As the digital landscape continues to evolve, web developers and designers are constantly seeking innovative tools to create seamless, visually captivating, and efficient user experiences. The WorkingMouse developers undertook research to decide which component library should be used to strike the balance of features, usability, flexibility, and simplicity for future development.

The Need for Evolution

The previously preferred component library that was used was much smaller than Chakra. This meant that the developers would require additional time to create missing elements if they were needed in the development of the application. The old component library didn't provide the extensibility and reusability available via Chakra UI. Chakra UI gives developers the ability to centralise components and all the associated styling code outside of the React components. This makes iteration and changes easier for future developers and overall readability from the client-side code better because the user is only required to go to one place to access the styling elements.

“I really like Chakra UI's "Style Props" feature. It lets me apply styling directly to components using props, making UI development incredibly efficient and enjoyable.” - Patrick, Software Developer

Empowering Developers

Chakra UI at WorkingMouse The developers at WorkingMouse are constantly looking out for new tools to create seamless, visually captivating, and efficient user experiences. Chakra UI’s alignment with the react ecoystem make the component library an ideal choice for our developers who are already familiar with React. Chakra UI has been the preferred component library for our developers to use for our upcoming projects. A recent project ‘Trackerbot’ for the Department of Defence incorporated Chakra UI. The developers used Chakra UI to create visually intuitive interfaces with the project focusing on phasing out legacy technology and embracing modern, agile solutions. For a comprehensive understanding of the trackerbot material procurement system, please refer to our blog.

Our developers are not tied to Chakra and are able to use different component libraries; however, Chakra has been the developers' preferred library because of the reliable open-source community. This means that our developers have access to extensive documentation and community-contributed resources, resulting in a reliable collaborative ecosystem.

Why Chakra UI is considered a reliable library

• Strong documentation
• Stability and maturity
• Regular updates and maintenance
• Thorough testing and quality assurance
• Active community support
• Focus on accessibility

What's the open-source license?

Chakra UI has gained popularity within the React community with over 2 million downloads per month. Several companies and organisations now to use Chakra UI in their project with public information found in GitHub repositories. Chakra UI is now up to version 2 which focused on providing compatibility for React 18. Chakra UI was released under the MIT license, which is a permissive open-source license encouraging collaboration and the use of Chakra UI. MIT licenses are well known in the development industry for being its flexibility in allowing developers to use, modify, and distribute software.

What’s the value?

Chakra UI is a modern React component library that offers a collection of customisable and accessible UI components. It was designed to streamline the process of building user interfaces and encapsulates a variety of components such as buttons, forms, navigation elements, and more. Our developers are currently enjoying using Chakra UI because of its focus on simplicity, flexibility, and performance.

In addition, all the quirky CSS attributes that need to be set differently per browser, to ensure proper accessibility, are ALL handled by Chakra UI. This allows for the developers to keep the code they interact with simple yet effective.

You may wonder, how this tech stack obtained the name “Chakra”. Chakra is originally derived from ancient Indian spiritual and philosophical traditions. The term chakra comes from Sanskrit, the primary language of Hinduism, and translates to “wheel” or “disc”, representing the idea of energy centre’s that are in constant motion. Chakra UI reflects the tech stack's aim to provide a harmonious and balanced foundation for building user interfaces. Chakra addresses various aspects of web development such as design, consistency, accessibility, and performance, all contributing to the well-rounded and holistic approach to creating user experiences.

Where did it begin?

Chakra UI was developed by Segun Adebayo, who started his journey in UI design 5 years and was turned off web development after struggling with themes and plugins. Shortly after, Segun had lost his passion for anything to do with front end development, until he discovered React and appreciated how easy it was to create components. React inspired him to return to development and Sugun started to develop Chakra UI as a side-project to learn from. Segun decided to launch Chakra UI as an open-source project to empower and encourage developers worldwide to contribute to the project, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing. Chakra UI has three core principles that drives its design and development philosophy.

1. Accessibility First 🌐

Accessibility is a fundamental value that inspired Segun to create Chakra UI, and this can be seen through the built-in support for accessibility features, making it easier for developer to create web applications that are inclusive and can be used by a diverse range of people. Accessibility ensures that Chakra UI components are keyboard-navigable, screen reader-friendly, and adhere to best accessibility practices.

2. Design System Friendly 🎨

Secondly, Segun ensured that Chakra prioritises the developers' experiences with the goal of making it easier for developers by providing a seamless and enjoyable experience. This can be seen through features such as intuitive API, utility-style classes for easy styling, and developer-friendly documentation.

3. Customisable and Composable 🧩

The third core principle is Chakra UI is to be highly customisable and composable. Providing sets of reusable and customisable UI components that can be easily integrated into a wide range of different projects. The flexibility of customisation allows for consistent and visually appealing user interfaces while accommodating for specific needs of different projects. Find out more about Chakra UI!

In Summary

Chakra UI is a beacon of innovation in the realm of software development, offering undeniable value to developers. Its ability to streamline development, uphold consistent design, prioritise accessibility, enhance performance, and foster community collaboration makes it an indispensable tool. Implementing the Chakra UI component library into the projects at WorkingMouse presents an opportunity to elevate user experiences and deliver products that exceed user expectations. It’s essential to highlight that while WorkingMouse strongly recommends Chakra UI for its many benefits and empowering features, the choice of which component library to use ultimately rests with the client. We value collaboration and tailor our approach to meet each client’s unique needs and preferences, offering flexibility to choose the tools that resonate most with their vision and goals.