refactor: dashboard design critique — eliminate redundancy, differentiate sections

- Remove GreetingStatStrip (duplicated PerformanceCards data)
- Strip left-border accent from stat cards (AI slop pattern)
- Redesign KnowledgeBaseCards: icon grid → compact row list with icon badges
- Redesign TeamSummary: distinct inline-row layout, no longer identical twin
- Differentiate hover: stat cards use subtle border-hover, sessions keep springy lift
- Add loading skeletons to PerformanceCards, KnowledgeBaseCards, TeamSummary
- Add error state to PerformanceCards
- Extract timeAgo() to shared lib/timeAgo.ts (replaced 4 duplicates)
- Fix Skeleton bg-brand-border (undefined CSS var) → border-default
- Fix double text-xs text-[0.5625rem] class conflicts across dashboard

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

.impeccable.md

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 **Theme:** Dark mode primary (charcoal palette). Light mode planned but not yet implemented.
 
-**Accent:** Ember orange (#f97316) — conveys urgency fitting a troubleshooting context. Used sparingly (max 5% of UI). Warning uses yellow (#eab308), not amber, to stay distinct.
+**Accent:** Electric blue (#60a5fa dark / #2563eb light) — conveys trust, precision, and reliability fitting a troubleshooting tool MSP engineers depend on during outages. Used sparingly (max 5% of UI). Warning uses amber (#fbbf24), info uses cyan (#67e8f9).
 
 **Hard rules:** No glassmorphism, no gradient surfaces, no ambient orbs, no backdrop blur, no decorative shadows at rest. Elevation = lighter surface + border, not shadow.
 

frontend/src/components/dashboard/ActiveFlowPilotSessions.tsx

@@ -4,16 +4,7 @@ import { Clock, ArrowRight, Route, MessageCircle } from 'lucide-react'
 import { aiSessionsApi } from '@/api/aiSessions'
 import type { AISessionSummary } from '@/types/ai-session'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
-
-function timeAgo(dateStr: string): string {
-  const diffMs = Date.now() - new Date(dateStr).getTime()
-  const minutes = Math.floor(diffMs / 60000)
-  if (minutes < 1) return 'just now'
-  if (minutes < 60) return `${minutes}m ago`
-  const hours = Math.floor(minutes / 60)
-  if (hours < 24) return `${hours}h ago`
-  return `${Math.floor(hours / 24)}d ago`
-}
+import { timeAgo } from '@/lib/timeAgo'
 
 export function ActiveFlowPilotSessions({ hideHeader = false }: { hideHeader?: boolean }) {
   const [sessions, setSessions] = useState<AISessionSummary[]>([])
@@ -68,7 +59,7 @@ export function ActiveFlowPilotSessions({ hideHeader = false }: { hideHeader?: b
                 )}
                 <span
                   className={cn(
-                    'font-sans text-xs text-[0.5625rem] uppercase px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded',
+                    'font-sans text-[0.5625rem] uppercase px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded',
                     session.confidence_tier === 'guided' && 'bg-emerald-400/10 text-emerald-400',
                     session.confidence_tier === 'exploring' && 'bg-amber-400/10 text-amber-400',
                     session.confidence_tier === 'discovery' && 'bg-blue-400/10 text-blue-400',

frontend/src/components/dashboard/KnowledgeBaseCards.tsx

@@ -1,16 +1,19 @@
 import { useState, useEffect } from 'react'
 import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
-import { Network, Code2, ListChecks, ArrowRight } from 'lucide-react'
+import { Network, Code2, ListChecks, ArrowRight, ChevronRight } from 'lucide-react'
 import { sidebarApi } from '@/api'
+import { Skeleton } from '@/components/ui/Skeleton'
 
 export function KnowledgeBaseCards() {
   const navigate = useNavigate()
   const [flowCount, setFlowCount] = useState(0)
+  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
 
   useEffect(() => {
     sidebarApi.getStats()
       .then((stats) => setFlowCount(stats.tree_counts.total))
       .catch(() => {})
+      .finally(() => setLoading(false))
   }, [])
 
