The UX changes we made for Grafana 7.0 – and what you can learn from them

Grafana 7.0 features significant UX improvements driven by user feedback and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a focus on enhancing the panel editing experience, introducing a privacy-friendly meta analytics feature, and establishing a consistent brand design. The redesign of the panel edit interface involved extensive user research to address issues like the organization of options and intuitive use, leading to a new layout that facilitates easier panel creation and modification. Additionally, the introduction of the meta analytics Enterprise feature aids in dashboard management by providing insights into dashboard usage without compromising user privacy. The update also included visual and branding enhancements with a new icon set and improved color consistency to ensure a cohesive user experience. Furthermore, Grafana Labs launched a documented design system to streamline component usage across community developers and internal teams, aiming to synchronize design mockups, interfaces, and plugins. These changes reflect Grafana Labs' ongoing commitment to user-centered design and continuous improvement based on community feedback.