Design Principle
Metric cards are not number displays; they are triage entry points for operations.
Principle
Metric cards are not number displays; they are triage entry points for operations.
Design action
KPI cards include value, trend, threshold, status label, and next-step entry; abnormal metrics are stronger without over-alerting.
Examples
Positive example: Sales, ops, support, finance, or product analytics dashboards need risk and change first. Counterexample: All KPI cards have identical color and weight.
Apply when
Sales, ops, support, finance, or product analytics dashboards need risk and change first. Users need to judge state, scope, risk, or next action quickly.
Source notes
Source note: Synthesized from Apple HIG, Material Design, NN/g usability principles, and layout/hierarchy practices in mature design systems. Apple HIG Layout: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/layout Material Design Layout: https://m3.material.io/foundations/layout/applying-layout NN/g Visual Design Principles: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/principles-visual-design/
Agent Directive
KPI cards include value, trend, threshold, status label, and next-step entry; abnormal metrics are stronger without over-alerting.