   const items = [
@@ -33,23 +36,35 @@ export function KnowledgeBaseCards() {
           Browse <ArrowRight size={10} />
         </button>
       </div>
-      <div className="grid grid-cols-3 divide-x" style={{ borderColor: 'var(--color-border-default)' }}>
-        {items.map((item) => (
+      <div className="py-1">
+        {loading ? Array.from({ length: 3 }).map((_, i) => (
+          <div key={i} className="flex items-center gap-3 px-5 py-3" style={{ borderBottom: i < 2 ? '1px solid var(--color-border-default)' : undefined }}>
+            <Skeleton className="h-8 w-8 rounded-md shrink-0" />
+            <Skeleton className="h-4 flex-1 max-w-24" />
+            <Skeleton className="h-5 w-8" />
+          </div>
+        )) : items.map((item, i) => (
           <button
             key={item.label}
             onClick={() => navigate(item.href)}
-            className="flex flex-col items-center gap-2 py-5 rounded-lg hover:bg-card-hover transition-all duration-350"
-            style={{ transition: 'transform 350ms cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1), background 200ms ease' }}
-            onMouseEnter={e => { e.currentTarget.style.transform = 'translateY(-4px)' }}
-            onMouseLeave={e => { e.currentTarget.style.transform = 'translateY(0)' }}
+            className="flex w-full items-center gap-3 px-5 py-3 text-left hover:bg-[var(--color-bg-card-hover)] transition-colors group"
+            style={{
+              borderBottom: i < items.length - 1 ? '1px solid var(--color-border-default)' : undefined,
+            }}
           >
-            <item.icon size={20} style={{ color: item.color }} />
-            <p className="font-heading text-xl font-extrabold text-foreground">{item.value}</p>
-            <p className="font-sans text-xs text-[0.5625rem] uppercase tracking-[0.1em] text-muted-foreground">
-              {item.label}
-            </p>
+            <span
+              className="flex h-8 w-8 shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-md"
+              style={{ backgroundColor: `${item.color}15` }}
+            >
+              <item.icon size={15} style={{ color: item.color }} />
+            </span>
+            <span className="flex-1 text-sm font-medium text-foreground">{item.label}</span>
+            <span className="font-heading text-base font-bold text-foreground tabular-nums mr-1">
+              {item.value}
+            </span>
+            <ChevronRight size={14} className="text-muted-foreground opacity-0 -translate-x-1 group-hover:opacity-100 group-hover:translate-x-0 transition-all" />
           </button>
-        ))}
+        )))}
       </div>
     </div>
   )

frontend/src/components/dashboard/PendingEscalations.tsx

@@ -3,16 +3,7 @@ import { Link, useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
 import { AlertTriangle } from 'lucide-react'
 import { aiSessionsApi } from '@/api/aiSessions'
 import type { AISessionSummary } from '@/types/ai-session'
-
-function timeAgo(dateStr: string): string {
-  const diffMs = Date.now() - new Date(dateStr).getTime()
-  const minutes = Math.floor(diffMs / 60000)
-  if (minutes < 1) return 'just now'
-  if (minutes < 60) return `${minutes}m ago`
-  const hours = Math.floor(minutes / 60)
-  if (hours < 24) return `${hours}h ago`
-  return `${Math.floor(hours / 24)}d ago`
-}
+import { timeAgo } from '@/lib/timeAgo'
 
 export function PendingEscalations() {
   const [escalations, setEscalations] = useState<AISessionSummary[]>([])

frontend/src/components/dashboard/PerformanceCards.tsx

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { CheckCircle, Clock, TrendingUp, Timer } from 'lucide-react'
 import type { LucideIcon } from 'lucide-react'
 import { sidebarApi } from '@/api'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
+import { Skeleton } from '@/components/ui/Skeleton'
 
 interface StatCard {
   label: string
@@ -19,6 +20,8 @@ export function PerformanceCards() {
   const [resolved, setResolved] = useState(0)
   const [active, setActive] = useState(0)
   const [totalMinutes, setTotalMinutes] = useState(0)
+  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
+  const [error, setError] = useState(false)
 
   useEffect(() => {
     sidebarApi.getStats()
@@ -27,9 +30,31 @@ export function PerformanceCards() {
         setActive(stats.active_count)
         setTotalMinutes(stats.total_session_minutes_today)
       })
-      .catch(() => {})
+      .catch(() => setError(true))
+      .finally(() => setLoading(false))
   }, [])
 
