---
stepsCompleted: [1, 2, 3, 4]
inputDocuments: []
session_topic: 'SaaS dashboard separation + UX improvements + per-workspace archiving system'
session_goals: 'Clean multi-layer dashboard architecture, intuitive UX, robust archiving per workspace'
selected_approach: 'ai-recommended'
techniques_used: ['Role Playing', 'First Principles Thinking', 'SCAMPER Method', 'Morphological Analysis']
ideas_generated: 39
context_file: ''
session_active: false
workflow_completed: true
---

# Brainstorming Session Results

**Facilitator:** Saad
**Date:** 2026-03-10

## Session Overview

**Topic:** SaaS dashboard separation (owner vs tenant) + UX improvements + per-workspace archiving system
**Goals:** Generate ideas for a well-structured, intuitive platform with clear role boundaries and a robust archiving layer per workspace

### Session Setup

- Platform: L'Ami Fiduciaire — client management SaaS for accounting/fiduciary firms
- Current state: Mature brownfield app (Laravel 12 + Vue 3 + Inertia.js) with mixed admin/tenant dashboards
- Pain points: Role boundaries blurred, UX feels cluttered, no archiving system yet
- User types: SaaS owner (L'Ami Fiduciaire staff), firm admin, firm employee, external client

### Design Philosophy

- **عملي (practical) first, beauty second** — every UI decision must make the task faster, not slower
- Tables over cards for data views — accountants think in rows and columns
- One app, role-driven views — no separate admin app needed

## Technique Selection

**Approach:** AI-Recommended Techniques (Suggested Flow)
**Analysis Context:** Multi-layered SaaS UX problem requiring role clarity, interface refinement, and new feature design

**Technique Flow:**

1. **Role Playing** — Clarify what each user type actually needs to see and do
2. **First Principles Thinking** — Define the right dashboard structure from fundamental truths
3. **SCAMPER Method** — Refine and improve existing UX systematically
4. **Morphological Analysis** — Design the archiving system thoroughly across all dimensions

---

## Technique Execution Results

### Phase 1: Role Playing — User Persona Analysis

Four distinct user layers identified with clear separation of needs:

| Layer | Sees | Key Need |
|-------|------|----------|
| **SaaS Owner** (L'Ami Fiduciaire staff) | All workspaces, platform metrics, issues | "Is my platform healthy?" |
| **Firm Admin/Owner** | Their workspace — all clients, all declarations, alerts | "Is my firm on track? Who needs a nudge?" |
| **Firm Employee (Worker)** | Only assigned clients/declarations + notifications | "What do I need to do right now?" |
| **External Client** | Single declaration action via token link | "Upload this, confirm that, done." |

**Key Insight:** The current problem is that layers 1, 2, and 3 share the same interface. The fix is role-driven visibility within a single app shell.

### Phase 2: First Principles Thinking — Structure & Permissions

**Core Decision: Fixed Roles + Permission Overrides**

- Three preset roles: **Owner, Manager, Worker**
- Sensible defaults that work for 90% of firms out of the box
- Firm owner can toggle specific permissions on/off per role
- Permissions stored at workspace level — each cabinet customizes independently

**Navigation Structure:**

**SaaS Owner:**
- Platform Dashboard (metrics, health)
- Workspaces (manage all cabinets)
- Reported Issues

**Firm Owner/Manager:**
- Dashboard (command center — alerts + stats combined)
- Clients
- Declarations
- Archive
- Team (users + permissions)

**Worker:**
- My Dashboard (assigned work + nudges)
- My Clients
- My Declarations

### Phase 3: SCAMPER — UX Refinements

- **Substitute:** Nothing needed — current component choices are solid
- **Combine:** Dashboard + Alerts into one unified command center view
- **Adapt:** Advanced filtering system consistent across all views + search bars
- **Modify:** Inline tag/nudge on declaration rows — micro-interaction, no page navigation
- **Eliminate:** Separate admin routes — merge user management into workspace Team page
- **Reverse:** Client-initiated declarations — clients can request a declaration through portal (future)

**Breakthrough:** Bulk Declaration Creation — select multiple clients, choose type, create all at once with scheduled notifications.

