Admin Menu Restructuring

Backend admin navigation — from object-first to job-first · Breakmark Checkin follow-up, Jun 2026

Today the admin sidebar mirrors the database (Catalog, Teams, Orders, Carts) rather than the jobs people actually do. One 27-item flat menu, one undifferentiated role, no global search or context. The proposal: regroup into 4 task domains, add a global top-bar (omni-search + store/team context), and guard routes by role so the menu sets up real per-persona front doors — the foundation for licensing the platform to other businesses.

27 → 4 domainsOperations · Stores · Growth · System. Cold clutter collapses.

Global top-barOne omni-search (order #, email, store, team) + a store/team context chip.

Role-guardedNav grouping unlocks per-persona views; routes guarded, not just hidden.

De-duplicatedCarts joins Orders; Groups reconciled with Teams→Stores.

Variation 1 · Before / After

The structural change at a glance — same product, regrouped navigation

Recommended direction

Before — object-first

27 flat items

27 destinations, 1 tier — "Orders" (used daily) carries the same weight as "Roadmap" (read-only). Orders scatter across 3 places; Carts hide under System. No "you are here."

After — job-first

4 domains

4 task domains, role-guarded, searchable. Cold items collapse into System; Carts sits beside Orders; one omni-search + context chip kills the per-object re-navigation.

active / primary standard item cold / rarely used designer-visible

Variation 2 · The four domains

What lands where — and the per-persona front door each domain creates

Reference

🛟 Operations — Support / Production

OrdersCarts Production queueNotifications

The CS & fulfillment daily driver. Carts moves out of System to sit beside Orders; "awaiting shipping" and recovery queues live here.

🏷️ Stores — Onboarding / Catalog

Teams / StoresCatalog Promotions · CouponsGroups

Everything about standing up and configuring a store. Groups gets reconciled against Teams→Stores; promotions get one canonical, editable home.

📈 Growth — Finance / Marketing

ReportsAnalytics Newsletter

The 8 analytics pages collapse under one domain, with "act" affordances added (recover cart, pause promo) so you analyze and act in one place.

⚙️ System — Admin / Platform

UsersSettings Site MessagesHealth DownloadsRoadmap

All the cold, infrequent destinations gathered in one place instead of diluting the top level. Collapsible per persona.

Mockups are directional — exact labels, icons, and grouping are open for discussion. Companion decks: team-captain-setup-layouts.html · customer-store-manager-ia.html. Full rationale in admin-ux-analysis.html.