Terminology
Shared words so a monitoring wall, an analytics cockpit, an admin console, and a product ops board can be composed without forking the language.
Use these terms in UI, specs, and conversation. The Never say column is for product copy and component names that operators see. Internal engineering names may differ; do not leak them into the instrument.
Glossary
| Term | Means | Never say |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas | Composing surface of a dashboard page | page body, workspace |
| Rail | Persistent vertical region (nav, filters, inspector) | sidebar in product copy |
| Panel | Bounded region with one job | card-as-layout (card is a visual treatment) |
| Metric | Single quantitative reading | KPI in UI; number |
| Delta | Change vs comparison point | difference; up/down alone |
| Spark | Compact trend in a metric | mini chart |
| Insight | Sentence the system asserts from data | AI summary as a label |
| Filter | Control that narrows the query | refine; don't call search a filter |
| Range | Time or numeric interval | period; window |
| Command | User-initiated action, often from palette | shortcut (that's the key); task |
| Pulse | Live or near-live feed | realtime badge unless actually realtime |
| Stale | Exceeded freshness SLA | old/outdated — use stale + timestamp |
| Empty | Valid state with no rows | no data as a dead end |
| Density | compact / standard / roomy | comfortable; tight |
How to use the table
- Canvas is the page as a composing surface. Rails and panels live on it. Do not call it the workspace in product copy.
- Rail is persistent and vertical: navigation, filters, inspector. In RTL the rails flip; the word does not become “sidebar.”
- Panel has one job. A card is a visual treatment you may apply to a panel, not a layout primitive.
- Metric is one reading. Do not label it KPI in the UI.
- Delta is change versus a comparison point (previous range, threshold, baseline). An arrow with no word is not enough.
- Spark is the compact trend attached to a metric. It is not a chart that needs a title; a chart is a chart.
- Insight is a claim with a number. Do not badge it as AI.
- Filter narrows the query. Search is search. Do not rename filters “refine.”
- Range is a time or numeric interval. Not period, not window, in operator-facing copy.
- Command is a user-initiated action, often from a command palette. The keystroke is the shortcut; the action is the command. Not “task.”
- Pulse is a live or near-live feed. Do not say realtime unless it is actually realtime.
- Stale means the freshness SLA was exceeded. Show stale + timestamp, not “old” or “outdated.”
- Empty is a valid state with no rows. It has a name, a reason, and an action. “No data” as a dead end is not Empty.
- Density is compact, standard, or roomy. Not comfortable. Not tight.
Related
- Principles — compose from these primitives
- Microcopy — how the words appear in UI
- Internationalisation — keys, not concatenations