5.7 KiB
PlotDirector Phase 18 - Scene Dashboard Refinement
Overview
Phase 17 successfully replaced the legacy Scene Inspector with Scene Inspector V2.
The architecture is now considered stable and feature complete.
Phase 18 focuses on transforming Scene Inspector V2 from a functional editor into a polished Scene Dashboard.
The primary design goal is:
Allow an author to understand the state of a scene in less than 30 seconds.
This phase is entirely concerned with presentation, information density, usability and discoverability.
No major new functionality should be introduced unless explicitly stated.
Core Design Principles
1. Summary First
The dashboard should answer:
- What happens in this scene?
- Who is present?
- What changed?
- What problems exist?
- What still needs work?
before presenting editing controls.
2. Information Over Counts
Avoid displaying raw counts where meaningful information can be shown.
Prefer:
- names
- summaries
- previews
- warnings
- visual indicators
instead of:
- "6 characters"
- "3 notes"
- "2 changes"
3. Reduce Clicks
The dashboard should minimise unnecessary navigation.
Users should rarely need to open an editor simply to understand scene state.
4. Compact Density
Reduce excessive whitespace.
The dashboard should remain comfortable to read while showing substantially more useful information.
Dashboard Areas
Overview Card
Purpose:
Provide immediate scene identity.
Recommended content:
- Scene title
- Revision status badge
- POV character
- Date/time
- Primary location
- Chapter/Scene position
- Scene type
- Synopsis preview
Remove redundant KPI-style counters.
The Overview card should become the primary source of scene identity.
Remove KPI Strip
The current KPI strip:
- Status
- POV
- Words
- Characters
- Assets
- Locations
- Warnings
adds little value.
Consider removing it entirely.
Any genuinely important information should be integrated into the relevant dashboard card.
Examples:
Status -> Overview
POV -> Overview
Warnings -> Continuity
Characters -> People
Locations -> World
Story Card
Purpose:
Communicate story structure.
Retain:
- Purpose
- Outcome
- Plot thread summary
- Dependency summary
Enhancements:
Metrics Visualisation
Replace numeric-only metrics with visual indicators.
Examples:
- horizontal progress bars
- compact vertical bars
- mini chart visualisations
Metrics should be understandable at a glance.
Numeric values may still be shown.
People Card
Purpose:
Show who appears and what changed.
Enhancements:
Character Presentation
Use avatars wherever available.
Display:
Avatar + Name + Role
Highlight POV character.
Examples:
- POV badge
- accent border
- icon
Expandable Change Sections
Replace count-only boxes with collapsible summary sections.
Examples:
Knowledge Changes
Collapsed when empty.
Expanded content:
- character
- knowledge item
- resulting state
Relationship Changes
Show:
Character A ↔ Character B
Change summary.
Attribute Changes
Show:
Character
Old value -> New value
Only display sections containing information.
World Card
Purpose:
Show where the scene occurs and which objects matter.
Enhancements:
Display:
- primary location
- additional locations
- important assets
Use compact summaries rather than counts.
Avoid:
"Asset Events: 0"
Prefer:
"No important assets in this scene."
or
display actual asset names.
Writer Card
Purpose:
Support active drafting.
Notes
Show recent note titles.
Display first one or two notes directly.
Example:
- Research Gareth timeline
- Expand Beth reaction
Checklist
Display incomplete items.
Hide completed items by default.
Example:
□ Add sensory detail
□ Expand dialogue
Attachments
Display attachment dropdown or list.
Allow direct opening.
Example:
Attachments ▼
- police-report.pdf
- family-tree.png
- newspaper-clipping.url
Continuity Card
Purpose:
Become the dashboard health centre.
Healthy state:
✓ Scene continuity verified
No continuity concerns detected.
Display:
Last validated timestamp.
Problem state:
⚠ 2 continuity concerns
List top warnings.
Example:
- Beth knowledge regression
- Rosie location conflict
Provide:
Review warnings action.
Avoid:
Warnings: 2
Dependencies: 0
without explanation.
Edit Actions
Current:
Multiple "Manage..." buttons create noise.
Goal:
One primary action per card.
Examples:
Edit Story ▼
Edit People ▼
Edit World ▼
Edit Writer ▼
Review Continuity ▼
Use split-button or dropdown actions.
Default action should open the most common editor.
Dropdown exposes secondary editors.
Example:
Edit People ▼
- Characters
- Knowledge
- Relationships
- Attributes
- Suggestions
Layout
Scene Edit Width
The Scene Edit page should use the full available width similar to Timeline.
Use:
container-fluid
or equivalent full-width layout.
The split editor layout requires additional horizontal space.
Density Improvements
Review:
- card padding
- heading spacing
- button spacing
- empty whitespace
Target:
20-25% reduction in vertical height without harming readability.
Accessibility
Ensure:
- keyboard navigation remains functional
- dropdown actions accessible
- avatars include alt text
- progress indicators expose values
- colour is not sole indicator
Success Criteria
Authors should be able to answer:
- What is this scene about?
- Who is involved?
- What changed?
- What still needs work?
- Are there continuity problems?
within thirty seconds of opening the dashboard.
The Scene Dashboard should feel:
- informative
- calm
- visual
- approachable
- writer-focused
rather than database-oriented.