monday February 2nd, between 09:00 and 17:00. Anyone who needs help with their open source work is invited, as are unaffiliated individuals who want to learn more about either Design or Documentation.
How we can help
Our fringe event includes both Design and Documentation clinics where attendees can ask questions and get the help they need to fix a problem, get a review, or create a solution. Items you might want to consider include:
Design clinic:
- UX/UI reviews: Professional feedback on your CLI or GUI.
- Workflow optimization: Streamline how users interact with your tool.
- Visualization: Learn how to create and share your ideas.
Documentation clinic:
- Structure and strategy: Organize and plan your content for better navigability.
- Tooling setup: Pick and configure the right documentation tools.
- Onboarding: Make it easier for new contributors to join.
But these are just a guide. We’re up for any challenge!
Register now
When: Monday 2nd February, between 09:00 and 17:00.
Where: LaVallée, Bruxelles, Bruxelles.
To give us some idea of numbers, we’re asking anyone who may want to attend to register their interest first. Please fill in the following form and we’ll be in touch:
Documentation and Design Clinic @FOSDEM Fringe Attendance Form
Questions? Find us on Matrix at #design:ubuntu.com and #documentation:ubuntu.com.
Join the Canonical design team
We’re looking for designers who care about craft and how systems work under the hood. At Canonical, design sits at the intersection of UX, engineering, and open source where we shape cohesive, accessible experiences across cloud, desktop, and IoT products.
If you enjoy solving complex problems and turning technical depth into clarity, explore our open roles: canonical.com/careers
