Skip to content

PRODUCT.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
42 lines (27 loc) · 2.82 KB

PRODUCT.md

File metadata and controls

42 lines (27 loc) · 2.82 KB

Product

Register

product

Users

General audience interested in beautiful mathematics. Ranges from curious non-specialists drawn in by visualizations, to undergraduates exploring conjectures, to researchers checking timelines and source papers. Users arrive through search or social sharing, land on a problem page or the catalog, and browse laterally through related problems. They are on personal devices in varied lighting, often leisurely rather than under time pressure.

Product Purpose

Math Atlas is an interactive visual encyclopedia of the world's most fascinating mathematical problems, conjectures, and breakthroughs. Each entry pairs a real-time canvas visualization with structured metadata: status, field, timeline, key researchers, formulas, and source papers. The catalog supports filtering, search, and keyboard-driven navigation. Success means a visitor finds a problem captivating enough to spend five minutes exploring its visualization and following a source link.

Brand Personality

Elegant, curious, inviting. The interface should feel like a well-curated museum of ideas: quiet enough to let the mathematics speak, precise enough to earn trust, and warm enough that a non-specialist feels welcome. Monospaced chrome and uppercase labels signal rigor without coldness. Visualizations carry the emotional weight; UI stays out of the way.

Anti-references

  • Generic SaaS dashboards with card grids and gradient accents
  • Flashy "Web3/crypto" dark themes with neon and glow
  • Textbook-dry academic sites (plain HTML, no craft)
  • Overdesigned portfolio sites where style overshadows content

The current observatory-like aesthetic (dark, gridded, monospaced, restrained blue accent) is intentional and should be preserved. Changes should refine, not reinvent.

Design Principles

  1. Let the math breathe. Visualizations are the centerpiece. UI elements exist to frame them, never to compete.
  2. Earn trust through precision. Typographic alignment, consistent spacing, and correct metadata signal that the content is reliable.
  3. Invite, don't gatekeep. A general audience should feel comfortable exploring. Jargon stays in formulas and papers, not in UI copy.
  4. Reward curiosity. Keyboard shortcuts, zen mode, lateral navigation, and interactive canvases reward users who dig deeper.
  5. Quiet confidence. No flashy effects or attention-grabbing patterns. The design should feel inevitable, not impressive.

Accessibility & Inclusion

  • Target WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
  • Respect prefers-reduced-motion (already implemented in canvas visualizations)
  • Ensure all interactive elements are keyboard-navigable with visible focus indicators
  • Provide text alternatives for canvas visualizations (problem descriptions serve this role)
  • Maintain sufficient contrast ratios for the dark theme (4.5:1 minimum for body text)