Navigating the MakeFlow App

MakeFlow is organized into clear sections that help you manage every aspect of your studio. This guide will show you how to navigate the app and find what you need quickly.

The Sidebar

The sidebar is your primary navigation tool. It’s always visible on the left side of the screen and contains all major sections of the app.

Collapsing the Sidebar

The sidebar can be collapsed to icon-only mode to give you more screen space:

• Desktop: Click the toggle button at the top of the sidebar
• Mobile: The sidebar automatically collapses to a menu icon

When collapsed, hover over icons to see tooltips with the section names.

Main Sections

Dashboard

What it is: Your studio overview and daily snapshot Icon: Trending up chart What you’ll find:

• Order statistics
• Material status
• Build queue preview
• Revenue summary
• Quick actions

When to use it: Start your day here to see what needs attention.

Orders

What it is: Customer order management Icon: Shopping cart What you’ll find:

• All customer orders
• Order details and status
• Due dates and health tracking
• Order items and pricing

When to use it: Creating new orders, tracking progress, updating order status.

Materials

What it is: Inventory and supplies tracking Icon: Package What you’ll find:

• All materials and supplies
• Stock levels
• Low inventory alerts
• Material costs and suppliers

When to use it: Checking stock before starting orders, restocking materials, updating inventory.

Products

What it is: Product catalog and pricing Icon: Palette What you’ll find:

• Product library
• Bill of materials
• Build time estimates
• Cost and pricing calculations

When to use it: Creating new products, updating recipes, calculating costs.

Customers

What it is: Customer contact management Icon: Users What you’ll find:

• Customer directory
• Contact information
• Order history per customer
• Customer preferences

When to use it: Adding new customers, updating contact details, viewing customer order history.

Knowledge Base

What it is: Documentation and resources Icon: Book What you’ll find:

• Help articles
• Guides and tutorials
• Best practices

When to use it: Learning how to use features, finding answers to questions.

Workshop Section

The Workshop section contains production-focused tools:

Orders Queue

What it is: Order workflow and stage tracking Icon: Shopping cart What you’ll find:

• Orders organized by workflow stage
• Drag-and-drop stage management
• Order health indicators
• Material availability checks

When to use it: Managing production workflow, moving orders through stages.

Build Queue

What it is: Product-level production queue Icon: Clock What you’ll find:

• Individual products to build
• Build order priority
• Estimated completion times
• Material reservations

When to use it: Planning daily production, prioritizing what to build next.

Checklists

What it is: Quality control and task tracking Icon: Clipboard What you’ll find:

• Quality check templates
• Task lists for complex orders
• Completion tracking

When to use it: Ensuring consistent quality, tracking complex build steps.

Communication Section

Tools for customer communication:

Email

What it is: Email template management Icon: Mail What you’ll find:

• Email templates
• Order confirmations
• Status update emails
• Custom messages

When to use it: Sending professional customer communications.

Social

What it is: Social media content planning Icon: Share What you’ll find:

• Post scheduling
• Content calendar
• Platform integrations

When to use it: Planning and scheduling social media posts.

Finances Section

Financial tracking and reporting:

Overview

What it is: Financial dashboard Icon: Bar chart What you’ll find:

• Revenue summary
• Profit margins
• Financial trends
• Key metrics

When to use it: Reviewing financial health, tracking revenue.

Expenses

What it is: Expense tracking and categorization Icon: Dollar sign What you’ll find:

• All business expenses
• Receipt scanning
• Category breakdown
• Supplier spending

When to use it: Recording expenses, scanning receipts, tracking spending.

Analytics Section

Overview

What it is: Business analytics and insights Icon: Trending up What you’ll find:

• Sales trends
• Product performance
• Customer insights
• Production metrics

When to use it: Making data-driven decisions, understanding business trends.

Settings

Location: Bottom of sidebar Icon: Gear What it opens: Studio Settings dialog

What you can configure:

• Studio name and branding
• Currency and units
• Work hours
• Inventory thresholds
• User preferences

When to use it: Initial setup, changing studio configuration.

The Header

The header contains global tools available from any page:

Search

What it is: Global search across all data Icon: Magnifying glass Placeholder: “Search orders, materials, customers…”

What you can search:

• Orders by number or customer name
• Materials by name
• Customers by name or email
• Products by name

Keyboard shortcut: Click the search box or press Cmd+K (Mac) / Ctrl+K (Windows)

Notifications

What it is: Activity and alerts center Icon: Bell What you’ll see:

• Low inventory alerts
• Overdue orders
• System notifications
• Important updates

When to check: The bell icon shows a badge when you have unread notifications.

User Menu

Location: Bottom of sidebar Shows: Your initials and email

Options:

• View profile
• Account settings
• Sign out

Navigation Tips

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

• Cmd/Ctrl + K: Open global search
• Alt + T: Open notifications (if supported by browser)

Finding Features Quickly

1. Use search first: The global search is the fastest way to find specific orders, customers, or materials
2. Start at Dashboard: The dashboard provides links to common actions
3. Collapse sidebar: Get more screen space for detail views
4. Bookmark frequently used pages: Use your browser’s bookmarks for sections you visit daily

Understanding Active States

• Highlighted menu item: Shows which section you’re currently viewing
• Green checkmarks: Indicate healthy/good status (materials stocked, orders on track)
• Warning indicators: Orange/red colors indicate items needing attention

Mobile Navigation

On mobile devices:

• Sidebar collapses to a hamburger menu
• Tap the menu icon to expand navigation
• Swipe to close the sidebar
• Search is accessible from the top bar

Common Navigation Paths

Starting Your Day

1. Dashboard → See what needs attention
2. Build Queue → Check today’s production
3. Orders → Review due dates

Creating an Order

1. Orders → New Order button
2. Add customer (or Customers → Create first)
3. Add products (or Products → Create first)
4. Save and optionally add to Build Queue

Restocking Materials

1. Expenses → Upload receipt
2. AI extracts material details
3. Update Materials inventory
4. Return to Dashboard to see updated status

Checking Financial Health

1. Finances → Overview for summary
2. Finances → Expenses for detailed spending
3. Analytics → Overview for trends

Troubleshooting

Q: I can’t find a feature I need A: Use the global search (Cmd/Ctrl + K) to search all sections, or check the Knowledge Base.

Q: The sidebar is too narrow/wide A: The sidebar can be collapsed/expanded but not resized. Toggle it using the button at the top.

Q: A menu item isn’t working A: Refresh the page. If the issue persists, sign out and sign back in.

Q: I want to return to the previous page A: Use your browser’s back button or click the active sidebar item to return to the section’s main view.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to navigate MakeFlow:

• Set up your studio profile
• Create your first order
• Learn about the build queue

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Need help? Contact support@makeflow.xyz