Design - Single UI Project

Overview

DSpace needs to standardize on a single, out-of-the-box User Interface.  While third parties are still welcome to develop and distribute alternative interfaces, only one will be distributed with DSpace.

As both the XMLUI and JSPUI are aging, this is an opportunity for supporters of each of these UIs to collaborate on a common UI platform.

Use Cases / Notes

• End User Use Cases
• Admin UI Use Cases
• Brainstorms on a Future UI (includes some notes on possible platforms for a UI)

Planning Phase

• Select a technical team to begin to investigate potential platforms for a UI
• Prototype at least 2-3 different UI platforms
  • A standard prototype must be defined in terms of simple feature sets it should try to achieve (e.g. be able to display an existing DSpace hierarchy, providing browse, search and basic editing capabilities)
  • Recommended that at least one of the prototyped UI platforms is Java-based, and at least one is non-Java based
  • Each platform should also be analyzed for how we might achieve other UI features on the RoadMap (e.g. configs in Admin UI, easy theming, etc) which may not be specifically prototyped
• The prototypes, their code, and initial notes/analysis will be made publicly available for community-wide feedback
  
  • Reviewed more formally by Committers (and optionally DCAT members)
• A single UI platform will be selected from feedback and analysis of prototypes
  
  • The selection must be approved by Committers
  • The selection should be approved by DCAT
  • The selection must be approved by Steering Group
  • The selection must be approved by Leadership Group

Development Phase

• Select a development team (ideally with some overlap with the planning phase team)
• Schedule a series of development "sprints"
  • Ideally, hold a "hackathon" to help kickstart some of these sprints and get everyone on the same page
• Ensure development process is kept transparent
  
  • Ongoing "beta" or early releases made available for testing/feedback/analysis by developers and/or DCAT members
• Goal is to have a fully functional new UI in place for the DSpace 7.0 release (tentatively scheduled for Late 2016).