+  if (loading) {
+    return (
+      <div className="grid grid-cols-2 sm:grid-cols-4 gap-3">
+        {Array.from({ length: 4 }).map((_, i) => (
+          <div key={i} className="card-flat p-4 space-y-2">
+            <Skeleton className="h-3 w-2/3" />
+            <Skeleton className="h-7 w-1/2" />
+          </div>
+        ))}
+      </div>
+    )
+  }
+
+  if (error) {
+    return (
+      <div className="card-flat p-4 text-center">
+        <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">Unable to load performance data</p>
+      </div>
+    )
+  }
+
   const avgMttr = resolved > 0 ? Math.round(totalMinutes / resolved) : 0
 
   const cards: StatCard[] = [
@@ -70,14 +95,13 @@ export function PerformanceCards() {
         <button
           key={card.label}
           onClick={() => navigate(card.href)}
-          className="card-interactive p-4 text-left fade-in"
+          className="card-flat p-4 text-left fade-in hover:border-[var(--color-border-hover)] transition-colors cursor-pointer"
           style={{
             animationDelay: `${400 + i * 60}ms`,
-            borderLeft: `3px solid ${card.iconColor}`,
           }}
         >
           <div className="flex items-center justify-between mb-2">
-            <p className="font-sans text-xs text-[0.5625rem] uppercase tracking-[0.1em] text-muted-foreground">
+            <p className="font-sans text-[0.5625rem] uppercase tracking-[0.1em] text-muted-foreground">
               {card.label}
             </p>
             <card.icon size={14} style={{ color: card.iconColor }} />

frontend/src/components/dashboard/RecentFlowPilotSessions.tsx

@@ -3,18 +3,7 @@ import { Link, useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
 import { CheckCircle, AlertTriangle, XCircle, ArrowRight, MessageCircle } from 'lucide-react'
 import { aiSessionsApi } from '@/api/aiSessions'
 import type { AISessionSummary } from '@/types/ai-session'
-
-function timeAgo(dateStr: string): string {
-  const diffMs = Date.now() - new Date(dateStr).getTime()
-  const minutes = Math.floor(diffMs / 60000)
-  if (minutes < 1) return 'just now'
-  if (minutes < 60) return `${minutes}m ago`
-  const hours = Math.floor(minutes / 60)
-  if (hours < 24) return `${hours}h ago`
-  const days = Math.floor(hours / 24)
-  if (days === 1) return 'yesterday'
-  return `${days}d ago`
-}
+import { timeAgo } from '@/lib/timeAgo'
 
 const STATUS_CONFIG: Record<string, { icon: typeof CheckCircle; color: string }> = {
   resolved: { icon: CheckCircle, color: '#34d399' },

frontend/src/components/dashboard/TeamSummary.tsx

@@ -3,17 +3,20 @@ import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
 import { Users, AlertTriangle, Activity, ArrowRight } from 'lucide-react'
 import { usePermissions } from '@/hooks/usePermissions'
 import { aiSessionsApi } from '@/api/aiSessions'
+import { Skeleton } from '@/components/ui/Skeleton'
 
 export function TeamSummary() {
   const { isAccountOwner } = usePermissions()
   const navigate = useNavigate()
   const [escalationCount, setEscalationCount] = useState(0)
+  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!isAccountOwner) return
+    if (!isAccountOwner) { setLoading(false); return }
     aiSessionsApi.getEscalationQueue()
       .then((esc) => setEscalationCount(esc.length))
       .catch(() => {})
+      .finally(() => setLoading(false))
   }, [isAccountOwner])
 
   if (!isAccountOwner) return null
@@ -38,23 +41,28 @@ export function TeamSummary() {
           Manage <ArrowRight size={10} />
         </button>
       </div>
-      <div className="grid grid-cols-3 divide-x" style={{ borderColor: 'var(--color-border-default)' }}>
-        {items.map((item) => (
+      <div className="p-4 space-y-3">
+        {loading ? Array.from({ length: 3 }).map((_, i) => (
+          <div key={i} className="flex items-center gap-3 px-3 py-2.5">
+            <Skeleton className="h-4 w-4 rounded shrink-0" />
+            <Skeleton className="h-4 flex-1 max-w-28" />
+            <Skeleton className="h-5 w-8" />
+          </div>
+        )) : items.map((item) => (
           <button
             key={item.label}
             onClick={() => navigate(item.href)}
-            className="flex flex-col items-center gap-2 py-5 rounded-lg hover:bg-card-hover transition-all duration-350"
-            style={{ transition: 'transform 350ms cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1), background 200ms ease' }}
-            onMouseEnter={e => { e.currentTarget.style.transform = 'translateY(-4px)' }}
-            onMouseLeave={e => { e.currentTarget.style.transform = 'translateY(0)' }}
+            className="flex w-full items-center gap-3 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 hover:bg-[var(--color-bg-card-hover)] transition-colors group"
           >
-            <item.icon size={20} style={{ color: item.color }} />
-            <p className="font-heading text-xl font-extrabold text-foreground">{item.value}</p>
-            <p className="font-sans text-xs text-[0.5625rem] uppercase tracking-[0.1em] text-muted-foreground">
+            <item.icon size={15} style={{ color: item.color }} className="shrink-0" />
+            <span className="flex-1 text-left text-[0.8125rem] text-muted-foreground group-hover:text-foreground transition-colors">
               {item.label}
-            </p>
+            </span>
+            <span className="font-heading text-lg font-bold text-foreground tabular-nums">
+              {item.value}
+            </span>
           </button>
-        ))}
+        )))}
       </div>
     </div>
   )

