HanaTones - A New Era in Color Management

Overview

HanaTones is an innovative color management platform designed for designers and developers who want to efficiently create, manage, and optimize their color palettes. With a user-friendly interface and a focus on accessibility, HanaTones provides a comprehensive toolset to enhance your design workflow. It features real-time previews, project management, and accessibility checks to ensure that your designs meet the highest standards. Whether you're working solo or collaborating with a team, HanaTones simplifies the process of managing color themes and ensures your designs are always accessible and cohesive.

Implemented Web Frameworks & Technologies:

• React: Core framework used to build the interactive user interface and reusable components for a smooth user experience.

• Next.js: Provides server-side rendering (SSR) capabilities for faster page loads and efficient handling of components.

• Tailwind CSS: Used for styling with a focus on responsive, minimal, and modern design principles.

• Shadcn UI: For responsive and accessible UI components that are in line with HanaTones' design principles.

• Supabase: The backbone of the backend setup, used together with many relevant queries, services and server actions incorporating ORM - like functions. Supabase was also used for authentication flows.

• Resend: For sending emails to the client in relevant cases such as authentication codes.

• Vercel: Hosting platform that allows quick deployment and scaling of the application.

Creation Process

The development of HanaTones followed a clear and structured approach:

1. Planning: The initial planning phase involved understanding the pain points of color palette management, especially in terms of accessibility and collaboration. Key features were outlined based on feedback from designers and developers.

2. Design: The design phase focused on creating a minimalistic yet powerful interface, using Figma to sketch the user journey and interactions. The design prioritized simplicity, ensuring that users could quickly manage their palettes without unnecessary distractions.

3. Development: The application was built using React for its component-based architecture, which allowed for modular development. Tailwind CSS was used to ensure that the UI was both visually appealing and responsive, making the platform usable across various devices.

4. Integration: Key features like project management, theme creation, and accessibility checks were integrated. Real-time previews and color adjustments were implemented, along with advanced color visibility tests for better design compliance.

5. Deployment: The platform was deployed on Vercel, ensuring quick deployment cycles and reliable hosting. The application was also indexed by Google Search Console to enhance visibility.

Functionalities and Features

HanaTones includes several features to make color management easier and more efficient:

• Color Palette Management: Users can create, edit, and organize color palettes with the ability to assign custom names and tags for easy categorization.

• Accessibility Checks: Integrated accessibility tools check the contrast ratios of color combinations to ensure they meet WCAG standards.

• Theme Creation: Create and manage color themes, export them in various formats, and customize them based on your project requirements.

• Real-Time Previews: View your color palette adjustments in real-time, helping you make quick design decisions.

• Toolbox: HanaTones includes a toolbox with a variety of helpful tools, such as:

  • Gradient Generator: Generate seamless color gradients for your designs.
  • Contrast Checker: Ensure your color combinations are accessible by checking their contrast ratios.
  • More Tools: Additional utilities to assist with color selection and adjustments.

• Export Options: Export your color themes in various formats (HEX, RGB, etc.) for easy integration into your development process.

Pages and Navigation

HanaTones is structured with a clear and simple navigation system:

1. Home Page: Introduction to HanaTones, including key features and call-to-action to start managing your color palettes.

2. Dashboard: Overview of all color projects, with quick access to recent projects and the option to create new palettes.

3. Palette Manager: Detailed view of color palettes, with functionality to add, edit, and organize colors. Includes accessibility ratings for each palette.

4. Settings Page: Customize user settings, including account management and accessibility settings.

Things That I Learned

Developing HanaTones provided several valuable insights:

• User-Centered Design: Creating a platform that is both powerful and easy to use is essential for ensuring that designers and developers can quickly get to work without being overwhelmed.

• Accessibility First: Ensuring that the color themes are accessible and meet standards was a major learning point. This is especially critical when working with diverse user bases.

• Real-Time Previews: Implementing real-time feedback and previews greatly improved the user experience by allowing instant visual validation of color choices.

• Tool Integration: Adding a toolbox with utilities like the gradient generator and contrast checker enhanced the functionality of the platform, providing users with even more design flexibility.

• Performance Optimization: Ensuring that the platform works seamlessly across different devices, optimizing loading times and responsiveness.

Ending Notes

HanaTones is a powerful and intuitive tool for color management. With features like accessibility checks, real-time previews, and a versatile toolbox with utilities like a gradient generator and contrast checker, it is the perfect solution for designers and developers looking to streamline their workflow. Whether you're working on personal projects or collaborating with teams, HanaTones ensures that your color choices are always on point and accessible.

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