#dashboard-template.md
Version: 1.0.0
Target Models
- GLM-5.3
- GLM-5.2
- GLM-5 Family
- GLM-4.6
- Future GLM Models
#Purpose
This template provides a complete engineering context for designing modern dashboards that transform complex business data into actionable insights through intuitive user experiences, efficient information architecture, scalable system design, operational visibility, and long-term maintainability.
It is intended for SaaS platforms, enterprise software, AI products, developer platforms, fintech products, analytics systems, blockchain applications, internal tools, and any software requiring professional dashboards.
The objective is not creating visually attractive interfaces.
The objective is engineering dashboards that enable users to make faster, more accurate business decisions with minimal cognitive effort.
#Core Philosophy
Understand the Business
↓
Understand the Users
↓
Understand Decisions
↓
Organize Information
↓
Reduce Cognitive Load
↓
Prioritize Important Actions
↓
Enable Productivity
↓
Continuously Improve
A dashboard exists to help users make better decisions—not to display more information.
#Dashboard Overview
Clearly define
Dashboard Name
Business Purpose
Primary Users
Secondary Users
Business Goals
Success Metrics
Expected Outcomes
Long-Term Vision
Every dashboard should have a clearly defined business objective.
#User Roles
Identify
Guest Users
Registered Users
Administrators
Managers
Business Owners
Support Teams
Developers
Enterprise Users
Every role should see only the information necessary for its responsibilities.
#Primary User Goals
Define
Daily Tasks
Critical Decisions
Common Workflows
Monitoring Activities
Management Tasks
Reporting Requirements
Administrative Tasks
Business Objectives
Every screen should help users accomplish meaningful work.
#Information Architecture
Organize
Global Navigation
↓
Primary Sections
↓
Secondary Pages
↓
Feature Modules
↓
Widgets
↓
Detailed Views
↓
Settings
↓
Administration
Information should become more detailed as users navigate deeper.
#Navigation Structure
Design
Sidebar
Top Navigation
Breadcrumbs
Search
Notifications
Quick Actions
Recent Activity
User Profile
Navigation should minimize the number of interactions required to reach important features.
#Dashboard Layout
Define
Header
Summary Cards
Charts
Tables
Activity Feed
Quick Actions
Filters
Sidebar
Footer
Responsive Sections
The layout should naturally guide user attention from high-level insights to detailed information.
#Dashboard Widgets
Identify
Statistic Cards
Line Charts
Bar Charts
Pie Charts
Area Charts
Tables
Lists
Calendars
Maps
Activity Timeline
Notifications
Recent Events
Every widget should answer a specific business question.
#Data Visualization
Define
Key Metrics
KPIs
Business Trends
Comparisons
Forecasts
Performance Indicators
Growth Metrics
Alerts
Health Status
Visualizations should simplify decision-making rather than increase complexity.
#Data Sources
Identify
Internal APIs
Databases
Analytics Platforms
Third-Party Services
External APIs
AI Services
Real-Time Events
Background Jobs
Every displayed value should have a clearly defined source.
#User Interactions
Define
Filtering
Sorting
Searching
Pagination
Bulk Actions
Inline Editing
Exporting
Refreshing
Drill Down
Navigation
Interactions should reduce effort while increasing productivity.
#Search Experience
Design
Global Search
Advanced Filters
Saved Filters
Search Suggestions
Autocomplete
Quick Results
Recent Searches
Search History
Users should find information faster than they expect.
#Notifications
Define
System Notifications
Business Alerts
Warnings
Errors
Success Messages
Reminders
Announcements
Real-Time Events
Notifications should inform without becoming distractions.
#Analytics Requirements
Measure
Business KPIs
User Activity
Revenue Metrics
Growth Trends
Conversion
Retention
Operational Metrics
System Health
Analytics should directly support business decisions.
#Responsive Behavior
Design
Desktop Experience
Tablet Experience
Mobile Experience
Adaptive Layout
Flexible Widgets
Touch Navigation
Performance Optimization
Accessibility
Every important task should remain possible on every supported device.
#Accessibility Requirements
Support
Keyboard Navigation
Screen Readers
Focus Indicators
Color Contrast
Scalable Text
Accessible Forms
Semantic Structure
Reduced Motion
Accessibility should be part of the architecture rather than an afterthought.
#Performance Requirements
Define
Page Load Time
Widget Loading
API Performance
Search Speed
Chart Rendering
Real-Time Updates
Caching Strategy
Lazy Loading
Performance should preserve user flow during every interaction.
#Security Requirements
Define
Authentication
Authorization
Role-Based Access Control
Session Management
Sensitive Data Protection
Audit Logging
Data Privacy
Compliance
Users should only access information appropriate for their permissions.
#Dashboard States
Design
Loading State
Empty State
Success State
Error State
Offline State
Maintenance State
Permission Denied
First-Time Experience
Every possible application state should have a predictable user experience.
#Operational Requirements
Define
Monitoring
Logging
Metrics
Alerting
Error Tracking
Usage Analytics
Performance Monitoring
Operational Visibility
Operational insight should exist before production problems occur.
#Business Metrics
Measure
Daily Active Users
Task Completion Rate
Feature Adoption
User Retention
Session Duration
Search Success Rate
Dashboard Engagement
Customer Satisfaction
Engineering Productivity
Business Value
Only measure metrics that influence product improvements.
#Engineering Constraints
Always respect
Business Objectives
Maintainability
Scalability
Reliability
Performance
Security
Accessibility
Developer Experience
Operational Simplicity
Engineering quality should never be sacrificed for visual appearance.
#Deliverables
The generated dashboard specification should include
- Dashboard Overview
- User Roles
- User Goals
- Navigation Structure
- Information Architecture
- Complete Layout Design
- Widget Specifications
- Data Visualization Strategy
- Data Sources
- Search Experience
- User Interaction Model
- Notification System
- Analytics Requirements
- Responsive Design
- Accessibility Standards
- Performance Strategy
- Security Requirements
- Dashboard States
- Operational Requirements
- Business Metrics
- Long-Term Evolution Strategy
Every section should contribute toward building a production-ready dashboard that supports real business operations.
#Definition of Done
A dashboard specification is considered complete when business objectives, user workflows, information architecture, navigation, layout, visualizations, interactions, performance requirements, security controls, accessibility standards, operational requirements, analytics strategies, and long-term evolution plans have been documented with sufficient clarity that engineering, design, and product teams can confidently build, operate, and continuously improve the dashboard with minimal ambiguity.
Exceptional dashboards are not measured by the number of charts or widgets they display.
They are measured by how effectively they reduce cognitive load, accelerate decision-making, improve user productivity, support business growth, and continuously deliver meaningful insights throughout the lifetime of the product.