pastel-ui/IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md

Pastel UI - Implementation Plan

Status: In Progress Started: 2025-11-07 Target: Feature Complete MVP

Overview

This document outlines the complete implementation plan to achieve feature completeness for Pastel UI, a modern web application for color manipulation, palette generation, and accessibility analysis.

✅ Completed Features

Phase 1: Foundation (DONE)

• Next.js 16 setup with TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS 4 configuration
• Project structure and directories
• Type-safe Pastel API client (all 21 endpoints)
• Base UI components (Button, Input)
• React Query integration
• Providers setup (QueryClient, Toaster)

Phase 2: Core Color Components (DONE)

• ColorPicker component with react-colorful
• ColorDisplay component for previews
• ColorInfo component with format display
• React Query hooks for all API endpoints
• Playground page with live color picking
• Copy to clipboard functionality
• Loading and error states

🚧 Remaining Features

Phase 3: Color Manipulation Tools

Priority: High Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

3.1 Manipulation Panel Component

• Create ManipulationPanel.tsx with sliders
• Lighten/Darken controls (0-100% range)
• Saturate/Desaturate controls (0-100% range)
• Hue rotation control (0-360° range)
• Real-time preview while adjusting
• Apply/Reset buttons
• Debounced API calls for smooth UX

3.2 Color Operations

• Complement color generator
• Grayscale conversion
• Color mixing interface
  • Two color inputs
  • Ratio slider (0-100%)
  • Color space selection dropdown
• Color history tracking (Zustand store)
• Undo/Redo functionality

3.3 Enhanced Playground

• Connect Quick Action buttons to mutations
• Add color history sidebar
• Keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+C copy, Cmd+Z undo)
• Save favorite colors to localStorage
• Export color as image/SVG

Phase 4: Palette Generation

Priority: High Estimated Time: 6-8 hours

4.1 Palette Components

• PaletteGrid.tsx - Display palette as grid/list
• PaletteSwatch.tsx - Individual color in palette
• PaletteExport.tsx - Export menu component
• ColorStopEditor.tsx - Gradient stop editor

4.2 Harmony Palettes Page (/palettes/harmony)

• Base color picker
• Harmony type selector:
  • Monochromatic
  • Analogous
  • Complementary
  • Split-complementary
  • Triadic
  • Tetradic
• Live preview of generated palette
• Adjust harmony angles (advanced mode)
• Export palette

4.3 Distinct Colors Page (/palettes/distinct)

• Count selector (2-100 colors)
• Distance metric selection (CIE76, CIEDE2000)
• Optional fixed colors input
• Progress indicator with estimated time
• Cancel button for long operations
• Statistics display (min/avg distance, generation time)
• Regenerate button

4.4 Gradient Creator Page (/palettes/gradient)

• Multiple color stops editor (add/remove/reorder)
• Stop count selector (2-1000 steps)
• Color space dropdown (RGB, HSL, Lab, LCH, OkLab, OkLCH)
• Live gradient preview (horizontal/vertical/radial)
• Export as CSS gradient code
• Export as color array
• Copy individual colors from gradient

4.5 Palette Dashboard Page (/palettes)

• Overview of all palette types
• Quick links to each generator
• Recent palettes gallery (localStorage)
• Saved palettes management
• Share palette via URL

4.6 Export Functionality

• Export formats:
  • CSS variables (:root { --color-1: #...})
  • SCSS variables ($color-1: #...)
  • Tailwind config (colors: { primary: '#...' })
  • JSON ({"colors": [...]})
  • SVG swatches (visual export)
  • PNG image (rendered swatches)
• Copy to clipboard
• Download as file
• Variable naming options

Phase 5: Accessibility Tools

Priority: High Estimated Time: 5-7 hours

5.1 Accessibility Components

• ContrastChecker.tsx - WCAG contrast analysis
• ColorBlindSimulator.tsx - Simulation previews
• WCAGBadge.tsx - AA/AAA compliance indicators
• AccessibilityReport.tsx - Full report component

5.2 Contrast Checker Page (/accessibility/contrast)

• Foreground color picker
• Background color picker
• Live contrast ratio calculation
• WCAG 2.1 compliance display:
  • Normal text (AA: 4.5:1, AAA: 7:1)
  • Large text (AA: 3:1, AAA: 4.5:1)
  • UI components (AA: 3:1)
• Pass/Fail badges with explanations
• Text preview with actual contrast
• Suggestions for improvement
• Swap colors button
• Share contrast check via URL

5.3 Color Blindness Simulator Page (/accessibility/colorblind)

• Color input (single or batch)
• Simulation type selector:
  • Protanopia (red-blind)
  • Deuteranopia (green-blind)
  • Tritanopia (blue-blind)
• Side-by-side comparison view
• Batch simulation for palettes
• Download simulated palette
• Educational information about each type

