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Have you ever jumped from one Notion template to another, unable to customize it to fit your needs? Does your Notion dashboard have too many databases and pages to count — some long forgotten?
Maybe it’s worth reconsidering your approach and starting fresh. One way to do this is to identify the key principles underpinning intuitive and scalable Notion systems and apply strategies from the start.
We spoke to Eva Zivanovic, an automation expert and Certified Notion Consultant who has helped many entrepreneurs and organizations improve their Notion systems. She shares her practical approach to building Notion processes you can master, too — from personal dashboards to enterprise-level systems.
From an empty page to a functional Notion dashboard
Notion lets you build dashboards and workflow systems from the ground up — block by block. But this simple approach can soon become bloated if you’re not careful. Simplicity is key in Notion workspace design — and it’s more science than art. How can you master it?
Having tackled various business workflows, Eva shares with us three basic principles she follows. Build systems that are useful, usable, and used:
- Useful: The system needs to solve a particular pain point, meet a real need, provide clear benefits, and offer a good return on investment.
- Usable: The system must be intuitive and easily understood, with clear navigation, a minimal learning curve, and a logical workflow without barriers.
- Used: It is essential to design a system that users can adopt; otherwise, it won’t be used, create value, or serve a purpose.
That’s not to say you can’t (or shouldn’t) design powerful or complex back ends. Instead, the user flow needs to remain intuitive and simple—so much so that the user doesn’t feel it. Remember that the simpler the system is to use, the more the user gets done, and the return on investment (ROI) increases.
“For example, I’ve seen many Notion systems with insanely long dashboards,” says Eva. “And while it’s good to keep an overview of your data, there are better ways of implementing it. I would argue that long dashboards actually defeat the purpose of having a clear overview because it’s hard to navigate all of that data.”
To avoid creating complex workspaces so convoluted that no one uses them, Eva recommends setting up separate pages for different purposes:
- Overview page: This is the main dashboard or homepage. It should show only the most critical, high-level information you need to see at a glance without too many details. Think of it as a quick summary.
- Operational pages: These are the individual pages where the actual work happens. Each page should contain only the essential details and tools needed for a specific task or workflow step. Don’t overload these pages.
Display your information using database views on the operational pages. The key is to set up these database views in a sequence that matches how you naturally work through that process or task. Don’t spread the same data across different blocks or formats on the same page.
This approach keeps each operational page focused and uncluttered. As Eva says, “Nobody wants to scroll endlessly to get where they need to.” She applies this method to all of her clients’ workspaces.
Then, question the purpose of every part of the system — not just in the building stage but throughout the process. If you can’t start fresh, you can still review each block and page with a magnifying glass and ask yourself, “Does this bring value and have a purpose?”
“If I (or my client) can’t answer the question, then it typically means it doesn’t bring any value. If it doesn’t bring value, then it doesn’t need to be there,” says Eva.
“It’s so important to be purposeful in designing systems, not just in Notion, but with every tool and process. Otherwise, you will continue dealing with inefficient processes, unclean data, and cluttered workspaces that are not scalable and are a nightmare to use and navigate.”
Building for growth: how to design scalable Notion systems
In contrast to personal productivity setups, designing systems that can scale seamlessly for growing teams and businesses requires extra planning. Picture this: Your company sales go up quicker than expected, as does your team size — a desirable outcome for any startup.
But your Notion systems can’t keep up, and your team has no time to improve them. Your onboarding takes too long because resources are scattered across Notion, and standardization is lacking. As a result, it negatively affects teams’ work, particularly cross-functional ones. Downloading new Notion templates is only a temporary band aid for a much larger problem.
That’s just one example where Eva helped a business untangle its Notion chaos. It had gotten so bad that the company jokingly called its Notion system “Our Frankenstein.”
”It was just a collection of components that seemed whole from afar but were just individual parts sewed together in a single Notion workspace.”
How can you handle such complex scenarios? Whether your business workspace has become too hard to manage or you’re helping a client fix theirs, Eva follows a structured, step-by-step audit process to understand key factors, such as:
- The purpose of the current workspace
- What information should the teams manage and track
- Current pain points
- The existing Notion processes and the points for improvement before implementing them
- How should Notion reflect cross-functional processes
- How the company plans to grow and how the system should support this
- Permission structure — who should have access to what and how much
- Team-specific requirements
Understanding the current problems will help you redesign a fitting workspace. In Eva’s case, she implemented the following solutions:
- A standardized structure of team spaces tailored to the company’s needs with all the key data objects, such as projects, tasks, meetings, files, objectives and key results (OKRs).
