Docs: Improve clarity and structure of contribution guide (#2508)

Co-authored-by: Anika <anika@Anikas-MacBook-Air.local>

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1,12 +1,155 @@
-Specter-desktop is an Open Source Project under the MIT-License and everyone is invited to contribute to it.
+# Contributing to Specter Desktop
 
-We haven't created many explicit processes and rely on the best practices of Open Source projects. If you want to contribute, fork the project and create a PR. 
+Specter Desktop is an Open Source Project under the MIT License and everyone is invited to contribute to it.
 
-If it's necessary to add processes, we'll probably looking into Pieter Hintjens' [Social Architecture](https://hintjens.gitbooks.io/social-architecture/content/) and specifically the C4 process. Pieter is explicitly mentioning two roles: Contributors and maintainers. 
+We haven't created many explicit processes and rely on the best practices of Open Source projects. If you want to contribute, fork the project and create a PR.
 
-Thank you very much to all our [Contributors](https://github.com/cryptoadvance/specter-desktop/graphs/contributors). 
+## Table of Contents
-See also the Contributors to each specific release in the release-notes.
 
-The maintainers are the ones who are able to merge PRs and create tags/releases. They are listed as "authors" in setup.py.
+- [How to Contribute](#how-to-contribute)
+- [Development Setup](#development-setup)
+- [Code Standards](#code-standards)
+- [Testing](#testing)
+- [Finding Help](#finding-help)
+- [Contributors and Maintainers](#contributors-and-maintainers)
 
-For practical considerations of a dev-setup, please have a look in the [development.md](docs/development.md). If you need support, join our  [Telegram group](https://t.me/spectersupport).
+## How to Contribute
+
+To contribute code:
+
+1. **Fork the repository** on GitHub
+2. **Create a branch** from `master` (or the relevant branch)
+   ```bash
+   git checkout -b your-feature-branch
+   ```
+
+3. **Make your changes**
+   - Follow our [Code Standards](#code-standards)
+   - Write or update tests as needed
+   - Update documentation if necessary
+
+4. **Test your changes**
+   - Run the test suite (see [Testing](#testing))
+   - Ensure all tests pass
+
+5. **Commit your changes**
+   - Write clear, descriptive commit messages
+   - If addressing an issue, reference it in your commit message: `Fixes #123` or `Closes #123`
+
+6. **Push to your fork** and create a Pull Request
+
+## Development Setup
+
+For detailed development setup instructions, see [docs/development.md](docs/development.md).
+
+Quick start:
+
+1. **Install dependencies** (see [docs/development.md](docs/development.md) for platform-specific instructions)
+
+2. **Set up virtual environment**
+   ```sh
+   git clone https://github.com/cryptoadvance/specter-desktop.git
+   cd specter-desktop
+   pip3 install virtualenv
+   virtualenv --python=python3 .env
+   source .env/bin/activate  # On Windows: .env\Scripts\activate
+   pip3 install -r requirements.txt --require-hashes
+   pip3 install -e .
+   ```
+
+3. **Run the development server**
+   ```sh
+   python3 -m cryptoadvance.specter server --config DevelopmentConfig --debug
+   ```
+   Specter will be available at http://127.0.0.1:25441/
+
+**Note**: Specter currently supports Python 3.9 and 3.10.
+
+## Code Standards
+
+### Python Code Style
+
+- **Use Black** for code formatting. We have a pre-commit hook to automate this:
+  ```bash
+  pre-commit install
+  ```
+  This will automatically format your code before commits.
+
+### Frontend
+
+- We prefer plain JavaScript over frameworks
+- Use Material Icons from https://material.io/resources/icons/?style=baseline
+- Color scheme:
+  - Orange: `#F5A623`
+  - Blue: `#4A90E2`
+
+### Dependencies
+
+- **Minimize dependencies** - We're security-conscious and prefer fewer dependencies
+- If you update `requirements.in`, generate the new `requirements.txt`:
+  ```sh
+  pip-compile --generate-hashes requirements.in
+  ```
+
+## Testing
+
+We use two testing frameworks:
+
+### Backend Tests (pytest)
+
+Run the test suite:
+```bash
+# Run all tests
+pytest
+
+# Run tests excluding slow ones
+pytest -m "not slow"
+
+# Run specific test file
+pytest tests/test_specter.py
+
+# Run specific test
+pytest tests/test_specter.py::test_specter
+```
+
+**Note**: You need bitcoind for tests. See [docs/development.md](docs/development.md#how-to-run-the-tests) for setup instructions.
+
+### Frontend Tests (Cypress)
+
+Run Cypress tests:
+```bash
+# Run all Cypress tests
+./utils/test-cypress.sh run
+
+# Open Cypress app for interactive testing
+./utils/test-cypress.sh open
+
+# Run specific test with snapshot
+./utils/test-cypress.sh snapshot spec_wallet_utxo.js
+./utils/test-cypress.sh run spec_wallet_utxo.js
+```
+
+For more details, see [docs/cypress-testing.md](docs/cypress-testing.md).
+
+## Finding Help
+
+- **Documentation**: Check [docs/development.md](docs/development.md) for development setup
+- **FAQ**: See [docs/faq.md](docs/faq.md) for common questions
+- **Telegram**: Join our [Telegram support group](https://t.me/spectersupport) for real-time help
+- **GitHub Issues**: Search existing issues or create a new one
+
+## Contributors and Maintainers
+
+### Contributors
+
+Thank you very much to all our [Contributors](https://github.com/cryptoadvance/specter-desktop/graphs/contributors). See also the contributors to each specific release in the release-notes.
+
+### Maintainers
+
+Maintainers are the ones who can merge PRs and create tags/releases. They are listed as "authors" in `pyproject.toml` (and `setup.py`).
+
+If it's necessary to add more formal processes, we'll probably look into Pieter Hintjens' [Social Architecture](https://hintjens.gitbooks.io/social-architecture/content/) and specifically the C4 process. Pieter explicitly mentions two roles: Contributors and Maintainers.
+
+---
+
+Thank you for contributing to Specter Desktop! Your contributions help make Bitcoin more accessible and secure for everyone.