### Phase 4: Morphological Analysis — Archive System Design

| Dimension | Decision |
|-----------|----------|
| **What gets archived** | Declaration metadata, status history, all documents, messages, client portal actions |
| **Organization** | Hybrid — flat list with powerful filters (fiscal year, client, type, date range) + search bar |
| **Access** | Owner and Manager only — Worker excluded |
| **Mutability** | Read-only, but Owner/Manager can re-open (moves back to active) |
| **Audit** | Re-open logged with who, when, and why |
| **Retention** | 10 years from closing date, warning before cleanup |
| **Export** | Bulk download as ZIP + in-app document preview |
| **Search** | Metadata search first (client, type, year, date). Full-text document search in future phase |
| **Navigation** | Top-level sidebar item — first-class feature, not hidden |
| **Visual** | Muted styling / archive badge to distinguish from active declarations |

---

## Complete Idea Inventory

### Theme 1: Platform Architecture — Role Separation

| # | Idea | Description |
|---|------|-------------|
| 1 | Platform Health Dashboard | SaaS owner dedicated view: workspace count, active users, storage, signups, system health |
| 2 | Issue/Support Inbox | Lightweight issue reporting — firm users flag problems, SaaS owner sees aggregated |
| 10 | Client Portal — Keep As-Is | External client one-shot token experience is solid, no changes needed |
| 11 | Single Shell, Role-Driven Views | One app, one sidebar, content determined by role — no separate admin app |
| 14 | Fixed Roles + Permission Matrix | Owner/Manager/Worker with sensible defaults + toggle overrides per workspace |
| 15 | Sensible Defaults That Just Work | 90% of firms never touch permissions — it just works out of the box |
| 16 | Per-Workspace Permission Storage | Each cabinet customizes permissions independently — true multi-tenancy |
| 28 | Eliminate Separate Admin Routes | Team management inside workspace, not through a separate admin panel |

### Theme 2: Dashboard & Command Center

| # | Idea | Description |
|---|------|-------------|
| 3 | Command Center Home | Single screen: active clients, declarations by status, activity feed, priority alerts |
| 4 | Priority Alert System | Visual alerts for overdue declarations, unanswered uploads, unsigned confirmations |
| 7 | Scoped Employee Dashboard | Workers see only assigned clients/declarations — "here's what you need to do today" |
| 8 | Notification Center for Nudges | Employee notification area where admin tags/alerts land with direct links to declarations |
| 19 | Dashboard = Alerts Combined | No separate alerts page — dashboard IS the alert system, one unified view |

### Theme 3: Firm Management & Collaboration

| # | Idea | Description |
|---|------|-------------|
| 6 | Quick Tag & Nudge | One-click alert from admin to employee on any declaration — tap on the shoulder, not a ticket |
| 12 | Firm-Level Role Management Page | Dedicated "Team" page to create users with roles (Owner, Manager, Worker) |
| 13 | Permission Builder per Role | Simple toggle grid: rows = permissions, columns = roles. Flip switches on/off |
| 22 | Inline Tag/Nudge on Declaration Row | Small icon button on table row — click, pick employee, done. No modal needed |

### Theme 4: UX & Workflow Efficiency

| # | Idea | Description |
|---|------|-------------|
| 17 | Practicality-First Philosophy | Every UI decision passes: "Does this make the task faster or slower?" |
| 18 | Tables Over Cards for Data | Dense, scannable, sortable tables — accountants think in rows and columns |
| 20 | Bulk Declaration Creation | Select multiple clients → choose type (TVA Mensuel) → set date → create all at once |
| 21 | Bulk Notification Scheduling | Set notification date during bulk creation — all clients notified on same day |
| 23 | Advanced Filtering System | Consistent filter bar across Clients, Declarations, Archive — persistent until cleared |
| 24 | Archive-Specific Filters | Extra dimensions: fiscal year, declaration type, client, date range, document type |
| 25 | Quick Search | Search bar with instant text lookup — no page reload |
| 29 | Client-Initiated Declarations | Clients request declarations through portal — reverses the flow (future enhancement) |

