I want to share a fantastic example of "Functional Art" from one of my clients.
Their IT department recently held a Christmas Tree 🎄 competition, and this submission was the winner in the Creativity category. The team proved that Observability doesn't just have to be functional - it can be festive too!
It's a fully functional dashboard, shaped entirely like a Christmas tree, and with live data. When it was first shown to me I just couldn't believe it! It really is one of the most beautiful dashboards I have ever seen:
As you can see in this real 20 second looped animated GIF, little dots are everywhere. Each one of them is a service, spanning 25 important applications. You can even see the little red dots appearing and disappearing, mimicking blinking Christmas lights.
The tree is positioned on a TV screen where their Observability Team can glance at and see the overall health of their ecosystem. If the tree is "too decorated" (too many red dots), they know it's time to stop admiring the art and start fixing problems. To their credit, I have almost always seen it green, and had difficulties recording these little red dots 😊
With the client's authorization, we are sharing this slightly redacted version, as an inspiration for the Community, especially for those looking to increase adoption, engagement, or simply bring some fun into their Observability practices!
Merry Christmas to all!
Featured Posts
