## Direction 1: Compact Grid

Maximum information density. Every pixel earns its place. Inspired by Docker Desktop's container list and lazygit's TUI density.

Dense Developer-native Scan-first
GitPulse 12 repos
Shield Local
react-dashboard Clean
main
Ahead: 3 Behind: 0 Stash: 0
api-gateway Clean
main
Ahead: 0 Behind: 0 Stash: 0
auth-service Dirty
feature/sso
Ahead: 7 Behind: 0 Stash: 1
design-system Clean
main
Ahead: 0 Behind: 0 Stash: 0
shared-libs Behind
main
Ahead: 0 Behind: 12 Stash: 0
docs-site Clean
main
Ahead: 0 Behind: 0 Stash: 0
old-experiment Dormant
main
Ahead: 0 Behind: 24 Stash: 0
mobile-app Clean
develop
Ahead: 1 Behind: 0 Stash: 2

### Strengths

- Maximum info density — up to 20+ repos visible without scrolling on 1200px width
- Status badges pop immediately — clean/dirty/behind distinguishable in < 1 second
- Familiar pattern — card grids are well understood by developers

### Trade-offs

- Less room for AI summaries — Smart Status would be a subtle one-liner
- Dense feel might be overwhelming for Jay (< 10 repos)
- Card height varies with content — grid alignment can shift

## Direction 2: Spacious Cards

Breathing room for each repo. Metrics front-and-center. AI summaries visible. Premium feel inspired by Linear and Vercel dashboards.

Spacious Metric-rich AI-forward
GitPulse 12 repos
Shield Local
react-dashboard
~/projects/react-dashboard
Clean
main +3 ahead
3
Ahead
0
Behind
0
Stash
AI: 3 unpushed commits on feature branch. Ready for PR.
Last commit: 2h ago main
auth-service
~/projects/auth-service
Dirty
feature/sso +7 ahead
7
Ahead
0
Behind
1
Stash
AI: 3 uncommitted changes in auth module. SSO integration in progress.
Last commit: 30m ago 3 uncommitted
api-gateway
~/projects/api-gateway
Clean
main
0
Ahead
0
Behind
0
Stash
Last commit: 5h ago

### Strengths

- AI summaries have prominent space — Smart Status is a key feature
- Metric boxes give immediate numeric context
- Premium feel — more visual whitespace, less "dense tool" impression

### Trade-offs

- Fewer repos visible at once — 6-8 cards max on 1200px width
- More vertical scrolling needed for 20+ repos
- Higher card height = more mouse travel between actions

## Direction 3: List-First

Table/list as the primary view. Maximum scanability for power users. Batch operations are natural with checkboxes.

Table Batch-native Power user
GitPulse 12 repos
Shield Local
Status
Repository
Branch
Ahead
Behind
Last Commit
Check
react-dashboard
main
3
0
2h ago
⋮
Alert
auth-service
feature/sso
7
0
30m ago
⋮
Check
api-gateway
main
0
0
5h ago
⋮
Check
design-system
main
0
0
1d ago
⋮
Arrow
shared-libs
main
0
12
3d ago
⋮
Check
docs-site
main
0
0
6h ago
⋮
Moon
old-experiment
main
0
24
3 months ago
⋮

### Strengths

- Maximum scanability — all repos in a compact table, easy to compare
- Batch operations natural — checkboxes + select all + batch toolbar
- Sortable columns — click "Behind" header to sort by behind count

### Trade-offs

- Less visual than cards — status colors smaller, less "at a glance"
- No room for AI summaries in list rows
- Less engaging for first-time users and Jay persona

## Direction 4: Stats Dashboard + Grid

Summary metrics at the top, then card grid below. "Mission control" feel with aggregate stats before individual repos.

Dashboard Metrics-first Executive view
GitPulse 12 repos
Shield Local
7
Clean
1
Dirty
3
Ahead
2
Behind
1
Dormant
react-dashboard Clean
main
Ahead: 3Behind: 0
auth-service Dirty
feature/sso
Ahead: 7Behind: 0
api-gateway Clean
main
Ahead: 0Behind: 0
design-system Clean
main
Ahead: 0Behind: 0

### Strengths

- Instant health overview — "7 clean, 1 dirty, 2 behind" visible without scanning cards
- "Mission control" feel matches the product positioning
- Stats bar provides context before diving into individual repos

### Trade-offs

- Takes vertical space from the card grid — fewer cards visible
- Stats may be redundant with visual card scanning
- Two "layers" of information could feel slower for experienced users

## Direction 5: Hybrid Detail Panel

Split view — compact repo list on the left, detailed view on the right. Click a repo to see full details, AI summary, and actions.

