I just want to be happy in this life

That’s my favourite saying from the 2015 movie, Beast of no nation. I’ve not watched it, but I’ve seen snippets. Just like Agu, I have experienced terrible things.

Now, I just want to be happy, in this life.

I am happy.

I am Godswill. I’ve been creating stuff in the design space for a little less than 2 years now. I am an intern with the ODK-X community via Outreachy.

I was selected in the Dec-Mar 23 cohort to work on ‘Creating UI Components for ODK-X Tools“ with Caroline Krafft, Ben Green and Waylon Brunette.

So far, my fellow intern and I have aligned our project’s timeline and identified issues that need solving promptly.

I didn’t wait for the first week of the internship to get in contact with the mentors. We’ve been having conversations since the contribution stage up to the announcement date. I made sure to keep that conversation line open.

It’s an interesting project that I deeply resonate with. ODK-X helps anyone collect, manage and use data in resource-constrained environments. This community build tools that allow low-income communities to access custom data management apps. For me, ODK-X helps people that need help and probably can’t get them easily.

To be candid, I chose ODK-X because of its mention of ‘resource-constrained environments. As someone who grew up in such an environment, with poor access to quality water, power or a proper standard of living; I’ve determined to be of help to such communities and people in every way I can. This is one of the few reasons I started product design, it offers an opportunity to build solutions that could potentially add value to people’s lives, especially those who can’t reach out for help.

My core values are curiosity, flexibility, passion and honesty.

They are also my core drivers.

I feel things deeply, being alert to what can go wrong and I'm always concerned about myself.

However, I am a free thinker, curious and open to ideas.

I am flexible. I am fast at making decisions and quick to act. I may not worry too much about rules, which means I won’t be stuck in old ways of doing things. I learn things and adapt to changes quickly. For me, deadlines are only guidelines!

I also value honesty. It’s really hard to tell with people and I feel better with anyone when I know there’s nothing to hide.

To close: my motivation for being a designer is to solve problems and genuinely help people. Outreachy is going to provide that ground for me to begin to fulfil that purpose. I look forward to doing more stuff for Open Source. I hope all my contributions uplift the UI of the ODK-X Apps and find a use for the people that need them.