Development Log

Week 5, Day 2

Task: Implement brushing and linking
Decision: Decided to use D3.js’s event listeners (.on("click", ...)) to trigger updates in other charts. This is a common and robust pattern in D3.
Reasoning: This is a direct implementation of the digital sketch’s planned interaction. It allows the user to explore the data by filtering.

Week 5, Day 4

Task: Implement details on demand (hover)
Decision: Used D3’s .on("mouseover", ...) and .on("mouseout", ...) events to show and hide a custom tooltip div.
Reasoning: This allows the user to get more information without cluttering the charts, addressing the low-level task of “retrieve value.”

Week 6, Day 1

Task: Refine color palette
Decision: The initial color palette for delays was too subtle. Changed to a sequential color scale from green (low delay) to red (high delay) to make the data more immediately understandable.
Reasoning: Feedback from an informal check-in with a domain expert indicated that a more intuitive color scheme was needed to quickly identify problems.

Implementation Progress

Sprint 1: Core Visualization [Date Range]

Goals:

  • Set up basic project structure
  • Implement data loading functionality
  • Create main visualization component
  • Add basic interactivity

Completed Features:

  • Feature 1: [Description and status]
  • Feature 2: [Description and status]

Technical Decisions:

  1. Decision: [e.g., Chose D3.js over Chart.js] Reasoning: [Why this choice was made] Trade-offs: [What was gained/lost]

Challenges Encountered:

  • Challenge 1: [Description of problem] Solution: [How it was resolved] Time Impact: [How much time it took]

  • Challenge 2: [Description of problem] Solution: [How it was resolved] Time Impact: [How much time it took]

Code Quality Metrics:

  • Lines of Code: [number]
  • Test Coverage: [percentage]
  • Performance Score: [if measured]

Sprint 2: Advanced Features [Date Range]

Goals:

  • Implement filtering and search
  • Add multiple view modes
  • Optimize performance
  • Add responsive design

Completed Features:

  • Feature 1: [Description and status]
  • Feature 2: [Description and status]

[Similar structure as Sprint 1]

Architecture Decisions

Data Flow Architecture:

Data Source → Data Loader → Data Processor → Visualization Components
                                ↓
                        State Management ← User Interactions

Component Structure:

  • Main App Component: [Responsibilities]
  • Chart Component: [Responsibilities]
  • Filter Component: [Responsibilities]
  • Legend Component: [Responsibilities]

State Management:

  • Approach: [Vanilla JS variables, Redux, Vuex, etc.]
  • State Structure: [How application state is organized]
  • Update Patterns: [How state changes are handled]

Performance Optimization

Initial Performance Metrics:

  • Load Time: [time] seconds
  • Render Time: [time] ms for [number] data points
  • Memory Usage: [amount] MB
  • FPS: [frames per second] during animations

Optimization Strategies Implemented:

  1. Strategy 1: [e.g., Data virtualization] Impact: [Performance improvement achieved]

  2. Strategy 2: [e.g., Debounced filtering] Impact: [Performance improvement achieved]

  3. Strategy 3: [e.g., Canvas rendering for large datasets] Impact: [Performance improvement achieved]

Final Performance Metrics:

  • Load Time: [time] seconds
  • Render Time: [time] ms for [number] data points
  • Memory Usage: [amount] MB
  • FPS: [frames per second] during animations

Data Integration

Data Processing Pipeline:

  1. Raw Data Input: [Format and source]
  2. Cleaning: [What cleaning was applied]
  3. Transformation: [How data was transformed]
  4. Validation: [How data quality was ensured]
  5. Caching: [If and how data is cached]

Data Update Strategy:

  • Update Frequency: [How often data refreshes]
  • Update Method: [Pull/push, manual/automatic]
  • Error Handling: [How data errors are managed]

Testing Strategy

Testing Approaches:

  • Unit Tests: [Components/functions tested]
  • Integration Tests: [Systems tested together]
  • Visual Testing: [How visual output is validated]
  • User Testing: [If any user testing was conducted]

Test Results:

Test Type Tests Written Tests Passing Coverage
Unit [number] [number] [percentage]%
Integration [number] [number] [percentage]%
Visual [number] [number] [percentage]%

Deployment

Build Process:

  1. Development Build: [How to run locally]
  2. Production Build: [How to create production version]
  3. Optimization: [Minification, bundling, etc.]

Deployment Environment:

  • Platform: [GitHub Pages, Netlify, AWS, etc.]
  • URL: [Deployed application URL]
  • CI/CD: [Continuous integration setup]

Deployment Checklist:

  • Code reviewed and tested
  • Performance optimized
  • Accessibility tested
  • Cross-browser tested
  • Mobile responsive verified
  • Error handling implemented
  • Analytics/monitoring setup

Code Organization

File Structure:

project/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   ├── data/
│   ├── utils/
│   └── styles/
├── tests/
├── docs/
└── build/

Coding Standards:

  • Style Guide: [ESLint config, Prettier settings]
  • Naming Conventions: [How files, functions, variables are named]
  • Documentation: [JSDoc, comments standards]

Lessons Learned

Technical Insights:

  • Insight 1: [What was learned about the technology]
  • Insight 2: [What was learned about the approach]

Process Improvements:

  • Improvement 1: [What could be done better next time]
  • Improvement 2: [What process changes would help]

Time Management:

  • Estimated Time: [Original estimate]
  • Actual Time: [Time actually spent]
  • Variance: [Difference and reasons]

Next Steps

Immediate Actions:

  • [Action 1]
  • [Action 2]
  • [Action 3]

Future Enhancements:

  • Enhancement 1: [Description and priority]
  • Enhancement 2: [Description and priority]

Technical Debt:

  • Debt Item 1: [What needs to be improved]
  • Debt Item 2: [What needs to be improved]

Resources and References

Documentation:

  • Resource 1: [Link and description]
  • Resource 2: [Link and description]

Libraries and Tools:

  • Tool 1: [Version used and purpose]
  • Tool 2: [Version used and purpose]

Tutorials and Guides:

  • Tutorial 1: [Link and how it helped]
  • Tutorial 2: [Link and how it helped]

Team Collaboration

Code Reviews:

  • Review Process: [How code reviews were conducted]
  • Key Feedback: [Important feedback received]
  • Changes Made: [How feedback was incorporated]

Communication:

  • Meeting Schedule: [Regular meetings held]
  • Documentation Sharing: [How information was shared]
  • Decision Making: [How technical decisions were made]

Knowledge Sharing:

  • Skills Learned: [New skills gained by team members]
  • Knowledge Gaps: [Areas where more expertise was needed]
  • Training Needs: [Skills that should be developed]