TenantAtlas/specs/368-platform-ui-signal-to-noise-browser-audit/audit.md

# Platform-wide UI Signal-to-Noise Browser Audit

## Executive Summary

Verification level: repo-verified for branch/routes/files; browser-verified for captured screenshots; derived from existing implementation for scoring and recommendations.

- Audit date: 2026-06-09 (work started 2026-06-08 and completed 2026-06-09)
- Branch: platform-dev
- HEAD: 564da050 feat: implement operation run actionability system (#439)
- Pages discovered: 100 repo-verified UI routes
- Pages browser-audited: 19
- Screenshots created/available in audit directory: 43
- Pages blocked/inaccessible in browser pass: 4
- Overall platform UI maturity score: 3.6/5 across reachable browser-scored pages

Top 10 productization gaps:

1. P1 Evidence Snapshot detail not reachable in smoke browser context (Evidence Snapshot View)
2. P1 System panel not browser-auditable with available fixtures (System dashboard and operations)
3. P1 Baseline Profile view is too technical by default (Baseline Profile View)
4. P2 Backup Set view mixes usability with lifecycle/technical metadata (Backup Set View)
5. P2 Zero and no-attention metrics repeat already-clear outcomes (Environment Dashboard and Operations Hub)
6. P2 Navigation and notification chrome overwhelms first viewport (Most admin/customer captured pages)
7. P2 Provider Connections list lacks a dominant readiness decision (Provider Connections List)
8. P2 Diagnostics page needs stronger operator guidance first (Environment Diagnostics)
9. P2 Customer Review Workspace is good but too dense (Customer Review Workspace)
10. P2 Operation detail is strong but still shows metadata too early (OperationRun View)

Top 10 pages to refactor first:

1. Baseline Profile View
2. Backup Set View
3. OperationRun View
4. Customer Review Workspace
5. Provider Connections List/View
6. Environment Diagnostics
7. Required Permissions
8. Evidence Snapshot View
9. Operations Hub
10. Environment Dashboard

Recommended next specs: Spec A, Spec B, Spec C, Spec D, Spec E from spec-candidates.md.

## Method

- Discovery method: repo-verified route inventory from Laravel route:list JSON/text plus Filament panel provider/resource/page inspection.
- Browser method: browser-verified local app pass through repo-provided smoke-login route where available; system panel attempted directly and redirected to login.
- Scoring method: derived from browser screenshots, DOM summaries, visible heading/action/status density, and the requested 0-5 criteria.
- Screenshot method: browser viewport screenshots saved under artifacts/screenshots. Existing screenshots already present in the audit directory were retained and counted as available audit artifacts.
- Limitations: Postgres entered crash recovery once after an fsync I/O error during a sessions update; recovery completed. Evidence Snapshot, Required Permissions, and System pages were blocked by auth/fixture reachability.

## Surface Inventory Summary

| Panel | Pages discovered | Browser audited | Blocked | Avg score |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| admin | 79 | 13 | 2 | 3.7 |
| customer | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4.1 |
| system | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 0.0 |

## Score Distribution

| Score | Meaning | Count |
|---|---|---:|
| 5 | enterprise-ready | 0 |
| 4 | minor polish | 11 |
| 3 | usable but noisy/unclear | 4 |
| 2 | productization gap | 0 |
| 1 | confusing/admin-tool-like | 0 |
| 0 | broken/not assessable | 4 |

## Highest Risk Pages

| Page | Surface | Score | Severity | Why |
|---|---|---:|---|---|
| Evidence Snapshot View | evidence_surface | 0 | P1 | Redirected to login in available smoke context. |
| Required Permissions | configuration_surface | 0 | P1 | Redirected to login in available smoke context. |
| System Dashboard/Ops | system_surface | 0 | P1 | No system browser fixture available; redirected to system login. |
| Baseline Profile View | decision_surface | 2.8 | P1 | Technical/metadata vocabulary dominates the default view. |
| Provider Connections List | configuration_surface | 3.0 | P2 | Readiness must be inferred from technical table columns. |

## Best Existing Pages / Patterns

| Page | Why it works | Pattern to reuse |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline Compare | Clear primary question, status, reason, impact, and linked evidence. | Decision-first compare summary. |
| Restore Create Wizard | Strong step sequence and safety framing. | Process flow with safety decision. |
| Restore Run View | Excellent primary operator question. | Restore result/proof split. |
| Review Pack / Stored Report | Customer/auditor language is comparatively calm. | Output readiness and limitations framing. |

## Global UI Bloat Patterns

| Pattern | Frequency | Example | Impact | Rule |
|---|---:|---|---|---|
| Repeated lifecycle/status language | 10+ | Operations, Backup, Restore, Customer Review | Dilutes primary decision | One status + reason + impact block per first viewport |
| Zero metric card spam | 3+ | Environment Dashboard, Operations Hub, Restore Run | Healthy/no-action pages still feel busy | Suppress zero metrics when summary says no action |
| Technical metadata in main content | 5+ | Backup Set, Baseline Profile, OperationRun | Operators parse internals before decision | Move IDs/timing/normalization/provider details to sidebar/details |
| Shell chrome density | most captured pages | Admin and customer surfaces | Page question is delayed | Reduce notification replay and customer shell density |
| Evidence/diagnostic access ambiguity | 3 blocked/partial | Evidence Snapshot, Required Permissions, System Panel | Audit cannot verify critical surfaces | Document browser fixtures and access paths |

## Customer-Safety Findings

Verification level: browser-verified for Customer Review Workspace, Environment Review, Review Pack, Stored Report; blocked for Evidence Snapshot. Customer surfaces are mostly safe but dense. Evidence detail reachability must be resolved before customer/auditor evidence readiness can be fully verified.

## Operator Decision Findings

Verification level: browser-verified. Operations, Restore, and Baseline Compare show strong decision-first work. Backup Set and Baseline Profile still expose too much lifecycle/metadata in the main flow.

## Evidence / Audit Findings

Verification level: browser-verified plus blocked. Audit Log route was discovered but not captured in the bounded browser pass. Evidence Snapshot detail redirected to login. Review Pack and Stored Report are stronger evidence/output surfaces.

## Diagnostics Findings

Verification level: browser-verified for Environment Diagnostics; blocked for Required Permissions/System. Diagnostics need a consistent first block: what failed, likely cause, next check, related operation/evidence.

## System Panel Findings

Verification level: browser-verified blocked. /system and /system/ops/runs redirected to /system/login; no system smoke-auth route was found.

## Prioritized Refactor Candidates

| Priority | Page/Area | Reason | Suggested scope |
|---:|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baseline Profile View | Highest technical density among reachable pages. | Decision summary + metadata demotion. |
| 2 | Backup Set View | Restore-critical trust surface. | Usability + item inventory first. |
| 3 | OperationRun View | Strong page that can become target pattern. | Metadata/timing details separation. |
| 4 | Customer Review Workspace | Customer-safe but dense. | Calm first viewport and action hierarchy. |
| 5 | Provider Connections | Readiness should not be inferred. | Provider readiness summary. |
| 6 | Diagnostics/Permissions/System | Access and guidance gaps. | Diagnostic contract + browser fixture. |

## Recommended Global UI Rules

See recommendations.md.

## Recommended Follow-up Specs

See spec-candidates.md.

## Appendix

- Page inventory: page-inventory.csv
- Scorecard: page-scorecard.csv
- Screenshots: artifacts/screenshots/
- Findings: findings.md
- Raw routes: artifacts/raw/routes.txt and artifacts/raw/routes.json
- Browser notes: artifacts/raw/browser-notes.md