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Statecraft

All patterns

  • Bulk Actions

    Let users perform one action across many records safely, with clear scope, eligibility and recovery.

    Data

  • Advanced Filters

    Help users narrow large datasets with filters they can see, edit, share and recover from.

    Data

  • Autosave

    Save changes continuously without a Save button, while keeping users certain their work is safe.

    Forms

  • Approval Workflow

    Route a request through one or more reviewers with clear status, accountability and an auditable history.

    Workflow

  • AI Response

    Present generated answers with streaming, sources, control and recovery, so users can trust and verify them.

    AI

  • File Upload

    Let users add files with visible progress, early validation and recovery that never loses what already uploaded.

    Files

  • Command Palette

    Give users one keyboard-first entry point to jump anywhere and run any action without hunting through menus.

    Navigation

  • Subscription Management

    Let customers upgrade, downgrade, change billing cycles and cancel with exact prices, dates and consequences shown before they confirm.

    Payments

  • Refunds

    Let support staff or customers return money with the exact amount, destination, timing and consequences stated before it's irreversible.

    Payments

  • Checkout

    Take a customer from plan choice to paid with the fewest fields, a total that never surprises, and errors that keep what they typed.

    Payments

  • Failed Payment Recovery

    Recover failed renewals with timely, specific prompts and a grace period, before customers lose access they still want.

    Payments

  • Usage & Limits

    Show customers how much of their plan they've used and handle the moment they hit a limit without breaking their work.

    Payments

  • App Sidebar

    Organise a product's main navigation so users always know where they are, reach frequent places in one click, and keep their place on small screens.

    Navigation

  • Tabs

    Split one object's content into peer views that users switch between without losing their place, state or URL.

    Navigation

  • Breadcrumbs & Back

    Show users where they are in a hierarchy and get them back to exactly where they came from — filters, scroll and all.

    Navigation

  • File Preview

    Let users look inside a file without downloading it, with a predictable fallback for every type the product can't render.

    Files

  • Attachments

    Attach files to records and comments with clear ownership, visibility and deletion rules that match the record they belong to.

    Files

  • CSV Import

    Bring spreadsheet data into the product with column mapping, row-level validation and a preview, so nothing is imported by surprise.

    Files

  • Confirmation

    Ask for confirmation only when an action is hard to undo, and make the dialog state exactly what will happen.

    Workflow

  • Partial Failure

    Report operations where some items succeed and some fail, so users know exactly what happened and what to do about the rest.

    Workflow

  • Permissions

    Show people what they can do, explain what they can't, and give them a way forward instead of a dead end.

    Workflow

  • Notifications

    Tell people about things that need them, in the right channel and at the right volume, without burying what matters.

    Workflow

  • Activity History

    Show who changed what and when on a record, in a timeline people can scan, filter and trust.

    Data

  • Empty States

    Design what users see when there's nothing to show, so every empty screen explains why and offers the next useful step.

    Data

  • Version History

    Let users see earlier versions of a document or record, compare them, and restore safely without losing current work.

    Forms

  • Human Review

    Put a person between AI output and real-world consequences, with review that's fast for good output and careful for risky output.

    AI

  • Feedback

    Collect quick, specific feedback on AI output that users actually give, and that the team can actually use.

    AI

  • Inline Validation

    Tell users about input problems at the right moment — not while they're still typing, and not only after they submit.

    Forms

  • Unsaved Changes

    Protect work in forms that save explicitly, warning only when something would actually be lost.

    Forms

  • Offline Mode

    Keep users working when the connection drops, with an honest view of what's synced, what's pending and what can't be done offline.

    Forms

  • Search

    Help users find records by what they remember — a name, a number, a phrase — with results that explain why they matched.

    Data

  • Pagination

    Split long lists into pages or progressive loads in a way that keeps position, counts and selection predictable.

    Data

  • Saved Views

    Let users save a combination of filters, sorting and columns as a named view they and their team can return to.