5.4 Accessibility Dashboard Page (/accessibility)

• Overview of tools
• Quick contrast check widget
• Recent accessibility checks
• Educational resources links

5.5 Text Color Optimizer

• Background color input
• Automatic best text color calculation
• WCAG compliance guarantee
• Light vs Dark comparison
• Integrate into Contrast Checker page

Phase 6: Named Colors Explorer

Priority: Medium Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

6.1 Components

• NamedColorsGrid.tsx - Grid of all colors
• ColorCard.tsx - Individual color card
• ColorSearch.tsx - Search and filter UI

6.2 Named Colors Page (/names)

• Display all 148 CSS/X11 named colors
• Grid view with color swatches and names
• Search by name or hex value
• Filter by:
  • Hue range (red, blue, green, etc.)
  • Brightness (light, medium, dark)
  • Saturation (vivid, muted, gray)
• Sort options:
  • Alphabetical
  • By hue
  • By brightness
  • By saturation
• Click color to use in playground
• Find nearest named color for custom input
• Copy color on click
• Favorites/bookmarks

Phase 7: Batch Operations

Priority: Medium Estimated Time: 4-5 hours

7.1 Components

• BatchUploader.tsx - File upload interface
• BatchOperationSelector.tsx - Operation picker
• BatchPreview.tsx - Results preview table
• BatchExporter.tsx - Download results

7.2 Batch Page (/batch)

• File upload (CSV, JSON)
  • CSV format: color\n#ff0099\nrgb(255,0,153)
  • JSON format: {"colors": ["#ff0099", "rgb(255,0,153)"]}
• Manual color list input
• Operation selection:
  • Format conversion
  • Lighten/Darken
  • Saturate/Desaturate
  • Rotate hue
  • Complement
  • Grayscale
  • Color blindness simulation
• Progress bar for processing
• Results preview table
• Export results in multiple formats
• Error handling for invalid colors

Phase 8: Navigation & Layout

Priority: High Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

8.1 Layout Components

• Navbar.tsx - Top navigation
  • Logo
  • Main navigation links
  • Theme toggle (dark/light mode)
  • Command palette trigger (Cmd+K)
• Sidebar.tsx - Side navigation (optional)
• Footer.tsx - Footer with links
• MobileMenu.tsx - Responsive mobile menu

8.2 Theme System

• Theme provider with context
• Theme toggle component
• System preference detection
• Persist theme to localStorage
• Smooth theme transitions

8.3 Command Palette

• Install cmdk (already installed)
• CommandPalette.tsx component
• Keyboard shortcut (Cmd+K)
• Search all features
• Quick navigation
• Recent colors/palettes
• Keyboard shortcuts reference

Phase 9: Enhanced UI Components

Priority: Medium Estimated Time: 4-5 hours

9.1 Additional UI Components

• Slider.tsx - For manipulation controls
• Tabs.tsx - For format switching
• Dialog.tsx - For modals
• DropdownMenu.tsx - For menus
• Select.tsx - For selections
• Label.tsx - Form labels
• Card.tsx - Container component
• Badge.tsx - For status indicators
• Tooltip.tsx - For helpful hints
• Separator.tsx - Visual divider

9.2 Color-Specific UI

• ColorSwatch.tsx - Small color preview
• ColorInput.tsx - Validated color input
• ColorHistory.tsx - History timeline
• ColorFavorites.tsx - Saved colors

Phase 10: State Management & Persistence

Priority: Medium Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

10.1 Zustand Stores

• colorStore.ts - Current color state
• historyStore.ts - Color history with undo/redo
• preferencesStore.ts - User preferences
  • Theme preference
  • Preferred color formats
  • Default export format
• palettesStore.ts - Saved palettes

10.2 LocalStorage Integration

• Persist color history (last 50 colors)
• Persist saved palettes
• Persist user preferences
• Clear data functionality

10.3 URL State

• Share colors via URL (?color=ff0099)
• Share palettes via URL (?palette=ff0099,00ccff,ffcc00)
• Share contrast checks via URL

Phase 11: Utility Functions

Priority: Medium Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

11.1 Color Utilities (lib/utils/color.ts)

• parseColor(input: string) - Parse any format
• validateColor(input: string) - Validate color
• formatColor(color, format) - Format conversion
• getContrastRatio(fg, bg) - WCAG contrast
• isLightColor(color) - Light/dark detection

11.2 Export Utilities (lib/utils/export.ts)

• exportAsCSS(colors) - CSS variables
• exportAsSCSS(colors) - SCSS variables
• exportAsTailwind(colors) - Tailwind config
• exportAsJSON(colors) - JSON format
• exportAsSVG(colors) - SVG swatches
• exportAsPNG(colors) - PNG image

