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Chakra UI Design System Choice

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Context

The Hotpot Tracker frontend requires a comprehensive UI component library that supports:
  • Rapid development of task management interfaces
  • Consistent design language across boards, columns, and tasks
  • Built-in accessibility features for collaborative environments
  • Dark/light theme support for user preferences
  • Responsive design for desktop and mobile collaboration
  • Complex form components for task creation and editing
The team has strong React/TypeScript skills and needs a solution that integrates seamlessly with InstantDB’s real-time updates while providing rich interactive components for collaborative task management. Alternatives considered:
  • Material-UI: Heavy bundle size, complex customization for task-specific needs
  • Ant Design: Business-focused but limited design flexibility
  • Tailwind + Headless UI: More setup overhead, requires custom component development
  • Custom CSS: High maintenance overhead, inconsistent design patterns

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Decision

We will use Chakra UI v3 as our primary design system and component library. Chakra UI provides:
  • Comprehensive component library with task management primitives (cards, modals, forms)
  • Built-in theme system with easy dark/light mode switching
  • Excellent TypeScript integration and developer experience
  • Accessibility features out-of-the-box for collaborative interfaces
  • Optimistic rendering support that works well with InstantDB’s real-time updates
  • Rich interaction components (drag-and-drop, modals, drawers) for board management

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Consequences

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What becomes easier:

  • Rapid UI development with pre-built, accessible components
  • Consistent design patterns across all task management interfaces
  • Built-in responsive design handling for different screen sizes
  • Theme management and dark mode implementation requires minimal code
  • Form handling and validation for task creation/editing workflows
  • Drag-and-drop interactions for board columns and task management

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What becomes more difficult:

  • Bundle size increase compared to minimal custom CSS solutions
  • Learning curve for Chakra UI’s specific patterns and styling approach
  • Potential conflicts with custom styling needs for unique task visualization
  • Dependency on third-party library for critical UI functionality
  • Migration complexity if design requirements outgrow Chakra UI’s capabilities
  • Performance considerations with large numbers of task components