NEW! Wider dashboard canvases and dashboard zoom

Jason DelValle · 08/13/24

Hi Community,

Wider dashboard canvases and dashboard zoom are now available!

Present more content with less scrolling and elegantly visualize your work on widescreen displays. To convert a standard-size canvas to a wide one, open your standard-size dashboard in edit mode and click the expand icon.

We’ve also introduced dashboard zoom control for wide dashboard canvases to ensure readability across all screen sizes. With incremental zoom options, keyboard shortcuts, and a “Fit” setting that will zoom in automatically to reduce unused canvas space, dashboard viewers have even greater control over how content appears on a dashboard.

These features are available for Trial, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans.

Need help taking advantage of your wider canvas? Learn how to layout an effective dashboard.

You can also stay informed by subscribing to receive product release updates for curated news of recently released product capabilities and enhancements for your chosen platform. As new releases occur, you will receive an email with news of what's released every Tuesday.

Cheers!

Adrian Mandile CHESS · 08/20/24

Hi @Jason DelValle,

It seems that the zoom option only shows if the canvas has been expanded then saved.

Is there a way to enable the zoom on a standard width canvas, so that we could preview what a stretched dashboard would look like before committing to saving the change to a wider view?

Also, it would be great if we could have a height/width grid size indicator or configurable property for widgets – there are more squares to count now with the wider canvas!

Barak Schriger · 08/20/24

Hi @Adrian Mandile CHESS, thank you for the feedback!

Re: the preview, one option you can consider is creating a copy of your existing dashboard and then converting it so that you can explore the wider canvas a bit more before impacting your production dashboards.

jhommeAeroSpace · 08/21/24

How do you convert the Dashboard back from widescreen? The width icon is no longer appearing.

Barak Schriger · 08/21/24

Hi @jhommeAeroSpace, once a dashboard is converted and saved as a wider canvas the change is permanent.

jhommeAeroSpace · 08/21/24

Hey @Jason DelValle

The update to the Dashboard last week adding extra width reduces the vertical screen space by a greater number than it adds to the width. Another issue is that the changes are irreversible with only a 7 second pop-up notifying you as such. Hopefully this is only a bug that will be fixed shortly since the change currently reduces the amount of widgets shown.

Widescreen Findings:

Adds 30 additional boxes width wise (15 per side)
Reduces approximately 43 boxes vertically

Tests:

Ultrawide Monitor – Greatest reduction in vertical space (what I used to count the reduction in 43 boxes)
Wide Monitor – Almost as large a reduction in vertical space as the Ultrawide
Laptop Monitor – Slightly less vertical space over the Wide Monitor

Ask – Is there a pending fix or is the design to add width while removing vertical space?

Screenshots Taken on an Ultrawide Monitor:

Normal Dashboard

Widescreen Dashboard

Note – I can zoom out in increments of 25% and the 50% view offers the similar vertical space as the standard Dashboard but text in graphs becomes mostly unreadable.

Normal Dashboard side-by-side with Widescreen Dashboard (on the same Ultrawide screen)

Ideally this is how the Widescreen would look. The vertical space would remain the same (or add to) while expanding the amount of width.

Thank you,

Jeffrey

jhommeAeroSpace · 08/21/24

Hey @Jason DelValle

The update to the Dashboard last week adding extra width reduces the vertical screen space by a greater number than it adds to the width. Another issue is that the changes are irreversible with only a 7 second pop-up notifying you as such. Hopefully this is only a bug that will be fixed shortly since the change currently reduces the amount of widgets shown.

Widescreen Findings:

Adds 30 additional boxes width wise (15 per side)
Reduces approximately 43 boxes vertically

Tests:

Ultrawide Monitor – Greatest reduction in vertical space (what I used to count the reduction in 43 boxes)
Wide Monitor – Almost as large a reduction in vertical space as the Ultrawide
Laptop Monitor – Slightly less vertical space over the Wide Monitor

Ask – Is there a pending fix or is the design to add width while removing vertical space?

Screenshots Taken on an Ultrawide Monitor:

Normal Dashboard

Widescreen Dashboard

Note – I can zoom out in increments of 25% and the 50% view offers the similar vertical space as the standard Dashboard but text in graphs becomes mostly unreadable.

Normal Dashboard side-by-side with Widescreen Dashboard (on the same Ultrawide screen)

Ideally this is how the Widescreen would look. The vertical space would remain the same (or add to) while expanding the amount of width.

