Added the Introduction to the Contributor Journey Research

user-research/contributor-research/Introduction.md

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+## Abstract:
+Knative is a vital tool in the open-source and cloud-native ecosystem, enabling the development of enterprise-level serverless and event-driven applications. However, understanding why some individuals sustain active involvement in Knative while others contribute sporadically or disengage entirely remains a challenge. This research seeks to address this gap by investigating factors influencing contributor retention within the Knative community. By exploring contributors' motivations, experiences, and challenges, the aim is to identify areas for improvement in the contributor experience. Through actionable recommendations, we aspire to enhance contributor retention and foster a more sustainable ecosystem within Knative. This research has the potential to significantly impact the Knative community by providing practical insights and strategies to strengthen community engagement and collaboration.
+
+## Goals:
+- Understand the current contributor journey within Knative.
+- Identify factors that contribute to contributors staying or leaving the Knative community.
+- Highlight areas of the contributor experience that can be improved to increase contributor retention and propose ways to improve those areas.
+
+## Objectives:
+- Gather insights into the onboarding process for new contributors to Knative.
+- Explore the experiences of both retained and departed contributors.
+- Identify pain points and areas of dissatisfaction throughout the contributor journey.
+- Investigate the effectiveness of existing resources and documentation for contributors.
+- Determine potential interventions or improvements to enhance the contributor experience and retention rate.
+
+## Key Questions:
+- What motivated contributors to join the Knative community initially and what were their expectations regarding their involvement in the projects?
+- What were the primary challenges they encountered during the onboarding process? (e.g. selecting the right project and right issues to contribute to as per one’s technical expertise)
+- How did contributors interact with the Knative community, and what were their experiences regarding communication and collaboration within the community
+- At what stage did certain contributors typically begin to disengage from the community?
+- What factors lead contributors to discontinue their engagement with Knative, and what practical recommendations do they offer to enhance the contributor experience, fostering a more sustainable and active ecosystem?
+- Are there any differences in experiences between contributors with varying levels of technical expertise or backgrounds?
+- What is missing in the current contributor experience of Knative as compared to some other well-established open-source projects?
+
+## Hypotheses:
+- Contributors who have a positive onboarding experience, are proactive, and receive clear guidance and support, are more likely to stay engaged with the Knative community.
+- Factors such as perceived value of contributions, prospective future opportunities, and alignment with personal or professional goals influence contributors' decisions to remain active in the project.
+- Contributors may disengage due to challenges like unclear contribution processes, technical knowledge/expertise barriers, insufficient/delayed feedback, lack of recognition, community integration issues, etc. Additionally, heavy workloads, limited free time, personal commitments, or simply a change of plans may also contribute to disengagement.
+
+## Methods:
+- Data-driven Sampling
+- Surveys
+- 1 on 1 interviews
+- Focus Groups
+- Comparative Analysis
+
+**Additional Methods:**
+- Conducting a thorough literature review to extract valuable insights from prior open-source research works.
+- Reviewing the onboarding processes and documentation based on findings from survey & interview results to identify areas for enhancement.
+
+
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