GSOC 2026 Project #14 : AnalySim : Developing user interface design and improve user experience

GSoC
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Mentors: Anca Doloc-Mihu, <adolocm@gmail.com>, Cengiz Gunay <cgunay@ggc.edu>

Skill level: intermediate/advanced preferable

Required skills: HTML/CSS/Bootstrap, Angular, TypeScript

Time commitment: half-time or more (175-350 hours flexible)

About: AnalySim is a data sharing and analysis platform that seeks to simplify the visualization of datasets. With Analysim, researchers can collaborate by hosting their data and publishing their analysis notebooks to the world, or browse through multiple user-generated projects. Analysim is currently being hosted on the NSF-funded ACCESS-CI project infrastructure, but it can also be deployed independently via Docker.

AnalySim aims to be a general data sharing and hosting resource for crowdsourced-analysis, but it provides additional support for a specific type of dataset: one where many parameter combinations need to be tested and measurements are recorded for each instance. These datasets are very useful in mathematical modeling of natural phenomena, such as in computational neuroscience. We provide easy sharing, analysis, visualization, and collaboration capabilities on these datasets. In this GSoC iteration, we are improving on features developed in the summer and winter of 2024.

Aims: Working on a more consistent visual user interface style and improved user experience. Design an optimal dashboard layout along with other necessary pages for project notebooks, publications, and commenting. Design new pages to incorporate al necessary user operations, project operations, and datasets analysis and sharing operation. Improve user experience workflow for common actions, and improve usability of CSV data browser. Adding examples of datasets, notebooks, and projects. Implement and test bootstrap on all pages to make the app available with a consistent clean layout on mobile devices.

Tech Keywords: Angular (Typescript), HTML/CSS/Bootstrap, .Net Core (C#), PostgreSQL, and for analysis notebooks: JavaScript (ObservableHQ, D3.js, Vega, Plotly) and Python (Jupyter)

Website: Project is still in progress and a demo site is available at: https://analysim.tech and a development version is at https://dev.analysim.tech Source code: GitHub - soft-eng-practicum/AnalySim · GitHub

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Hi @arnab1896,

I’m really interested in contributing to AnalySim for GSoC 2026. The goal of improving the UI/UX for a collaborative data analysis platform sounds very exciting, especially since it combines frontend design with research-oriented tooling.

I have strong experience working with modern web technologies such as TypeScript, JavaScript, React/Next.js, HTML/CSS, and building scalable UI systems, and I’m comfortable adapting to frameworks like Angular. I’ve also worked extensively with data visualization tools and real-time interfaces, which I believe would be useful when designing dashboards, notebook views, and dataset exploration interfaces for AnalySim.

From an open-source perspective, I’ve contributed to several large projects. I have contributed in Google Summer of Code 2025, where I worked on projects like CircuitVerse and GeNN, improving CI/CD reliability, refactoring codebases, and helping migrate systems to TypeScript. I also participated in Summer of Bitcoin 2025, where I built visualization tools for Lightning Network message flows and extended protocol testing frameworks. Recently, I’ve been contributing to decentralized infrastructure projects in the IPFS ecosystem (Storacha and Open Source Observer).

Alongside this, I’ve built several projects involving collaborative systems and developer tools, including CodeSpace, a real-time collaborative code editor built with React, Node.js, and WebSockets, which gave me experience designing interactive interfaces and multi-user workflows.

I’d love to learn more about the current frontend architecture of AnalySim and the areas where contributors can start helping. Please let me know if there are any issues, UI improvements, or starter tasks I could begin exploring.

Looking forward to contributing!

— Aryan Jain

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Hi @arnab1896 ,

I’m Arpit Singhal from IIT BHU, pursuing Computer Science Engineering, and I’m really interested in contributing to AnalySim for GSoC 2026. Improving the UI/UX for a collaborative data analysis platform sounds exciting, and I’d love to help enhance the dashboard and user workflows.

I have experience with TypeScript, Angular, React.js, Node.js, HTML/CSS, and have built web apps, dashboards, and collaborative interfaces. I’m comfortable working on frontend design, integrating features, and improving usability.

