Design and Inspiration – Admin Dashboard UI

There are some absolutely stunning design concepts around the net, and they keep on evolving with the current design trends, so it is hard to say that any design will have the same appeal 6 months from now. With this in mind, I believe it is important to create elements of the design which can be easily modified and updated incrementally. Obviously nothing is perfect and this scenario won’t always be possible, or easy, but it will allow for the design to at least stay fresh and trendy.

I’ve been looking around for some design inspiration in a re-imagining of a CMS admin dashboard. A few requirements I am looking for are a modern flat design, which will be responsive enough to take advantage of managing content on tablets and mobile devices. A simple intuitive interface, with the goal of increasing usability for end-users to encourage their focus on content creation, rather than struggling to figuring out where and how to create their content. As the content in the CMS grows and evolves over time, it’s expected that the features and tools to generate the content will as well, this means that the design will need to have some breathing room in order to scale with the system.

I’m picturing content editors working away from their desk, be it in transit, on their lunch break, or on their couch at home. This means a responsive design with a focus on tablet, where all functionality from the desktop experience will transfer to the tablet. Mobile performance won’t be as robust, I can’t seem to visualize someone having the same creative stimulation when they are hunched over a 4 inch screen. I can see mobile as more of a vehicle for delivering stats and analytics for the day, social engagement, or even just micro management of the system.

Where to Start

Looking for inspiration to solve these requirements can be a challenge, luckily the Internet is full of incredibly creative people. Where to find them?

Dribbble – A great place to find designers, and a showcase of their work.
Behance – Another great place to find designers and their showcase.
ThemeForest – Lots of Site Templates and Live Demos, and the ability to purchase.