    Data

  • Comments

    Let people discuss work where it happens — on the record or the exact part of it — with mentions, threads and resolution.

    Workflow

  • Error Recovery

    When something fails, say what happened in plain language, protect the user's work, and offer the most useful next step.

    Workflow

  • Keyboard Shortcuts

    Give frequent users fast keyboard paths that are discoverable, consistent and never get in the way of typing.

    Navigation

  • Prompt Input

    Design the box where users ask AI for things — with context, attachments and controls visible — so prompts start strong and never get lost.

    AI

  • AI Suggestions

    Offer AI-generated values, completions and next steps inline, so users accept good ones in one action and ignore the rest at no cost.

    AI

  • Agent Progress

    Show what an AI agent is doing during long, multi-step tasks — steps, tool use and decisions — so users can follow, steer and stop it.

    AI

  • AI Onboarding

    Introduce an AI feature by showing what it can do with the user's own data, setting honest expectations about limits and privacy.

    AI

  • Export

    Let users take their data out in the format they need, with a clear scope and no surprises about what's included.

    Files

  • Sharing & Links

    Let people share files and records with teammates or outsiders, with access levels and link scope that are impossible to misread.

    Files

  • Storage Limits

    Show how much storage is used and by what, and handle a full quota without blocking work or deleting anything.

    Files
Workflow Pro

Approval Workflow

Route a request through one or more reviewers with clear status, accountability and an auditable history.

9 states8 edge casesDesktop + Mobile

Unlock implementation prompt

01The problem

Spend requests, contracts, content and access changes need sign-off before they take effect. Without a clear workflow, requests stall in inboxes, requesters chase reviewers in chat, and nobody can later say who approved what, when, or on what basis.

02When to use

Use when

  • Purchase orders, expenses and invoices above a threshold
  • Publishing content that needs editorial or legal review
  • Granting elevated access or permissions
  • Contract and pricing exceptions
  • Any change where accountability must be recorded

Avoid when

  • The reviewer approves almost everything — replace the gate with post-hoc auditing.
  • The action is easily reversible and low-risk; use undo instead.
  • Real-time collaboration is the norm and review is informal — comments suffice.

03Recommended UX

Statecraft recommendation

Make the request page the single place where a decision happens: current status and who it's waiting on at the top, the decision actions in a fixed area, and a chronological timeline below.

04Desktop behaviour

Desktop shows the request content and the decision context side by side, so reviewers can read details and act without losing their place.

Desktop rules

  • Status banner at the top: state, current step, and named approvers it's waiting on.
  • Approve, Request changes and Reject live in a fixed action area — never at the bottom of a long page.
  • Show the full approval chain as a stepper so everyone can see what comes next.
  • Hide decision actions entirely for users who cannot act; show who can instead.
Status and who it’s waiting on sit at the top. Decisions happen in one fixed area. The timeline below is the audit trail.

05Mobile behaviour

Reviewers often approve from a notification on their phone. The mobile view must make a safe decision possible in under a minute.

Mobile rules

4 mobile rules are included in Pro.

Built for approving from a notification: decision-relevant summary first, Approve and Reject pinned to the bottom.

Statecraft Pro

Unlock the full pattern

Get the complete interaction flow, states, edge cases, mobile rules and implementation prompt.

  • Interaction flow · 6 steps
  • 4 mobile rules
  • 9 states
  • 8 edge cases with recommendations
  • 5 microcopy comparisons
  • Accessibility notes
  • Developer notes
  • Claude Code / Codex implementation prompt
  • React + TypeScript reference code and tests
Get Statecraft Pro · $9Compare plans

Edge cases covered in this pattern

  • Request edited after approval
  • Approver unavailable
  • Self-approval
  • Concurrent decisions
  • Any vs. all approvers
  • Revoking an approval
  • Permissions change mid-flight
  • Notification fatigue