Badge Counter UX: Moving from Numbers to Meaningful Indicators

Problem to solve

GitLab users need a reliable system to recognize when items require their attention. While badge counters have been implemented as a solution in the navigation sidebar, they present several challenges:

  1. Engineering complexity: Maintaining accurate, real-time counts requires significant backend resources
  2. Cognitive load: Users must interpret what each number represents and remember previous values
  3. Inconsistent behavior: Some counters require page refreshes, creating confusion about data freshness
  4. Ambiguous meaning: Numbers alone don't convey whether items are new, urgent, or simply accumulated

Current usage patterns

Badge counters currently serve multiple purposes across the platform:

  • Notification indicators: Drawing attention to new items
  • Visual anchors: Helping users locate important interface elements
  • Status references: Providing count information (e.g., open issues)

User friction points

Users encounter several pain points with the current implementation:

  • Need to mentally track previous values to identify changes
  • Uncertainty about whether counts are current without refreshing
  • Difficulty distinguishing between different types of counts (new vs. total)
  • Inconsistent implementation across different areas of the product

Proposed solution

We propose refining our approach to notification indicators with the following changes:

  1. Formalize dot indicator guidance: Replace numeric counters with simple dots where appropriate to indicate "new" items without the cognitive load of numbers
  2. Improve contextual clarity: Ensure any retained numeric indicators have clear, specific labels explaining what they represent
  3. Audit existing implementations: Evaluate each badge counter in the navigation sidebar to determine:
    • Which should remain as numbers (with improved labeling)
    • Which should be converted to dot indicators
    • Which might be better represented through alternative UI patterns

Questions for discussion

  • Which specific badge counters are most valuable to users in their current numeric form?
  • In what contexts do users find dot indicators more useful than numeric counts?
  • Are there situations where badges could be replaced by alternative visual cues?
  • How can we balance notification visibility with reducing interface clutter?

Next steps

Based on discussion feedback, we'll create:

  1. Updated design specifications for both numeric and dot indicators
  2. Implementation priority list for converting appropriate counters
  3. User testing plan to validate the new approach