Dashboard Layout and Navigation

The Ideas & Issues dashboard uses a two-panel layout designed for efficient feedback management. The main content panel displays your feedback feed with statistics and filters, while the insights sidebar provides analytical widgets for data-driven decision making.

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Dashboard Layout Structure

Two-Panel Design

Left Panel: Main Content (70% width)

• Statistics widgets row
• Feed tabs and controls
• Feedback item list
• Filters and search

Right Panel: Insights Sidebar (30% width)

• Segment Activity widget
• Future: Emerging Patterns (commented out)
• Future: AI Suggestions (commented out)

Layout Benefits

Focused Workflow:

• Primary tasks in main panel
• Supporting data in sidebar
• Minimal context switching
• Clear visual hierarchy

Information Density:

• Key metrics always visible
• Insights at a glance
• Detailed data on demand
• Efficient use of screen space

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Main Content Panel

Statistics Widgets Row

Layout:

• Horizontal row of 4 stat cards
• Equal width distribution
• Responsive grid
• Consistent spacing

Each Stat Card Contains:

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Label                   │
│ Value (large)      Icon │
│ Trend                   │
└─────────────────────────┘

Visual Design:

• Label: Small, gray text
• Value: Large, bold number
• Unit: Small text next to value (if applicable)
• Trend: Colored text with indicator
• Icon: Colored circle with Material icon

Responsive Behavior:

• Desktop: 4 cards in a row
• Tablet: 2 cards per row
• Mobile: 1 card per row (stacked)

Feed Tabs

Tab Bar Layout:

[New] [Rising] [Top] [Discussed] [Backlog (23)]

Active Tab Styling:

• Highlighted background
• Bold text
• Bottom border accent
• Smooth transition

Tab Description:

Below tabs: "Most recently posted" (changes with tab)

Interaction:

• Click to switch tabs
• Instant feed update
• Maintains other filters
• Smooth animation

Filters and Search Bar

Top Controls Row:

[Search Icon] [Filter Icon (2)] [More Options]

Expanded Search:

┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🔍 Search feedback...              │
└────────────────────────────────────┘

Active Filter Chips:

[Category: Performance ×] [Status: New ×] [Clear All]

Filter Panel (Slide-in):

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Filters            [×]  │
├─────────────────────────┤
│ Categories              │
│ ☐ Feature Request       │
│ ☑ Bug Reports           │
│ ☐ Performance           │
│                         │
│ Idea Status             │
│ ☐ Under Review          │
│ ☑ Planned               │
│                         │
│ [Clear Filters]         │
└─────────────────────────┘

Feedback Feed

List View (Default):

┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🔥 Performance issue on mobile     │
│ Posted 2h ago • 23 votes • 5 comm │
│ Category: Performance • Status: New│
└────────────────────────────────────┘

Grid View (if supported):

┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ Item 1  │ │ Item 2  │ │ Item 3  │
│ 23 ▲    │ │ 15 ▲    │ │ 42 ▲    │
└─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘

Loading States:

[Spinner] Loading feedback...

Empty States:

No feedback items match your filters.
Try adjusting your search or filters.

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Insights Sidebar

Segment Activity Widget

Widget Structure:

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ 👥 Segment Activity             │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ Most Engaged                    │
│ Enterprise (42%)                │
│                                 │
│ Needs Attention                 │
│ Free Tier                       │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ Enterprise                      │
│ Score: 50.0 • 45 items          │
│ Top Issues: Integrations        │
│ ████████████░░░░░░░░ 42%        │
│                                 │
│ SMB Customers                   │
│ Score: 32.5 • 28 items          │
│ Top Issues: Performance         │
│ ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░ 26%        │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Visual Elements:

• Header: Icon + title
• Comparison badges: Green (most) / Orange (least)
• Segment cards: Name, score, count, category
• Progress bars: Visual percentage representation
• Tooltips: Hover for user/vote counts

Color Coding:

• Green bar: Most engaged segment
• Orange bar: Least engaged segment
• Gray bars: Normal segments

Future Widgets (Commented Out)

