Dashboard UX Lab

Scenario 6 of 6

Restricted access

The visitor has no access to this dashboard.

Try it in the lab

Expected behaviour

The server responds with 403. Instead of an error, the dashboard explains who can grant access. There is no Retry, because retrying cannot help.

Why it behaves this way

Permission problems are not failures. Treating them as errors invites pointless retries; explaining the route to access resolves them. Try the “Viewer” role to see a single restricted widget instead.

  • Distinguish “you can’t see this” from “this failed”. They need different copy and different actions.
  • Restrict at the smallest useful scope. A viewer who cannot see account revenue can still see the trend.
  • Say who can grant access rather than just denying it.

Accessibility

The restriction is announced once and the explanation is plain text, not an alert. Headings stay in place so the page structure is still navigable.

Mistakes this scenario exposes

  • A generic error with a Retry button for a 403.
  • Hiding restricted widgets entirely, so people do not know the data exists.