Dashboard Development

Dashboard Development

This skill teaches agents how to create dashboard screens following the 3-panel layout architecture used throughout StartupAI.

When to Use

• When implementing dashboard screens
• When creating new dashboard pages
• When following 3-panel layout architecture
• When building React components for dashboards
• When integrating AI Intelligence panels

Core Principle: 3-Panel Layout

All dashboards must use 3-panel layout:

Left Panel = Context (240px)  |  Main Panel = Work (Flexible)  |  Right Panel = Intelligence (320px)
WHERE AM I?                   |  WHAT AM I DOING?              |  HELP ME

Core Model: Context + Work + Intelligence

Panel Responsibilities

Left Panel (Context):

• Primary navigation menu
• Current page context
• Progress indicators
• Quick stats and filters
• Status badges
• Never contains: Forms, primary content, AI insights

Main Panel (Work):

• Primary content and data
• Forms and input fields
• Tables and lists
• Editors and wizards
• Kanban boards
• Primary action buttons
• Never contains: Navigation, AI insights, secondary info

Right Panel (Intelligence):

• AI-generated insights
• Risk alerts and warnings
• Suggested next actions
• AI Coach recommendations
• Explanation of AI reasoning
• Quick action buttons
• Never contains: Data entry forms, primary navigation, main content

Implementation Pattern

Component Structure

Use DashboardLayout wrapper:

import { DashboardLayout } from '@/components/layout/DashboardLayout';
import { AIPanel } from '@/components/dashboard/AIPanel';

export function DashboardPage() {
  return (
    <DashboardLayout
      leftPanel={<Navigation />}
      mainPanel={<PrimaryContent />}
      aiPanel={<AIPanel />} // or custom Intelligence panel
    />
  );
}

Location: src/components/layout/DashboardLayout.tsx

Dashboard Layout Component

Props:

• leftPanel — Left panel content (navigation)
• mainPanel — Main panel content (primary work)
• aiPanel — Right panel content (AI Intelligence, optional)

Responsive behavior:

• Desktop: All 3 panels visible
• Tablet: Collapsible left panel
• Mobile: Slide-over panels

Left Panel: Context

Navigation Menu

Always include:

• Dashboard link
• Projects link
• Tasks link
• CRM link
• Settings link
• Active page highlighting

Context Indicators

Page-specific context:

• Current section tabs
• Progress indicators
• Completion status
• Quick stats

Quick Links

Related dashboards:

• Links to related pages
• Navigation to connected features
• Breadcrumbs for deep navigation

Main Panel: Work

Content Structure

Section organization:

• Header with title and actions
• Primary content area
• Forms or data tables
• Action buttons

Common patterns:

• Card-based layouts
• Table views with filters
• Form wizards
• Kanban boards
• Timeline views

Forms and Inputs

Use shadcn/ui components:

• Input, Textarea, Select
• Button, Checkbox, Switch
• Card, Tabs, Dialog
• Skeleton, Badge, Progress

Form validation:

• React Hook Form with Zod schemas
• Inline validation
• Error messages
• Loading states

Right Panel: Intelligence

AI Intelligence Components

Common components:

• AIPanel — Generic AI insights panel
• AI Coach widget
• Risk Radar
• Suggested Actions
• AI Chat interface

AI Insights Display

Show:

• Profile completion recommendations
• Risk alerts
• Next best actions
• AI-generated suggestions
• Strengths and opportunities

Interactive Elements

Action buttons:

• "Auto-improve" actions
• "Generate" suggestions
• "Analyze" features
• Quick action shortcuts

Data Fetching Pattern

React Query Hooks

All data fetching via React Query:

import { useStartup } from '@/hooks/useStartup';
import { useProjects } from '@/hooks/useProjects';
import { useTasks } from '@/hooks/useTasks';

function DashboardPage() {
  const { data: startup } = useStartup();
  const { data: projects } = useProjects();
  const { data: tasks } = useTasks();
  
  // Use data in components
}

Hook locations: src/hooks/use*.ts

Data Flow

Pattern:

Supabase Database → React Query Hooks → Components → UI

Type safety:

• Use generated types: Tables<'startups'>
• Never define types manually
• Type-safe queries and mutations

Routing Pattern

React Router Setup

HashRouter for static hosting:

import { HashRouter, Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom';

<HashRouter>
  <Routes>
    <Route element={<DashboardLayout />}>
      <Route path="/dashboard" element={<DashboardPage />} />
      <Route path="/profile" element={<ProfilePage />} />
    </Route>
  </Routes>
</HashRouter>

Route locations: src/pages/*.tsx

Styling Pattern

Tailwind CSS Only

No CDN Tailwind:

• ❌ https://cdn.tailwindcss.com (forbidden)
• ✅ PostCSS + Tailwind (via tailwind.config.js)

Custom theme colors:

• sage, warm, ai color palettes
• Premium shadows: shadow-premium-sm/md/lg/xl

Component styling:

• shadcn/ui patterns
• Tailwind utility classes
• Custom theme via tailwind.config.ts

Dashboard Pages in This Project

Main Dashboard (/dashboard)

Purpose: Command center, overview, KPIs
Status: ✅ Complete (100%)
3-Panel: ✅ Full implementation

Components:

• KPI bar (MRR, users, customers, team size)
• Task list (today's priorities)
• Project list (active projects)
• Deals pipeline
• AI Panel (insights, suggestions, chat)

User Profile (/profile)

Purpose: Personal identity management
Status: 🔴 Missing (prompt created, needs implementation)
3-Panel: ❌ Not started

Expected structure:

• Left: Profile navigation, completion indicator
• Main: Profile form (personal info, preferences, security)
• Right: Profile completion recommendations, AI suggestions

Company Profile (/company-profile)

Purpose: Company profile management, source of truth
Status: 🔴 Missing (prompt created, needs implementation)
3-Panel: ❌ Not started

Expected structure:

• Left: Profile navigation, completion indicator
• Main: Profile form (overview, business, social, traction, team)
• Right: AI Profile Coach (strengths, risks/gaps, auto-improve)

Best Practices

✅ DO

• Always use 3-panel layout (DashboardLayout)
• Place navigation in left panel
• Put primary content in main panel
• Include AI Intelligence in right panel
• Use React Query for all data fetching
• Use generated types from Supabase
• Follow shadcn/ui component patterns
• Use Tailwind CSS for styling

❌ DON'T

• Don't skip 3-panel layout
• Don't put forms in left or right panels
• Don't put navigation in main or right panels
• Don't put AI insights in main panel
• Don't fetch data directly (use React Query hooks)
• Don't define types manually (generate from schema)
• Don't use CDN Tailwind (use PostCSS)

Reference

• 3-Panel Architecture: prompts/dashboard/02-three-panel-layout-architecture.md
• Dashboard Screen Design: prompts/dashboard/03-dashboard-screen-design.md
• User Profile Prompt: prompts/dashboard/27-user-profile.md
• Company Profile Prompt: prompts/dashboard/28-company-profile.md
• Progress Tracker: prompts/dashboard/00-dash-progress.md
• React/Vite Rules: .cursor/rules/react-vite.mdc

Created: 2025-01-16
Based on: 3-panel dashboard architecture
Version: 1.0.0