Search

Website Redesign Summary

Overview

Complete redesign of the homepage to showcase research themes and attract students for collaboration. The design moves from a simple project listing to an engaging, theme-based presentation with modern visual elements.

Key Changes

1. Homepage Restructure (index.md)

2. Enhanced Visual Design (assets/css/home.css)

Modern Styling Features:

New CSS Classes:

3. Object-Oriented JavaScript (assets/js/home.js)

New Classes:

class Project {
    // Represents a single research project
    // Properties: title, description, url, image, status
    // Methods: getStatusBadge(), render()
}

class ResearchTheme {
    // Represents a research theme with multiple projects
    // Properties: id, title, description, projects[]
    // Methods: addProject(), getCompletedCount(), getOngoingCount(), 
    //          getPotentialCount(), renderProjects()
}

class ThemeManager {
    // Manages all themes and interactions
    // Properties: themes (Map)
    // Methods: initializeThemes(), getTheme(), expandTheme()
}

Benefits:

4. Enhanced Background (styles.css)

5. Project Organization

Projects Mapped to Themes:

Superconducting Qubit Simulation:

Quantum Error Correction:

Tensor Networks:

Neural Networks:

Design Philosophy

Professional Yet Modern

Pragmatic Fancy

Student-Focused

Technical Improvements

Maintainability

Performance

Accessibility

Files Modified

  1. /index.md - Complete homepage restructure
  2. /assets/css/home.css - Added ~180 lines of new styles
  3. /assets/js/home.js - Rewrote with OOP architecture (~260 lines)
  4. /styles.css - Enhanced background styling
  5. /THEME_MANAGEMENT.md - New documentation (this file)
  6. /REDESIGN_SUMMARY.md - This summary

How to Use

View the Site

bundle exec jekyll serve
# Visit http://localhost:4000

Build for Production

bundle exec jekyll build
# Files output to _site/

Add a New Project

See THEME_MANAGEMENT.md for detailed instructions.

Quick example:

// In assets/js/home.js, in initializeThemes()
themeToUpdate.addProject(new Project(
    'Project Title',
    'Description',
    '/url',
    '/image.png',
    'completed'
));

Future Enhancements

Potential Additions:

  1. Filter by status: Toggle completed/ongoing/potential projects
  2. Search functionality: Find projects across themes
  3. Timeline view: Show project evolution over time
  4. Collaboration form: Direct inquiry system for interested students
  5. Project details modal: Inline preview without navigation
  6. Theme analytics: Track which themes get most engagement
  7. Export functionality: Generate project portfolio PDFs
  8. Dark/Light mode toggle: Already supported, could be enhanced

Animation Ideas:

  1. Particle effects: Subtle quantum-themed particles
  2. Loading skeletons: Better perceived performance
  3. Scroll animations: Fade in elements as user scrolls
  4. Theme transitions: Smooth morphing between themes

Browser Support

Tested and working on:

Conclusion

The redesign successfully transforms the website from a basic project listing to an engaging, professional research portfolio. The object-oriented architecture ensures the site can grow and evolve easily, while the modern visual design strikes the right balance between professional and appealing for potential student collaborators.