UX Improvements: Backstage Plugin Enhancement #9
Description
Overview
Following a comprehensive UX review of our Backstage Feature Flags plugin, we've identified several improvements to enhance usability and provide richer information to users. This issue tracks the implementation of these changes across the Table View, Accordion View, and Environment View.
Improvements by View
Table View
- Remove the "Type" column (redundant information)
- Add a "Tags" column (while keeping tags visible in accordion view)
- Add columns for each environment showing status (limit to 6 environments max, full list available in accordion)
- Replace text-based toggle indicators with Switch icons
- Verify pagination is set to 50 items per page
- Make the entire row clickable to expand the accordion (not just the arrow)
Accordion View
- Add "Analytics" section with line graph visualization for all environments (position above existing cards)
- Default to last 30 days
- Hide graph if no analytics data available
- Display "Server-side" and "Archived" information (for all environments)
- Add version info section
- Add a details section with:
- Flag type (standard or multivariate)
- Value type (number, boolean, string...)
- Creator
- Assigned users/users
- Groups
- Limit environments displayed to 10 max (covers 99.x% of use cases)
Environment View
- Add "Segments and Overrides" section (per environment)
- Add "Pending Change Requests" section (per environment)
- Show pending change requests as a warning indicator
- Display scheduled changes (icon for informational purposes)
- Display Version (based on the use_v2_feature_versioning attribute of the environment)
Acceptance Criteria
- Type column is removed from table view
- Tags column displays tags with proper styling and is also visible in accordion
- Environment columns (up to 6) show clear on/off status using Switch icons
- Accordion view shows up to 10 environments max
- Clicking anywhere on a table row expands the accordion
- Analytics section renders a line graph with last 30 days data for all environments
- Analytics graph is hidden when no data is available
- Feature creator and assigned users/groups are displayed in details section
- Server-side and Archived flags are clearly indicated
- Segments and overrides load correctly per environment
- Pending change requests show warning indicators
- Scheduled changes display an informational icon
- Pagination defaults to 50 items per page
Design References
[PLACEHOLDER: Insert screenshot 1 - Table view mockup]
[PLACEHOLDER: Insert screenshot 2 - Accordion and Environment view requirements]
Technical Considerations
Existing API Endpoints (already available)
| Feature | Endpoint | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics/Usage data | GET /organisations/{orgId}/usage-data/ |
✅ Available via getUsageData() |
| Segments & Overrides | GET /environments/{envId}/features/{featureId}/versions/{versionUuid}/featurestates/ |
✅ Available - returns num_segment_overrides, num_identity_overrides, and feature_segment data |
| Feature versions | GET /environments/{envId}/features/{featureId}/versions/ |
✅ Available via getFeatureVersions() |
| Environments | GET /projects/{projectId}/environments/ |
✅ Available via getProjectEnvironments() |
New API Endpoints Needed
| Feature | Notes |
|---|---|
| Change Requests | ❌ Not currently implemented - need to add endpoint for pending/scheduled change requests |
Performance Considerations
- Environment columns: Show max 6 columns in table view; full environment list available when user expands accordion (max 10)
- Consider lazy loading for analytics data on accordion expand
Priority
Medium-High — These improvements affect core user workflows and overall plugin usability.
Questions
- Are there specific color/styling requirements for the Switch icons?
- What Flagsmith API endpoint should be used for change requests?