frontend/src/components/layout/NotificationsPanel.tsx

@@ -10,14 +10,7 @@ import {
 } from 'lucide-react'
 import { notificationsApi } from '@/api/notifications'
 import type { AppNotification } from '@/types/notification'
-
-function timeAgo(dateStr: string): string {
-  const diff = Math.floor((Date.now() - new Date(dateStr).getTime()) / 1000)
-  if (diff < 60) return 'just now'
-  if (diff < 3600) return `${Math.floor(diff / 60)}m ago`
-  if (diff < 86400) return `${Math.floor(diff / 3600)}h ago`
-  return `${Math.floor(diff / 86400)}d ago`
-}
+import { timeAgo } from '@/lib/timeAgo'
 
 function EventIcon({ event }: { event: string }) {
   switch (event) {

frontend/src/components/ui/Skeleton.tsx

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ export function Skeleton({ className, ...props }: SkeletonProps) {
   return (
     <div
       className={cn(
-        'animate-pulse rounded-lg bg-brand-border',
+        'animate-pulse rounded-lg bg-[var(--color-border-default)]',
         className
       )}
       {...props}

frontend/src/lib/timeAgo.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+/**
+ * Formats a date string as a relative time (e.g., "5m ago", "2h ago", "yesterday").
+ */
+export function timeAgo(dateStr: string): string {
+  const diffMs = Date.now() - new Date(dateStr).getTime()
+  const minutes = Math.floor(diffMs / 60000)
+  if (minutes < 1) return 'just now'
+  if (minutes < 60) return `${minutes}m ago`
+  const hours = Math.floor(minutes / 60)
+  if (hours < 24) return `${hours}h ago`
+  const days = Math.floor(hours / 24)
+  if (days === 1) return 'yesterday'
+  return `${days}d ago`
+}

frontend/src/pages/QuickStartPage.tsx

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import { ActiveFlowPilotSessions } from '@/components/dashboard/ActiveFlowPilotS
 import { PerformanceCards } from '@/components/dashboard/PerformanceCards'
 import { KnowledgeBaseCards } from '@/components/dashboard/KnowledgeBaseCards'
 import { TeamSummary } from '@/components/dashboard/TeamSummary'
-import { GreetingStatStrip } from '@/components/dashboard/GreetingStatStrip'
 
 function SectionLabel({ children, action }: { children: React.ReactNode; action?: React.ReactNode }) {
   return (
@@ -37,18 +36,14 @@ export function QuickStartPage() {
     <div className="overflow-y-auto h-full">
       <PageMeta title="ResolutionFlow" />
       <div className="max-w-4xl mx-auto px-6 pt-12 pb-12">
-        {/* Hero: Greeting + Stat Strip */}
-        <div className="flex items-end justify-between mb-8 animate-fade-in-up">
-          <div>
-            <p className="font-sans text-xs uppercase tracking-[0.12em] text-muted-foreground mb-1">
-              {dayOfWeek}, {formattedDate}
-            </p>
-            <h1 className="font-heading text-3xl sm:text-4xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-[#f0f2f5] leading-tight">
-              Good {greeting},<br className="hidden sm:block" />
-              {firstName}.
-            </h1>
-          </div>
-          <GreetingStatStrip />
+        {/* Hero: Greeting */}
+        <div className="mb-8 animate-fade-in-up">
+          <p className="font-sans text-xs uppercase tracking-[0.12em] text-muted-foreground mb-1">
+            {dayOfWeek}, {formattedDate}
+          </p>
+          <h1 className="font-heading text-3xl sm:text-4xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-[#f0f2f5] leading-tight">
+            Good {greeting}, {firstName}.
+          </h1>
         </div>
 
         {/* Chat-style input */}