Emerging Patterns:

Currently disabled in code
Purpose: AI-detected feedback trends
Features: Pattern detection, trend alerts

AI Suggestions:

Currently disabled in code
Purpose: Automated feedback grouping
Features: Opportunity creation, analysis

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Navigation Patterns

Primary Navigation

Dashboard Access:

Main Menu → Feedback Manager → Dashboard

Breadcrumbs:

Home > Feedback Manager > Ideas & Issues

Quick Access:

• Bookmark dashboard URL
• Pin to favorites
• Keyboard shortcuts (if configured)

Within-Dashboard Navigation

Tab Switching:

• Click tab to change view
• Keyboard: Arrow keys (if supported)
• Maintains filters and search

Filter Navigation:

• Open/close filter panel
• Toggle individual filters
• Clear all filters

Item Navigation:

• Click item to view details
• Back button to return to feed
• Breadcrumb navigation

External Navigation

From Dashboard:

• Click feedback item → Detail page
• Click user name → User profile
• Click category → Category view
• Click backlog link → Work item

To Dashboard:

• Main menu link
• Browser back button
• Breadcrumb navigation
• Logo click (if configured)

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Responsive Design

Desktop View (>1200px)

Layout:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [Stats Row - 4 cards]                      │
├────────────────────────┬───────────────────┤
│ Main Content           │ Insights Sidebar  │
│ - Tabs                 │ - Segment Activity│
│ - Filters              │                   │
│ - Feed                 │                   │
│                        │                   │
└────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘

Characteristics:

• Full two-panel layout
• All features visible
• Optimal information density
• Comfortable reading width

Tablet View (768px - 1200px)

Layout:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [Stats Row - 2 cards per row]              │
├────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Main Content (Full Width)                  │
│ - Tabs                                     │
│ - Filters                                  │
│ - Feed                                     │
├────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Insights Sidebar (Below or Collapsible)    │
│ - Segment Activity                         │
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Characteristics:

• Stats wrap to 2 columns
• Sidebar may collapse or move below
• Touch-friendly controls
• Reduced padding

Mobile View (<768px)

Layout:

┌──────────────────────┐
│ [Stats - Stacked]    │
│ [Card 1]             │
│ [Card 2]             │
│ [Card 3]             │
│ [Card 4]             │
├──────────────────────┤
│ [Tabs - Scrollable]  │
├──────────────────────┤
│ [Search/Filter]      │
├──────────────────────┤
│ [Feed Items]         │
│ [Item 1]             │
│ [Item 2]             │
│ ...                  │
└──────────────────────┘

Characteristics:

• Single column layout
• Collapsible sections
• Hamburger menu for filters
• Swipeable tabs
• Larger touch targets

---

Visual Design Elements

Color Scheme

Stat Card Icons:

• Purple: Total Feedback
• Orange: Unprocessed
• Deep Purple: Linked to Backlog
• Blue: Avg Response Time

Trend Indicators:

• Green: Positive/improvement
• Red: Negative/decline (or improvement for response time)
• Gray: Neutral/no change

Segment Bars:

• Green: Most engaged
• Orange: Needs attention
• Gray: Normal engagement

Typography

Hierarchy:

H1: Page title (if present)
H2: Section headers
H3: Widget titles
Body: Regular text
Small: Labels, metadata

Font Weights:

• Bold: Values, important data
• Semi-bold: Headers
• Regular: Body text
• Light: Secondary information

Spacing and Padding

Consistent Spacing:

• Card padding: 16-24px
• Row gaps: 16px
• Column gaps: 16px
• Section margins: 24-32px

Visual Rhythm:

• Consistent vertical spacing
• Aligned elements
• Clear visual groups
• Adequate whitespace

Icons

Material Icons Used:

• chat_bubble_outline - Total Feedback
• schedule - Unprocessed
• check_circle_outline - Linked to Backlog
• show_chart - Avg Response Time
• groups - Segment Activity
• filter_list - Filters
• search - Search
• more_horiz - More options

---

Interaction Patterns

Loading States

Initial Load:

