Modernizing the Django Admin UI/UX

[Soro wahagnona jean]

Django's administration interface is a powerful tool, but its current visual design (fonts, colors, spacing) is perceived as outdated compared to modern standards and third-party solutions like django-unfold or django-jazzmin. Although progress has been made (dark mode in version 3.2 and responsive interface in version 2.0), the core design has not kept pace with current trends.

The goal of this proposal is to completely redesign the interface for Django 5.2, improving aesthetics and usability while ensuring strict backward compatibility.

Main areas of improvement:

Modern Visual Style: Adoption of a contemporary sans-serif typeface, a harmonious color palette, and consistent spacing via CSS variables and utility classes.

Advanced Theming: Enhanced light and dark modes with the addition of an explicit toggle button in the header.

Mobile-First Optimization: Introduction of a collapsible side or top navigation, larger touch areas, and card-based layouts for better usability on tablets and smartphones.

Usability and UX: Clear grouping of actions with icons, fixed navigation bars, and optimized forms.

Accessibility (A11y): Prioritizing high contrast, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility, building upon the foundations laid by Django 5.0.

Implementation Strategy: To minimize risks, the project proposes developing this new design as an enhanced theme that can be optionally activated via a parameter, before any potential integration into the core. The template structure and CSS class names will be preserved as much as possible to avoid breaking existing customizations.
I am submitting this ticket as part of GSOC.

[Jacob Walls]

Being discussed at ​https://github.com/django/new-features/issues/70