[Feature]: Integrate IBM Carbon Design System for Enhanced Enterprise-Grade UI and User Experience

[brylie]

Feature Description

Integrate IBM's Carbon Design System into our project as a complement or replacement for Bootstrap. This transition aims to enhance the professional appearance, usability, and modernity of our web application's UI, especially focusing on forms, data tables, and bespoke dashboards. Carbon's enterprise-oriented design language aligns perfectly with the goal of appealing to enterprise customers while supporting our users effectively in their daily tasks.

Motivation

Our current use of Bootstrap, while effective, lacks the specific focus and advanced features needed for enterprise-grade applications. By experimenting with the Carbon Design System, we can leverage its professional design language, adherence to web standards, and modern UI conventions. This aligns with our goal to offer an application that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of enterprise clients, particularly in areas where our application is most utilized – forms, data tables, and custom dashboards.

Possible Implementation

• Gradual Transition: Start by applying Carbon Design components in less complex parts of the application to assess compatibility and ease of integration.
• Forms and Data Tables: Utilize Carbon's comprehensive set of form elements and data table configurations to enhance user interactions and data presentation.
• Dashboards: Leverage Carbon's grid system and UI components to redesign dashboards, ensuring a cohesive and intuitive user experience.
• Carbon Charts: Explore replacing Plotly with Carbon Charts for a more integrated and consistent visualization experience across the application.
• Compatibility Check: Ensure seamless coexistence or transition from Bootstrap to Carbon, maintaining application stability throughout the process.

Alternatives Considered

Continuing with Bootstrap, while feasible, may not fully meet the evolving demands of our enterprise clients. Other design systems were considered, but Carbon's alignment with enterprise needs and its comprehensive design and component offerings make it the most suitable choice.

Additional Context

• Enterprise Appeal: Carbon's design system is meticulously crafted to cater to enterprise needs, offering a more tailored solution than Bootstrap.
• Standard Adherence: Carbon is built with adherence to accessibility and international web standards, ensuring our product is usable by a wide audience.
• Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS Support: Carbon works with core web technologies, making it a versatile choice for our diverse tech stack.
• User Interaction Modalities: Carbon introduces new interaction patterns, potentially offering a more intuitive user experience.
• Design Consistency: Using a single, comprehensive design system like Carbon can bring uniformity and consistency across various elements of the application.
• Community and Support: IBM's backing provides a robust support system and community, ensuring ongoing updates and enhancements to the design system.

This proposal to experiment with and potentially adopt the IBM Carbon Design System reflects our commitment to staying at the forefront of modern web application design, prioritizing both user experience and client appeal.

Resources

• IBM Carbon Design System Official Website: This is the primary resource for all things related to the Carbon Design System. It includes guidelines, components, patterns, and much more. Visit Carbon Design System
• Carbon Design System on GitHub: For developers, this GitHub repository is an invaluable resource. It contains the source code, component libraries, and development guides. Carbon Design System GitHub
• Carbon Charts: A dedicated library of chart components designed to work seamlessly with the Carbon Design System, offering a potential alternative to Plotly for data visualization. Carbon Charts
• IBM Design Language: Understanding the IBM Design Language will provide context on the principles underpinning the Carbon Design System. IBM Design Language
• Carbon Design System Documentation: Detailed documentation that covers implementation, component usage, design guidelines, and much more. Carbon Documentation
• Developer Tutorials for Carbon: These tutorials are excellent for developers to get hands-on experience with implementing Carbon Design System components. Carbon Tutorials
• IBM Carbon Design System Medium Blog: For the latest updates, user stories, and articles written by the Carbon Design System team and community. IBM Carbon Medium Blog
• IBM Accessibility Standards: Since Carbon adheres to accessibility standards, understanding IBM's approach to accessibility might be beneficial. IBM Accessibility

These resources will provide a comprehensive understanding of the Carbon Design System, its components, design philosophy, and how it can be implemented and utilized in our project.