Could you please point me to any starter tasks or issues where I can begin contributing?

Looking forward to contributing!

— Arpit Singhal

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Hi @arnab1896,
I’m Sagnik Chakraborty, a final year student pursuing BTech in IT, interested in GSoC 2026 Project #14 (AnalySim UI/UX). I have already set up the project locally and started reviewing the Angular + Bootstrap frontend, with a focus on the current user journey across registration, dashboard, project workspace, and mobile usage.

For initial pre-proposal contributions, I plan to submit focused PRs in high-impact UI/UX areas so I can align quickly with project standards and mentor feedback. My near-term contribution focus is:

1. Accessibility and visual consistency improvements on key pages
2. Workflow usability improvements for common project and file operations
3. Better user-facing feedback for registration and other frequent actions
4. Incremental UX polish for notebook, publication, and commenting flows

My broader GSoC direction is to build on these targeted fixes toward a coherent, responsive UX system across major user workflows. I would appreciate your guidance on priority among current open UI/UX issues so I can align early contributions with mentor expectations, thanks!

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Hi, I am working on contributions for AnalySim. I’ve already submitted PR #130 which improves the CSV browser usability, a key aim for Project #14. I am also working on PR #134 (handling project privacy/operations). I am very interested in the UI/UX refinement goals of this project.

I’m currently looking at existing GitHub issues to solve today. Are there any specific UI components or layout inconsistencies you’d like me to prioritize for my next PR?

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Hi @arnab1896 and mentors,

My name is Roberto García Ramírez, a Computer Engineering student specializing in Frontend Architecture and UI/UX design. I am directing my GSoC 2026 application towards Project #14 (AnalySim).

Aligning with the project aims, my operational focus is strictly on the visual and structural frontend goals: implementing a consistent Bootstrap layout across all pages, improving mobile responsiveness, and refining the user experience for the dashboard workflows.

As a reference for my current frontend capabilities, I am leading the UI development for a university web app (SafeByte). You can interact with the live deployment here: https://safebyte-5gxw.onrender.com/ (Note: The UI text is in Spanish as it is a local academic project, and the codebase is temporarily private due to university grading policies until May. However, the live site demonstrates my approach to component standardization, state management, and clean layout design).

I have successfully cloned the soft-eng-practicum/AnalySim repository, installed all dependencies, and have the Angular client running in my local environment.

Since my local infrastructure is fully configured, could you assign me a specific good first issue or point me to an area in the codebase strictly related to UI alignment, CSS refactoring, or mobile responsiveness? I am prepared to submit a proof-of-concept PR this week to align with your design standards.

Best regards, Roberto

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Hi @cengique @adm,
quick update from my side since my earlier message:

I’ve now submitted two concrete UI/UX contributions for AnalySim:

  1. PR #133 (minor UX/accessibility + local-dev reliability)

    • Improved stability around auth/session state after local DB resets

    • Added safer fallback behavior so navbar/auth UI doesn’t break when stale browser state exists

    • Included related reliability fixes so common local workflows are smoother

  2. PR #136 (workflow UX + communication polish)

    • Added file explorer search/filter improvements (real-time filtering, keyboard-friendly behavior, clearer empty states)

    • Upgraded user-facing email templates (confirmation, welcome, password reset) to cleaner, professional, responsive formats

    • Added accessibility-oriented interaction polish in these flows (focus states, clearer feedback)

Both PRs are intended as pre-proposal contributions to align with codebase standards and mentor feedback early.
If these look good, I’d really appreciate a review/merge when convenient so I can continue building incrementally on top of accepted changes.

For my main proposal direction (high level), I plan to continue with:

  • End-to-end UX consistency across core workflows (auth → dashboard → project workspace)

  • Accessibility-first polish and interaction clarity on high-traffic screens

  • Better feedback/error states for frequent actions

  • Progressive mobile/responsive improvements for real project usage patterns

  • Fixing of a whole bunch of bugs

Thanks again, and I’m happy to prioritize next tasks based on your guidance.

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Hi everyone! I’m Dev, an Integrated MSc in Information Technology student at KS School of Business Management and Information Technology, India.