### Theme 5: Archive System

| # | Idea | Description |
|---|------|-------------|
| 26 | Auto-Archive on Close | Declaration moves to archive automatically when status becomes Closed |
| 27 | Archive ≠ Delete | Full history preserved — documents, messages, actions. Filing cabinet, not trash |
| 30 | Hybrid Filters + Search | Flat list with fiscal year/client/type/date filters + search bar |
| 31 | Read-Only + Re-Open | Archive locked, but Owner/Manager can re-open → moves back to active Declarations |
| 32 | Re-Open Audit Trail | Who, when, why logged — legal protection for the firm |
| 33 | 10-Year Retention Policy | Automated lifecycle with warning notification before cleanup |
| 34 | Bulk Download as ZIP | Filter a set → download structured ZIP with all documents organized by declaration |
| 35 | In-App Document Preview | Preview button (PDF/image viewer) + separate download button |
| 36 | Metadata Search First | Search by client, type, year, date. Full-text document search in future phase |
| 37 | Archive as Main Nav Item | Top-level sidebar — first-class feature, not hidden in settings |
| 38 | Archive Detail Page | Read-only full snapshot: declaration info, timeline, documents, messages, portal actions |
| 39 | Visual Distinction | Muted color scheme / archive badge — clear boundary between active and archived |

### Future Enhancements

| # | Idea | Description |
|---|------|-------------|
| 5 | Archive as First-Class Feature | Accountants' institutional memory — organized by fiscal years and dossiers |
| 9 | Kanban View | Optional drag-and-drop board for declarations by status — visual pipeline management |

---

## Implementation Roadmap

### Phase 1: Role System Foundation
*Everything else depends on this*

- #14 Fixed Roles (Owner, Manager, Worker) + Permission Matrix
- #15 Sensible Defaults
- #16 Per-Workspace Permission Storage
- #12 Team Management Page
- #13 Permission toggles per role
- #28 Move user management inside workspace

### Phase 2: Dashboard Separation
*Now that roles exist, build the right view for each*

- #11 Single Shell, Role-Driven Sidebar
- #3 Firm Admin Command Center
- #7 Scoped Employee Dashboard
- #1 SaaS Owner Platform Dashboard
- #4 Priority Alert System
- #19 Dashboard + Alerts combined
- #2 Issue/Support Inbox

### Phase 3: Collaboration Features
*The nudge/notification layer*

- #6 Quick Tag & Nudge
- #22 Inline Nudge on Declaration Row
- #8 Employee Notification Center

### Phase 4: Workflow Efficiency
*The عملي features that save time*

- #20 Bulk Declaration Creation
- #21 Bulk Notification Scheduling
- #23 Advanced Filtering across all views
- #25 Quick Search
- #17 Practicality-first UI pass
- #18 Tables for data views

### Phase 5: Archive System
*Needs closed declarations to exist — builds on everything above*

- #26 Auto-Archive on Close
- #27 Archive ≠ Delete (preservation)
- #37 Archive as Main Nav Item
- #30 Hybrid Filters + Search Bar
- #38 Archive Detail Page (read-only)
- #35 In-App Preview + Download buttons
- #31 Read-Only + Re-Open capability
- #32 Re-Open Audit Trail
- #34 Bulk Download as ZIP
- #39 Visual Distinction for archived items
- #33 10-Year Retention Policy
- #36 Metadata Search (full-text later)

### Phase 6: Future Enhancements

- #9 Kanban View
- #29 Client-Initiated Declarations
- #24 Archive-specific advanced filters

---

## Session Summary and Insights

**Key Achievements:**

- 39 breakthrough ideas generated across 5 themes
- Clear 4-layer user model defined (SaaS Owner → Firm Admin → Worker → External Client)
- Core architectural decision made: Fixed Roles + Permission Overrides per workspace
- Complete archive system designed across 6 dimensions
- Practical implementation roadmap with dependency-ordered phases

**Key Design Decisions Made:**

1. **Single app, role-driven views** — no separate admin application
2. **Fixed roles (Owner/Manager/Worker)** with toggleable permission overrides per workspace
3. **Folders renamed to Declarations** — domain-specific language
4. **عملي-first UX** — practicality over beauty, tables over cards
5. **Archive = auto on close** — read-only with re-open capability
6. **10-year retention** — matching Moroccan legal requirements
7. **Metadata search first** — full-text document search deferred to future phase

**Creative Facilitation Narrative:**

This session moved efficiently from understanding (who are the users?) to structure (what do they need?) to refinement (how do we improve?) to design (build the archive). Saad's practical mindset — عملي first — anchored every decision in real-world accountant workflows. The bulk declaration creation idea emerged as a standout competitive feature, born from understanding that accountants work in batches by deadline, not individually by client. The archive system was designed with input from a real accountant, ensuring it serves actual needs rather than theoretical ones.
