Redesign and UX improvement of PyDMD’s website

[sichinaga]

Project

PyDMD

Summary

The purpose of this project is to develop a comprehensive Jupyter Book website that serves as a tutorial and documentation hub for PyDMD. The new website, inspired by other NumFOCUS projects, will enhance accessibility, usability, and learning for both new and experienced users of PyDMD.

submitter

Sara Ichinaga

project lead

@sichinaga

Community benefit

Need for a new website
Current PyDMD resources are scattered and insufficiently structured, making it challenging for users to fully understand and leverage the package's capabilities. The current website is additionally difficult to maintain and updating the contents is not straightforward. A modern, well-organized website is crucial for enhancing accessibility and usability, and for growing the community, especially in new scientific fields. A user-friendly interface will streamline learning and application processes, and a dedicated platform will foster a collaborative environment and enable the sharing of educational material.

Website design
The proposed website will feature a clean, intuitive, and responsive design to cater to users across various devices and technical backgrounds. Taking inspiration from NumFOCUS projects like Matplotlib, NumPy, and SciPy, key design elements will include a consistent theme, clear navigation and interactive components, and accessibility. Easy-to-use menus and search functionality will enable quick access to content. Special emphasis will be put on the landing page to give a comprehensive view of PyDMD and the available resources. Real-time code execution and visualization will be integrated through Jupyter notebooks, and the final design will be compliant with web accessibility standards to accommodate all users.

Website development and deployment
For implementation, we will use Jupyter Book, as this will make the new website easier to maintain thanks to the markup language already used on GitHub. See here for an example website. The infrastructure for managing content will be integrated with GitHub implementing CI/CD pipelines to keep the website content up-to-date with the latest developments in PyDMD. Training sessions for the main developers will ensure they are well equipped to manage and update the website, ensuring its long-term sustainability and continued relevance.

Content development
In the process of updating our website, we will additionally address gaps in the current documentation. Practical examples demonstrating PyDMD applications will be added, with interactive code cells. An FAQ page will collect discussions from GitHub, solutions to common issues, and a flowchart to select the best DMD variant to address the problem at hand.

IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY
The development of this Jupyter Book website will increase adoption, streamline interactive learning, and improve usability. Accessible and well-organized documentation and tutorials will accelerate the learning curve for new users, promoting more widespread and effective use of PyDMD. This will lower the barrier to entry for researchers and practitioners interested in using dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) methods, and will promote the application of PyDMD across diverse scientific domains, including neuroscience, finance, fluid dynamics, video processing, climate modeling, epidemiology, and plasma physics, where DMD can offer significant insights. Moreover, hands-on examples will enhance understanding and practical application.

The new website will also serve as a hub for the PyDMD community, facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing. By integrating FAQs, practical examples, and a flowchart to guide users in selecting the appropriate DMD variant, the website will address common issues and streamline problem-solving. This will create a more supportive and engaging environment for users, encouraging contributions from the community and fostering a collaborative culture. Ultimately, this will lead to a more vibrant and active PyDMD community, which will drive further advancements and applications of the software amongst new and veteran users alike.

Amount requested

3000

Execution plan

Brief Budget Justification:
Website design
Deliverable: User interface design mockups and final design files.
Cost: 1000 USD.
Time: 50 hours.

Content development
Deliverable: Missing documentation and examples.
Cost: 700 USD.
Time: 35 hours.

Website development and deployment
Deliverables: Full documentation website infrastructure deployed on GitHub Pages.
Cost: 1200 USD.
Time: 60 hours.

Training and support
Deliverable: User training session.
Cost: 100 USD.
Time: 5 hours.

Timeline of Deliverables:
Website design (Weeks 1-2)
Deliverable: User interface design mockups and final design files.
Tasks: Create wireframes and design concepts; review and refine design based on feedback; finalize UI/UX design.

Content development (Week 2-3)
Deliverable: Missing documentation and examples.
Tasks: Identify missing documentation; work with the developers to fill the gaps; draft missing examples; review and refine content.
Note: This task overlaps with the website design to allow the developers to work on filling the documentation gaps.

Website development (Weeks 4-6)
Deliverable: Website content, and a fully functional pipeline to generate the static website..
Tasks: Develop front-end based on finalized designs; conduct front-end testing and bug fixing; set up GitHub integration.

Hosting and deployment (Week 7)
Deliverable: Live Jupyter Book website hosted on GitHub Pages.
Tasks: Set up GitHub Pages for hosting; deploy the website; perform post-deployment checks.

Training and support (Week 8)
Deliverable: User training session (a recording or a small guide).
Tasks: Instruct the PyDMD developers on maintaining the website and adding new content; minor fixes to incorporate feedback from the PyDMD team. The training session will be either recorded or in the form of a text guide.