What are Dashboards and how do I create one?

Dashboards are a place to get your web stuff organized.  It could be for a specific project, for a particular client, or just a place to help keep things up-to-date.  With a selection of great widgets to choose from - from Tasks to RSS Feed - you should be able to curate a dashboard, or multiple dashboards, to make your workday easier.  Here are some of the exciting changes we've made to dashboards:

• Each dashboard fills the main window.
• You can create as many dashboards as you like.
• Easily switch between your dashboards using the pop-out side-menu.
• Pin a dashboard to any group so it appears in the sidebar.
• Choose which dashboard appears in all new windows and tabs.
• Keep them private or share with a Connect team.

Click on the dashboard icon in the sidebar (four blue squares in a white square). Current users will see 'My First Dashboard' populated with content from existing dashboards.  New users will see a 'My First Dashboard' example.

• Create & navigate dashboards: Click on the dashboards burger icon (three lines top-left) to pop-out the dashboards menu. From there you can switch between all your dashboards and create a new one.
• Edit a dashboard: Highlight any dashboard in the pop-out menu, then click on the kebab icon (three dots) and select 'Edit'.  See below for more details on the edit screen.

• Share a dashboard: Highlight any dashboard in the pop-out menu, and click on the kebab icon (three dots) followed by 'Share with Team'. Then select a Team name from the list.  That dashboard will instantly be visible in the dashboards menu for all team members. Team members will also get a desktop notification that the dashboard has been shared, and an alert will appear in the Team Activity widget.
• Choose a dashboard for your new tab: Highlight any dashboard in the pop-out menu, and click on the kebab icon (three dots) followed by 'Use as your new tab'. That dashboard will then appear in all new tabs and the label 'Your New Tab' will appear in blue under the dashboard name.
• To pin a dashboard to a group: When creating a new dashboard, select the option to 'Pin to a Group', then choose a group from the list.  A small dashboard icon will appear under the main group icon in the sidebar.
• To delete a dashboard: Highlight any dashboard in the pop-out menu, then click on the kebab icon (three dots) and select 'Delete'.  Confirm you want to delete the dashboard via the pop-up prompt.

Click on the burger icon to pop-out the dashboards menu then select 'New Dashboard'.  This will pop-out a new window (shown above):

• Name: This name will appear in the dashboards menu for you and your team (if shared).
• Private or Share: Keep as private or click on the dropdown list to choose a team.
• Pin to a Group: Select a sidebar group from the dropdown list to add a link to the dashboard in the sidebar.
• Use as your new tab: Check the box if you want this to be your new tab dashboard.
• Choose a template: If you're new to dashboards, then try a template to discover new widgets.  See the next section for more information about templates.
• Widget spacing: Toggle to slider to select spacing between widgets.
• Background: Select a solid colour, upload your own background, or choose from our library of images (courtesy of Unsplash!). https://unsplash.com/wallpapers

All Widgets - Choose this template is a simple way to test out all the widgets.  There are 11 to choose from, so your dashboard might look a little busy at first, but you can easily move or remove any widgets you don't need.

Updates - A selection of widgets to keep you up-to-date, including all the Mini Menu feeds - notifications, unread, and unified unread.  If you have a team, then you can stay up-to-date using the team feed widget.

New Tab - You can keep things simple for your new tab dashboard, so the template just includes a Collection widget, RSS feed and Sticky note.

Blank - Use this template if you want to start from scratch and choose your own set of widgets from the library. Just click on the 'Add Widget' button top right to get started.

Dashboards can be used as a launchpad for all your frequently used apps and links.  They offer a way of bringing together disparate web-links together under a common theme, such as a project or department. Here are some examples:

• Group Quick Links: Create a dashboard for a group to pull out frequently used apps, websites and documents.
• Projects: Create a dashboard for a particular project or department, such as a marketing campaign or sales & marketing team. 'Pin' apps and pages relating to that project in the dashboard so that everyone can find it easily, such as a Trello board, or Google Drive folder.
• Clients: Create a dashboard for each client, with links to their apps.
• Onboarding: Use dashboards to onboard new users with all the apps and links they need to get up-and-running quickly.
• Teams: Create a dashboard for your team, with Collections for projects, team tasks, using the Team Feed widget to keep everyone up-to-date.