Zensical Spark¶

At Zensical, we know from experience that the Open Source model of software development is the best way to maximize user value. It is no coincidence that Open Source is popular, especially in the market of technical writing software, where users increasingly adopt Docs-as-Code.

Zensical is created by the team behind Material for MkDocs, the go-to solution for zero-effort project documentation. Trusted by tens of thousands of users with 10 million monthly downloads, organizations worldwide have adopted Material for MkDocs as their primary Docs-as-Code solution. Sponsorships from trusted organizations have enabled Material for MkDocs to grow from a solo project into a full team, supporting the original creator Martin Donath. This allowed us to create Zensical, as well as Zensical Spark, a set of complimentary services, that aim to bring peace of mind to our community of professional users.

We are moving on from the sponsorware model that has helped Material for MkDocs grow beyond all expectations. Zensical represents our evolution toward universal access – making every feature available to every user to ensure the growth of a vibrant community.

Our approach¶

In Zensical Spark, we take the time to iterate on new ideas and rapidly validate them before investing in development. This allows us to identify and manage risks early on, as well as test our ideas and designs against real-world problems in contexts that we have come to understand well.

We've designed our process so that non-technical users and enterprise users with complex needs can effectively participate, so that we learn about their needs as we have meaningful discussions about big-picture topics.

Our structured approach balances visionary thinking with practical constraints, synthesizing diverse requirements through evidence-based decision making.

The process encompasses four stages:

Stage 1 – Opportunities¶

We identify and define opportunities for evolving Zensical to meet user needs. We look for evidence that these needs are widespread and not just the needs of a small number of users.

Every member of Spark can create and propose any number of new ideas, which helps us ensure that we are addressing the needs of our users effectively. There's little formal requirement, as we want to encourage creativity and exploration at this stage. If an idea is specific to the needs of individual users, we will suggest to build a customization instead.

Opportunities are sometimes also identified through GitHub feature requests. We will bring them into Zensical Spark if appropriate, and integrate them into the bigger picture.

Stage 2 – Proposals¶

We generate proposals to address the opportunities identified. We aim to consider a broad range of options and validate them to reduce the risk of wasting effort. We identify and test assumptions and establish whether:

• the proposed changes would be desirable for users;
• they create user value;
• they are feasible to implement and viable for our business;
• they would not clash with other needs that users have;
• their implementation would be usable.

We employ various research methods and prototypes of varying degrees of fidelity, from napkin sketches to exploratory implementations at this stage. However, we avoid making premature commitments to implementation details.

Stage 3 – Design¶

We produce comprehensive design documents to finalize proposals before they enter our development pipeline. Each design document provides:

• Clear definition of opportunities and problems to be addressed
• Multiple solution approaches with trade-off analysis
• Detailed technical designs and implementation plans
• Identified risks and mitigation strategies

Design documents are made publicly available for transparency, allowing all users to understand upcoming changes and their rationale. At this stage, all users are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposed designs. Additionally, Zensical Spark members can discuss their concerns and suggestions in depth with the Zensical team.¹

Stage 4 – Iteration¶

We develop and iterate on Open Source code and documentation using a continuous delivery approach. This ensures that value is created iteratively and that the software produced is thoroughly tested before release. The Open Source approach ensures that there are many eyes on the code and that it can be audited as needed to ensure that issues are identified, defined and addressed as soon as possible.

The first three stages help us manage Zensical as a project. We invest effort into minimizing risks early on, before investing in development work. Of course, iterative development and incremental delivery of features allows us to continue gathering feedback and to change course if needed.

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Feature requests¶

As an Open Source project, we are open to feature requests and contributions from every one of our users. However, our experience has shown that professional users typically find it difficult to discuss their complex needs in a forum like GitHub Discussions, especially if their expertise is not a technical one. This can be because:

• Interactions in the community are often dominated by discussions about features rather than focusing on the problem space.

• Details about specific use cases cannot easily be shared with the team if they would contain confidential information.

• Discussions are dominated by those with deep technical expertise and a focus on quick fixes.

• The sheer number of opinions on a matter can sometimes stifle progress.

In contrast to GitHub Discussions, which are often fragmented, we seek to provide continuity and coherence in discussions about a particular problem space. Through our processes outlined above, we seek to make Zensical Spark a space where we can have sustained, open and candid discussions with professional users.

By offering Spark as a paid service that complements our Zensical projects, which we release under OSI-approved Open Source licenses, we ensure that we have not just users' input but also the capacity to act on it. This is how we can fulfill our vision to empower our users to turn knowledge into clear, accessible documentation.

Spark provides the space in which we can shape strategy, design, and implementation through continuous collaboration and so ensure that our project vision and strategy align with the needs of our users. We work in iterations in discovery, design, and delivery to ensure that we solve problems and generate user value instead of merely delivering features.