I’m applying for GSoC 2026 and have selected the AnalySim project the combination of collaborative data sharing, Angular-based UI, and research-oriented tooling is exactly the kind of work I want to be doing this summer.

A bit about my background: I work primarily with Angular/TypeScript, React, and Node.js, and I’ve been active in open source for a while - I’ve opened 80+ issues, had 40+ merged, and contributed across 12+ projects on GitHub. I was also a GSoC 2025 applicant(unfortunately not selected), so I understand the process and came back this year with a stronger foundation and clearer direction.

For AnalySim, I’m most focused on the UI consistency and Bootstrap mobile rollout, dashboard and notebook page redesigns, and improving the CSV data browser workflow. I’ve already explored the live demo and the GitHub repo to get a feel for the codebase.

Excited to be here and looking forward to contributing. Happy to connect with anyone working on this project!

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Hi @Dev_Gajjar
Thanks for your interest in our project. Regarding your questions, you can look into the code to see them, but we will try to have a good dashboard for analyzing the projects and datasets. So, to get started, I am assigning you a simple task of designing a dashboard (mockup) to analyze and filter the projects and/or the datasets.

Once you send me your mockup (at adolocm@gmail.com) we will have a meeting (on March 25, 27, 28 or 30th) to discuss your potential involvement with the project and answer your questions, which will help you prepare your submission.

Anca

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Reply

Hi @gitsofaryan
Thanks for your interest in our project. Regarding your questions, you can look into the code to see them, but we will try to have a good dashboard for analyzing the projects and datasets. So, to get started, I am assigning you a simple task of designing a dashboard (mockup) to analyze and filter the projects and/or the datasets.

Once you send me your mockup (at adolocm@gmail.com) we will have a meeting (on March 25, 27, 28 or 30th) to discuss your potential involvement with the project and answer your questions, which will help you prepare your submission.

Anca

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Reply

Hi @arpit_singhal
Thanks for your interest in our project. Regarding your questions, you can look into the code to see them, but we will try to have a good dashboard for analyzing the projects and datasets. So, to get started, I am assigning you a simple task of designing a dashboard (mockup) to analyze and filter the projects and/or the datasets.

Once you send me your mockup (at adolocm@gmail.com) we will have a meeting (on March 25, 27, 28 or 30th) to discuss your potential involvement with the project and answer your questions, which will help you prepare your submission.

Anca

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Hi @adm

Thank you for the update and for assigning this task! I have completed the dashboard mockup design focusing on the analysis and filtering workflows.

I would like to officially request a meeting with you on March 25th to discuss my potential involvement with the project.

Thank you for your time and guidance!

Regards,
Arpit Singhal

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Hi,
Thanks for your interest in our project. Regarding your questions, you can look into the code to see them, but we will try to have a good dashboard for analyzing the projects and datasets. So, to get started, I am assigning you a simple task of designing a dashboard (mockup) to analyze and filter the projects and/or the datasets.

Once you send me your mockup (at adolocm@gmail.com) we will have a meeting (on March 25, 27, 28 or 30th) to discuss your potential involvement with the project and answer your questions, which will help you prepare your submission.

Anca

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Hi @adm,

I’ve completed the dashboard mockup and shared the details with you over email.

I’d like to request a video meeting on March 28 to walk through the work, get feedback, and discuss potential involvement going forward.

Looking forward to it!

Thanks,
Dev Gajjar

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Hi @adm
Thank you for your email.
I confirm that a meet over Zoom March 28 at 10:00 AM EST works for me.
Looking forward to discussing the project scope and next steps.

Best regards,
Sagnik Chakraborty

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Hi @adm

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me! It was fantastic to learn more about the broader vision for the AnalySim platform and get your insights on the project roadmap.

I am currently incorporating the excellent feedback from our call into my official GSoC proposal draft. I plan to share the draft shortly to welcome any preliminary feedback or adjustments.

Thanks again for your time and guidance!

Regards,
Arpit Singhal

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Thank you so much @adm for taking time to meet with me! I had a great meeting and discussion about the project and its aims.

Best,

Dev