1. Show skeleton screens
2. Load statistics
3. Load feed items
4. Load segment data
5. Fade in content

Filter Application:

1. Show filtering indicator
2. Disable controls
3. Update results
4. Re-enable controls
5. Smooth transition

Tab Switching:

1. Highlight new tab
2. Brief loading state
3. Update feed
4. Update description
5. Maintain scroll position

Hover States

Stat Cards:

• Subtle elevation
• Slight scale increase
• Cursor: pointer (if clickable)

Segment Items:

• Highlight background
• Show tooltip
• Reveal additional info

Filter Options:

• Highlight background
• Show checkmark
• Cursor: pointer

Click/Tap Feedback

Buttons:

• Ripple effect
• Color change
• Immediate response

Tabs:

• Instant switch
• Smooth underline animation
• Color transition

Filters:

• Checkbox toggle
• Immediate filter application
• Visual confirmation

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Customization Options

User Preferences (if supported)

Layout:

• List vs. Grid view
• Sidebar position (left/right)
• Compact vs. Comfortable density

Display:

• Items per page
• Default tab
• Default filters

Notifications:

• New feedback alerts
• Status change notifications
• Comment notifications

Admin Configuration

Widget Visibility:

• Enable/disable specific widgets
• Reorder widgets
• Custom widget content

Branding:

• Custom colors
• Logo placement
• Theme selection

Defaults:

• Default filters for team
• Preset views
• Saved searches

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Accessibility

Keyboard Navigation

Tab Key:

• Navigate through interactive elements
• Focus indicators visible
• Logical tab order

Enter/Space:

• Activate buttons
• Toggle checkboxes
• Select options

Arrow Keys:

• Navigate tabs (if supported)
• Navigate lists
• Navigate menus

Screen Reader Support

ARIA Labels:

• Descriptive button labels
• Status announcements
• Error messages
• Loading states

Semantic HTML:

• Proper heading hierarchy
• Landmark regions
• List structures
• Form labels

Visual Accessibility

Color Contrast:

• WCAG AA compliant
• Readable text
• Clear icons
• Distinct states

Focus Indicators:

• Visible focus rings
• High contrast
• Consistent styling

Text Sizing:

• Scalable fonts
• Readable at 200% zoom
• No text in images

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Performance Optimization

Lazy Loading

Feed Items:

• Load initial batch (5-10 items)
• Infinite scroll for more
• Virtualization for long lists

Widgets:

• Load above-the-fold first
• Defer sidebar widgets
• Progressive enhancement

Caching

Static Data:

• Cache category list
• Cache status options
• Cache user preferences

Dynamic Data:

• Cache feed results briefly
• Invalidate on filter change
• Refresh on explicit action

Rendering Optimization

Virtual Scrolling:

• Render visible items only
• Recycle DOM elements
• Smooth scrolling

Debouncing:

• Search input (400ms)
• Filter changes (200ms)
• Resize events (100ms)

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Troubleshooting

Layout Issues

Problem: Sidebar not visible

Solutions:
- Check screen width (may be hidden on mobile)
- Verify no CSS conflicts
- Check browser zoom level
- Try different browser

Problem: Stats cards misaligned

Solutions:
- Refresh page
- Clear browser cache
- Check responsive breakpoints
- Verify CSS loaded correctly

Problem: Feed items overlapping

Solutions:
- Check browser compatibility
- Disable browser extensions
- Clear cache and cookies
- Report to support

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Best Practices

Efficient Navigation

✅ Use keyboard shortcuts - Faster than mouse
✅ Bookmark common views - Quick access
✅ Learn tab system - Efficient switching
✅ Master filters - Find what you need
✅ Customize layout - Optimize for your workflow

Visual Clarity

✅ Maintain clean workspace - Close unused panels
✅ Use appropriate zoom - Comfortable reading
✅ Leverage color coding - Quick visual scanning
✅ Read tooltips - Additional context
✅ Check all widgets - Don't miss insights

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The dashboard layout is designed for efficient feedback management with all key information accessible at a glance. Understanding the layout helps you work faster and make better data-driven decisions.