Observability Cues in Discover

Users working in Discover often encounter data that relates to Observability features — but there’s no indication that those tools exist.
This POC explored subtle, contextual cues that surface when Observability data is detected, helping users discover relevant tools without leaving the experience.

Challenge

Discover is one of Kibana’s most used applications, but it’s siloed from Observability features like Logs, APM, and Alerts. Users viewing logs or traces don’t realize that richer, solution-specific tools exist, and navigating away from Discover interrupts their flow.

The key question:
How might we make Observability features discoverable in-context, based upon currently selected data?

Idea

Prototype a lightweight cue system that detects relevant fields or datasets and surfaces small entry points to Observability tools.

Examples explored:

• When viewing a logs index, show a cue like “Switch to Observability to enable…” or “Try Observability”
• When a trace.id field appears, cue to view the trace-augmented flyout.
• When service.name or error.message fields are present, display subtle indicators for related Metrics or Alerts information.

These cues were intentionally minimal — icons, inline links, or hover tooltips — designed to preserve focus while creating awareness of cross-solution capability.

Outcome

• Demonstrated how Discover can act as a connective surface for solution features, not just a data viewer.
• Helped teams visualize a pattern for contextual discovery, which could extend to other solutions beyond Observability.
• Sparked discussion around ownership and visibility rules — specifically, whether cues should appear by default for all users or be solution-gated.
• Exposed a broader alignment challenge around cross-solution UX consistency and how “discoverability” should scale across Kibana.

Reflection

This POC focused on bridging awareness with smart, data-driven cues that brough immediate value. By embedding lightweight cues directly in Discover, we demonstrated that even small visual affordances can reduce cognitive load and connect users to powerful features they might otherwise miss.

The project also revealed how small UX experiments can uncover deeper strategic questions — in this case, around product boundaries and visibility models that shape the user’s perception of what Kibana can do.