In this open source contributor series, you’ll get to meet members of the HPE Developer Community who aim to advance the way people live and work by contributing to open source projects.

A software engineering graduate from the Middle East, Shimrit Yacobi has a long history with Grommet, an open source project led by HPE. Grommet is a React-based component library and framework that helps developers and designers create web applications. Shimi, as she prefers to be called, describes herself as a passionate React.js developer focused on making the vision of a design-driven user experience a reality.

In addition to her numerous code contributions, including building and designing new components and features for the library, Shimi was the lead developer and architect and spent many years acting as the Grommet Community Manager. As a part of this role, she connected with HPE product teams, developers from the community, designers, and UX research to understand requirements and use cases. She continues to work with them today to augment the Grommet framework to meet customer needs while maintaining a tidy and clean API, architecture and implementation.

In your own words, can you define Grommet for me?

Grommet is an open source UI development and design framework that simplifies the way web applications are built by providing a package of commonly used interface elements from which developers and designers can choose to use. It’s both a framework and a component library.

Can you tell me a little more about your role in regards to this project?

I tend to live and breathe this framework. I work on ideating and developing new components, solving complex problems with simple solutions, and collaborating with teams on development and architecture requirements. An important aspect of my job is acting as a mentor; encouraging HPE and outside developers and designers to join the Grommet community, embrace the collaborative culture, and be part of a family while making contributions and providing constant feedback as we grow. I also provide in-house and community consulting to Grommet users on best practices, solution optimization, and how to build responsive applications using Grommet features like accessibility and modularity. This close collaboration with the Grommet Community ensures that Grommet is always on the cutting edge of technology.

How did you get involved with Grommet?

I first encountered Grommet working as a developer in the HPE Hyperconverged systems group. I was on one of the development teams that had been encouraged to use Grommet. I was able leverage the framework quite well to win an HPE Hackathon project, while also contributing to the open source code. The team was a lot of fun to work with and encouraged me to work with them.

I hear that Grommet is pretty popular. Just how popular is it and why do you think that is?

Grommet has over 120,000 downloads a month, over 300 contributors, and continues to be adopted as one of the premier ReactJS frameworks both within HPE and throughout the open source community. Another indication of its popularity is that we have more than 4,500 members on our Grommet Slack Channel.

I think one of the things that makes Grommet so popular is that it simplifies the way web applications are built. Grommet does this by providing a package of commonly used interface elements from which developers and designers can choose to use. It provides powerful themes and tools that allow web developers to customize the color, type, component elements and layout according to their needs. It also provides support for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), making it great for accessibility.

What other open source projects have you been involved with?

I was the lead developer and architect for the HPE Design System, an open source library of elements consisting of working code, best practices, and design resources. It features human-centered guidelines, and engages with a vibrant community of contributors. One of the things I like most about it is that it enables experiences to be crafted with uncompromising integrity.

One of the things that makes the HPE Design System so powerful is that it has what we refer to as a human-centered design, crafted upon user research and the real needs of customers. In addition, it’s a system designed so that all those working on it can collaborate really well. It provides a common language for designers, developers, and stakeholders, allowing everyone to really understand each other, allowing for more precise specification of UX requirements.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Advocating for women in tech and overall diversity are passions of mine. I was the HPE Employee Resources Group (ERG) Co-Chair of HPE Northern Colorado Women’s Network, a place where I could contribute to improve cultural agendas for the company and make HPE a better place to work. I am also an avid facilitator of the Culture Catalyst group for Diversity and inclusion.

To learn more about the open source projects that are of particular interest to HPE, please visit our website. Interested in exploring what HPE offers for developers and data scientists? Check out our HPE Developer Community site for a ton of articles, workshops, tutorials, and other resources.