Thank you,

Jeffrey

Jason DelValle · 08/21/24

Hi @jhommeAeroSpace (Jeffrey!)

Thank you for taking the time to provide such a detailed analysis of the wide canvas update. I appreciate your thoroughness in testing across different monitor types.

It’s important to note that these changes are designed to give you the flexibility to choose between the standard and wide canvas options, depending on your needs. If the wide canvas layout doesn’t meet your requirements, you can still create a new dashboard using the standard canvas.

To do this, simply create a new dashboard as you normally would and avoid using the expand option, which adds the additional width.

To address the issues you’ve raised more directly:

Vertical Space Reduction: While the widescreen layout increases width, it does also reduce vertical space. This is due to inherent scaling differences between standard and wide canvases. If this isn't ideal for your setup, reverting to the standard canvas might be the best solution.
Irreversibility of the Change: Once a dashboard is saved as a wide canvas, the layout is locked in. However, by creating a new dashboard and copying your content over, you can easily revert to the standard layout.
Zooming Impact: Zooming out does have limitations, particularly with text clarity. We recommend using the canvas that best suits your needs without solely relying on significant zoom adjustments.

I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Thanks again for your thoughtful feedback!

jhommeAeroSpace · 08/22/24

@Jason DelValle

Thank you for your response.

Some additional feedback that hopefully can make its way to back to the developers/marketing team.

Developers - Please change the 7second pop-up notifying the user the change to widescreen is irreversible to a confirmation checkbox.

Marketing Team - To say the "dashboard now has more room for widgets!" in the pop-up is not correct, it's actually a great reduction in screen space for widgets. From my rough count when switching from the standard dashboard to the widescreen dashboard you loose around 2,330 boxes (or 32%) of the total area.

This was a disappointing update for a feature in Smartsheet that desperately needs an overhaul.

Tony Platts · 08/22/24

I converted a dashboard and now I'm going to spend 20 minutes completely recreating it. What has really happened here is you've just zoomed in and it doesn't look good. We're losing so much vertical space and it feels unusable.

It doesn't feel that this has been well tested.

smartsheetrr · 08/23/24

excited for new options.

Jason DelValle · 08/23/24

Hey @Tony Platts,

I’m sorry to hear that the recent conversion of your dashboard has been frustrating. If you’re looking for guidance on designing an effective layout for the wide canvas, I recommend checking out our blog post on this topic—it offers some helpful tips and strategies.

To clarify, the widescreen format is designed to provide more horizontal space, though it does come with a reduction in vertical space to accommodate the broader view. If this layout isn’t ideal for your needs, you can revert to the standard canvas by creating a new dashboard and copying your existing content into it. This will allow you to maintain the vertical space that better suits your workflow.

We take your feedback on testing seriously, and I want to reassure you that we’re committed to continuously improving our user experience. Wide canvas was actually available in our Early Adopter Program for several months, where we gathered valuable insights from users like you. If you’re interested in shaping future features before they launch, I encourage you to sign up for the Early Adopter Program—your input would be incredibly valuable.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and please feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance.

Mark4555666 · 10/15/24

PLEASE make it so we can revert it back!!

Team members keep hitting this button and we are stuck with this horrid "feature"/bug.

MarceHolzhauzen · 10/16/24

Hey dashboard team!

I am loving the new wider dashboard.

Would you do me a solid favour and share the size (width) of the dashboard for when external headers are created? I know you guys use them too when you create dashboard templates and would love to have those dimensions for ease of use

Jason DelValle · 10/16/24

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/458479#Comment_458479

Hi Marcé! (@MarceHolzhauzen)

We’re thrilled you’re enjoying the wider canvas! To make the most of the extra space, I highly recommend checking out our blog post on creating effective layouts.

https://www.smartsheet.com/content-center/product-insights/smartsheet-tips/smartsheet-dashboard-design-effective-layouts

To answer your question, we no longer recommend using header images on dashboards since there are more effective ways to use that space. But don’t just take my word for it - check out the blog post! :)

MarceHolzhauzen · 10/16/24

Thanks for this @Jason DelValle

You have given me food for thought. You have given me some things to think about. We have many customers who want the personalized banner so the dashboard has the same look and feel to their websites.

On the other hand…. if you bring out the templating and section feature that was presented at ENGAGE, we have a lot more to offer….

Can't wait for it though!

NEW! Wider dashboard canvases and dashboard zoom

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