- Consolidated multiple databases into one master database. Previously, each team had a separate database, even if they stored the same data type, like tasks.
- Contextual filtering for the master database so each entry can be associated with a specific team.
- A clear workspace structure and hierarchy with pages such as a company landing page, a wiki page with onboarding resources, team-specific and individual member pages, and others.
You will soon see positive results if you rebuild with usability in mind. In Eva’s case, the client saw two hours per team member saved each week, new employees onboarded in less than one month compared to the prior workflow, and the investment paid for itself within three months.
When you build Notion systems for others, tangible results like these are a social proof goldmine. Even optimizing your personal workflow can result in significant ROI. Saving one hour per week on inefficient work will soon add up and give you more time to focus on what you actually need (or want).
How to improve collaboration and help users adopt their new Notion space
The adoption process of a new Notion workspace will be easier for an individual than it would be for an organization or team. Eva has drawn from her experience leading teams in her 9-5 jobs and uses elements of the change management framework to help her Notion clients adopt their new systems — and you can, too.
The first step is identifying and engaging the team members who are essential to the project’s success. Eva adds that getting a sense of where the company plans to go in the next few years will help you understand how to scale the system with the company, not hold it back.
Then, follow by identifying project stakeholders and key users. This could be through discovery calls, engaging stakeholders, and making them part of the project to analyze how the changes may affect them.
“After all, they are the ones who will use the system, and it’s crucial to understand their pain points,” Eva says. “Stakeholder engagement is crucial in maximizing and driving user adoption. By doing so, stakeholders are actively contributing to the project, and thus, they adopt changes more easily and become champions that help with user adoption in the future.”
Throughout the process, communicate changes — and do it often. This will help you raise awareness among the target users, and you’ll be able to listen and collect feedback early on. “This combination helps build momentum for the moment the changes are implemented and allows everyone to be aligned when the changes go live,” Eva explains.
Towards the end of the project, Eva provides written documentation and resources. You might also consider including live or video training. Adding these resources to relevant places will give users quick access whenever needed.
“I always offer my clients support after implementation and keep an open feedback loop. If they need more training, I provide it,” Eva adds. “If they have questions or feedback, I listen and act accordingly. The project ends when the client is happy with the results, not at the go-live date.”
Top tips to implement in your Notion workspace
Eva’s expertise makes this checklist of strategies an ideal navigational chart to keep in mind the next time you’re designing your ideal Notion workspace. Use these principles as your North star whenever you feel stuck or need guidance:
- Design for your future self, not your current self: Picture how your needs, processes, and team may evolve and build an adaptable system. Don’t get trapped by short-term thinking.
- Be purposeful from start to finish: Continue to evaluate every component. If it doesn’t serve an obvious purpose and value, remove it. Maintain this mindset throughout.
- Prioritize simple user experiences: Powerful back ends are possible, but user-facing workflows must remain intuitive with clear navigation and visual separation of sections.
- Master the art of structure: Separate overview dashboards from operational pages. Use sequential database views aligned with processes and merge data into centralized, contextually filtered databases.
- Plan for scalability and collaboration: Audit existing systems thoroughly by mapping growth plans, cross-functional needs, permission structures, and team requirements. Design a standardized, hierarchical workspace.
- Engage stakeholders: Identify key contacts and actively involve main stakeholders. Communicate changes frequently, provide training resources, and maintain feedback loops.
- Remember permissions: The right permission structure ensures clean data and efficiency and prevents accidental deletions or changes.
Every Notion dashboard starts with a plan
We’ve all been there — drowning in a sea of old Notion pages, databases scattered everywhere, and no clear navigation to find what’s needed. Instead of helping us work more efficiently, a poorly structured Notion workspace leaves us more overwhelmed and unproductive.
However, applying Eva’s strategic principles from the beginning can save you that headache. Her approach ensures you build an intuitive, purposeful system that meets your needs. Better yet, if designed well, it will grow alongside you and your venture.
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