11.3 Keyboard Shortcuts (lib/hooks/useKeyboard.ts)

• Cmd+K - Command palette
• Cmd+C - Copy current color
• Cmd+V - Paste color
• Cmd+Z - Undo
• Cmd+Shift+Z - Redo
• Cmd+D - Toggle dark mode
• Cmd+/ - Show shortcuts help

Phase 12: Documentation & Help

Priority: Low Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

12.1 Docs Page (/docs)

• Getting started guide
• Feature overview
• API integration guide
• Keyboard shortcuts reference
• Export format examples
• Color theory basics
• WCAG guidelines explanation

12.2 In-App Help

• Tooltips on hover
• Help icons with popovers
• Onboarding tour (optional)
• Feature flags for tours

Phase 13: Testing

Priority: Medium Estimated Time: 4-6 hours

13.1 Unit Tests (Vitest)

• Test color utilities
• Test export utilities
• Test component rendering
• Test API client
• Test stores (Zustand)

13.2 E2E Tests (Playwright)

• Test playground flow
• Test palette generation
• Test accessibility tools
• Test batch operations
• Test named colors search

13.3 Accessibility Testing

• Keyboard navigation test
• Screen reader compatibility
• Color contrast verification
• ARIA labels audit

Phase 14: Performance Optimization

Priority: Low Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

14.1 Code Splitting

• Dynamic imports for heavy components
• Route-based code splitting (already done)
• Lazy load color picker libraries

14.2 Caching Strategy

• API response caching (React Query)
• Image caching
• Static asset optimization

14.3 Bundle Optimization

• Analyze bundle size
• Tree-shake unused code
• Optimize images
• Target < 200KB initial bundle

Phase 15: CI/CD & Deployment

Priority: High Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

15.1 GitHub Actions

• .github/workflows/ci.yml
  • Lint job (ESLint)
  • Type check job (TypeScript)
  • Test job (Vitest)
  • Build job (Next.js)
  • E2E test job (Playwright)

15.2 Vercel Deployment

• Connect to Vercel
• Configure environment variables
• Set up preview deployments
• Configure production domain
• Set up analytics (optional)

15.3 Environment Configuration

• .env.example updates
• Production API URL configuration
• Error tracking setup (Sentry - optional)

Implementation Priority Order

Sprint 1: Core Functionality (Week 1)

1. Phase 3: Color Manipulation Tools ⭐⭐⭐
2. Phase 8: Navigation & Layout ⭐⭐⭐
3. Phase 9.1: Essential UI Components ⭐⭐

Sprint 2: Palette Features (Week 2)

4. Phase 4: Palette Generation ⭐⭐⭐
5. Phase 10: State Management ⭐⭐

Sprint 3: Accessibility & Extras (Week 3)

6. Phase 5: Accessibility Tools ⭐⭐⭐
7. Phase 6: Named Colors Explorer ⭐⭐
8. Phase 7: Batch Operations ⭐⭐

Sprint 4: Polish & Launch (Week 4)

9. Phase 11: Utility Functions ⭐⭐
10. Phase 13: Testing ⭐⭐
11. Phase 15: CI/CD & Deployment ⭐⭐⭐
12. Phase 12: Documentation ⭐
13. Phase 14: Performance Optimization ⭐

Success Criteria

MVP Requirements (Before Launch)

• Color picker working with live preview
• All color manipulation tools functional
• At least 2 palette generation methods
• Contrast checker working
• Named colors searchable
• Export to CSS/JSON working
• Mobile responsive
• Basic keyboard shortcuts
• Error handling throughout
• Deployed to production

Nice-to-Have Features

• Color history with undo/redo
• Saved palettes
• Batch operations
• Command palette
• Comprehensive docs
• E2E tests
• Performance < 200KB

Technical Debt & Known Issues

Current Issues

• Warning about multiple lockfiles (not critical)
• React Compiler not enabled (requires babel plugin)
• TypeScript ESLint rules simplified (can be re-enabled)

Future Improvements

• Add Storybook for component documentation
• Set up visual regression testing
• Add internationalization (i18n)
• Progressive Web App (PWA) features
• Offline support with Service Worker
• Color palette AI suggestions (ML integration)

Timeline Estimate

Total Estimated Time: 40-55 hours Target Completion: 4-6 weeks (part-time development)

Weekly Breakdown

• Week 1: Core manipulation + navigation (12-15h)
• Week 2: Palettes + state management (10-13h)
• Week 3: Accessibility + extras (12-15h)
• Week 4: Testing + deployment + docs (6-12h)

Notes

• All components should follow established patterns
• Maintain type safety throughout
• Follow accessibility best practices
• Keep bundle size under 200KB initial load
• Test on mobile devices regularly
• Document complex logic with comments
• Use React Query for all API calls
• Implement proper error boundaries
• Add loading states for all async operations

---

Last Updated: 2025-11-07 Next Review: After Sprint 1 completion