Questions to address in the vision doc

--- date: 2025-03-14 url: https://hackmd.io/eFdEtyGaSWapeCoy3SFuuA --- # Questions to address in the vision doc See [Draft Blog Post](https://hackmd.io/z_nsCe_8Ttm2AINKBzTOHQ?edit) for context around goals. ## Interview guidelines * Keep questions open-ended; the goal is to learn information, not to give it. Use "TED walks" questions... * Tell me about... * Explain to me... * Describe... * Walk me through... * If you have ideas for how to solve their problems, note them and share them later. * Focus on real-world examples and concrete experiences. Don't ask your interviewees to speculate. * Be aware of biases, especially confirmation bias. * To avoid a heavy burden, interviews should be about 20-30 minutes. You can do follow-up chats if desired. * Prefer two people, one leading and one shadowing (taking notes, observing). Record if subject is willing; if they are not, take as detailed minutes as you can manage. ## Basic interview script The basic interview script looks like this... Introduction: * No wrong answers, if I ask you follow-up questions, I'm just trying to understand, not judging you. * Can I have your permission to record this, it won't be associated with your name, will be anonymous, and you can ask me to delete it and I will. * If yes: start recording now. * I'm going to leave time at the end for anything other topics or you can contact me later Script: * "How did you first start using Rust?" * "What was that journey like for you, what have you learned?" * "If someone asked you whether they should do X, would you recommend it to them? Why or why not?" * e.g., "What groups of people would you recommend use Rust today? Are there users to whom you would NOT recommend Rust (and why)?" * How does using Rust make you feel? * End with: Are there any topics you want to talk about that we didn't cover? ...where you should dig deeper into whatever they answer. ## Tailoring the script These are examples of the kinds of questions that we will ask people. One key thing is that they are all *evidence based*, meaning that we want to ask people about their *experiences*, not their *opinions*. So don't ask them what they like about Rust, ask what has worked well for them; and don't ask what we should change, ask them where they have struggled. ### For users (and potentially everyone) Introduction: * No wrong answers, if I ask you follow-up questions, I'm just trying to understand, not judging you. * Can I have your permission to record this, it won't be associated with your name, will be anonymous, and you can ask me to delete it and I will. * If yes: start recording now. * I'm going to leave time at the end for anything other topics or you can contact me later Script: * "What brought you to Rust? How did you first started doing X?" * "What kinds of projects have you built in Rust?" * "How did you find using Rust initially and how has it changed over time?" * How does using Rust make you feel? * "In what ways do you feel Rust helps you?" * "Where do you feel Rust gets in your way?" * "Have you recommended Rust to other people -- or have you recommend other people *not* use Rust? Why or why not?" * End with: Are there any topics you want to talk about that we didn't cover? ### For Rust project maintainers, contributors * "How did you come to contribute to Rust?" * "How did you find contributing to Rust initially and how has it changed over time?" * "What do you like about being a Rust maintainer?" * "What do you find frustrating or wish was different?" * "What have you been blocked on when trying to contribute the project?" * "How do you personally decide what things to work on?" ### For global communities * What draws people to Rust in your area? * What kinds of projects are people building with it? * How do people learn about Rust? * What kinds of things do they find difficult? * What things would make Rust more accessible to people in your community? * What things have happened that made you feel invited or included in the broader Rust community? * Excluded? * Where do Rust developers in your area tend to "hang out"? (virtually or otherwise) ## Understanding where we are going ("research questions") These are the general questions that we want the vision doc to answer (or begin to answer). These are not questions to ask interviewees directly. The answers to these will arise from the data we gather. ### Rust the technology * "How does Rust fit into the overall language landscape? What is Rust's mission?" * "What brings people to Rust and why do they choose to use it for a particular problem...?" * "What would help Rust to succeed in these domains...?" * Async * Embedded * Machine learning * Scientific computing * Game development * GUI development * (others) * "How can we scale Rust to industry-wide adoption?" * "And how can we ensure that, as we do so, we continue to have a happy, joyful open-source community?" ### Rust the global project * "How can we improve the experience of using Rust for people across the globe?" * "How can we improve the experience of contributing to and maintaining Rust for people across the globe?" ## Cut out from scope We decided to focus on "what people need from Rust". ### Rust the open-source community * "How can we tap into the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm of a growing Rust userbase to improve Rust?" * "How can we ensure that individual or volunteer Rust maintainers are well-supported?" * "What is the right model for Foundation-project interaction?"