# Modal, Panel, or Page
> Choose the container by what the user needs to see while they work.

## Situation

What do people need to keep in view while they work?

## Decision

### Use Modal when

A short, focused decision that must be finished or cancelled before anything else.

- A few fields or a single decision
- No need to see the page behind
- Blocking is intended
- It never opens another modal

### Use Panel when

Inspecting or editing one item while the list stays in view, or working through items one after another.

- The list is useful context
- Reviewing items in sequence
- Comparing against what’s behind
- Wide screens

### Use Page when

Long or complex work, or anything people will link to, bookmark, or come back to.

- Many fields or sections
- Needs its own URL
- Shared or revisited
- Deserves full attention

**The numbers:** Modal: up to about 3 fields or one decision. Panel: one item from a list, when the list stays useful. Page: more than a screen of content, or anything people link to or come back to.

## Why

Reviewers go through tickets one after another, so details open in a panel. The queue stays visible and the next ticket is one click away.

## Edge cases

On a phone there’s no room beside the list. Panels become full-screen sheets, and the ‘keep the list in view’ argument disappears.

Source: https://www.designdecisions.dev/cards/modal-panel-page
Author: Alex Dovhyi