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Building a Custom Admin Panel Layout

The default admin panel is a sensible starting point. Custom layouts adapt it to each team's actual workflow — fewer clicks, more relevant data, less noise.

Layout editor with drag-and-drop panels: KPI tiles, Recent activity, Navigation cards, Custom report widget, Quick-action buttons; each block sized in a grid with snap-to-grid lines

Layout Building Blocks

  • KPI tile: Single number + trend arrow. Linked to a saved query.
  • Chart widget: Embedded chart from the reporting engine.
  • Recent activity feed: Filtered by event type, audience, time window.
  • Navigation card: Icon + title + link to a destination.
  • Quick action: Button that triggers a workflow or opens a creation form.
  • Saved search: One-click into a filtered list view.
  • HTML/markdown block: Free-text notes, announcements, “welcome back” messages.
  • Live status indicator: Service health, queue length, error rate.

Step-by-Step

  1. Open Architect Panel → Admin Panel → Layouts.
  2. Click New layout and pick a name (e.g. “Support team”).
  3. Drag blocks from the palette onto the canvas grid.
  4. Configure each block — query, fields, link target.
  5. Resize and reorder blocks; the grid snaps for clean alignment.
  6. Save and assign to a security group (everyone in that group gets the layout).
  7. Optionally allow users in that group to customise further (hide/show, reorder).

Worked Examples

  • Support team: KPI tiles for open tickets, queue length, avg response time. Recent activity filtered to tickets. Quick actions for “create ticket”, “view escalations”.
  • Sales team: KPI tiles for new leads, pipeline value, deals won this week. Embedded pipeline chart. Quick actions for “new lead”, “open dialer”.
  • Marketplace operations: KPI tiles for new vendor applications, disputes, GMV. Live status indicator for the vendor approval queue.
  • Executive view: Charts of MRR, churn, NPS, conversion. Minimal navigation — just the reports they care about.
Tip: Start by talking to the people who will use the layout. Don't guess what they want on the screen — ask. Show them a draft, iterate, then deploy.