Split view Detail-rich IDE-inspired
GitPulse 12 repos
Cloud DeepSeek
Repositories
react-dashboard
Cleanmain+3
auth-service
Dirtyfeature/sso+7
api-gateway
Cleanmainsynced
design-system
Cleanmainsynced
shared-libs
Behindmain-12
docs-site
Cleanmainsynced
old-experiment
Dormantmain-24

### api-gateway

~/projects/api-gateway
Status
Clean main Synced with remote
Metrics
0
Ahead
0
Behind
0
Stash
Smart Status (DeepSeek)
Repo is clean and synced. Last commit 5h ago updated rate limiting middleware. No pending changes or open issues.
Actions
Recent Commits
a3f2b1c — Update rate limiter config (5h ago)
e7d4c2a — Add health check endpoint (1d ago)
b1f8a3d — Fix timeout handling (2d ago)

### Strengths

- Rich detail panel — AI summaries, commits, metrics all visible without navigation
- Actions always accessible — pull/push/fetch buttons right there
- IDE-inspired split — developers know this pattern from VS Code, editors

### Trade-offs

- Only one repo visible at a time in detail — loses multi-repo "at a glance"
- Left panel becomes a narrow list — less visual than Card Grid
- More complex layout — harder to implement, more layout shifts

## Direction 6: Minimal Zen

Ultra-clean, almost invisible UI. Status as color blocks. Click to expand. Maximum whitespace, minimum chrome.

Minimal Zen Progressive reveal
GitPulse
Shield Local
●
react-dashboard
+3 ahead
2h ago
●
auth-service
3 uncommitted
30m ago
●
api-gateway
Synced
5h ago
●
design-system
Synced
1d ago
●
shared-libs
-12 behind
3d ago
●
docs-site
Synced
6h ago
●
old-experiment
Dormant
3 months ago
●
mobile-app
+1 ahead
4h ago

### Strengths

- Maximum repos visible at once — 15+ on 1200px width
- Beautiful in its simplicity — status dots create a visual pattern
- Click-to-expand model keeps the base view uncluttered

### Trade-offs

- Too minimal for power users — no metrics, branch names, or counts visible
- No room for AI summaries, batch operations, or filters
- Risks feeling like a prototype rather than a complete product

## Recommended Direction: D1 Compact Grid + D4 Stats Bar

Combining the density of D1 with the summary context of D4. The stats bar is collapsible — visible by default, hideable for power users who just want the grid.

Recommended Best of both Collapsible stats
GitPulse
Rescan
Shield Local
7
Clean
1
Dirty
3
Ahead
2
Behind
1
Dormant
react-dashboard Clean
main
Ahead: 3Behind: 0Stash: 0
auth-service Dirty
feature/sso
Ahead: 7Behind: 0Stash: 1
api-gateway Clean
main
Ahead: 0Behind: 0Stash: 0
design-system Clean
main
Ahead: 0Behind: 0Stash: 0
shared-libs Behind
main
Ahead: 0Behind: 12Stash: 0
docs-site Clean
main
Ahead: 0Behind: 0Stash: 0
old-experiment Dormant
main
Ahead: 0Behind: 24Stash: 0
mobile-app Clean
develop
Ahead: 1Behind: 0Stash: 2

### Why This Combination

The compact card grid (D1) gives the 2-second pattern recognition that defines GitPulse's core experience. The collapsible stats bar (D4) adds a "mission control" overview without sacrificing grid density.

The stats bar is collapsible — power users who just want the grid can hide it. Jay (< 10 repos) sees it as reassuring context. The list view (D3) is available as a toggle for batch operations and power-user workflows.

### Key Elements

- Stats bar: Always visible by default, collapsible via toggle. Shows clean/dirty/ahead/behind/dormant counts with status colors.
- Card Grid: Compact cards from D1 with status badge, branch, ahead/behind/stash counts, last commit time.
- Filter pills: In top bar with counts — "All (12)", "Dirty (1)", "Behind (2)". Click to filter.
- Privacy Badge: Always visible in top-right corner. Local = green shield, Cloud = amber cloud icon.
- List View: D3 table layout available via Grid/List toggle. Natural for batch operations.
- AI Smart Status: Optional one-liner in card footer (blue left border), visible when AI is configured.