When to use
Cards group related content and actions about a single subject into a distinct, flexible container.- Presenting heterogeneous content types together (e.g., image, title, summary text, metadata, badge, button).
- Structuring items in scannable, multi-column grid layouts (e.g., blog posts, product catalogs, user profiles, dashboard widgets).
- Serving as a entry-point preview that routes users to a detailed full-page view.
When to use something else
- Data Tables: Use when users need to perform line-by-line text comparisons, sort by specific attributes, or scan large datasets.
- Lists: Use for simple, homogeneous text items without heavy visual hierarchy or individual media elements.
- Dialogs / Drawers: Use when triggering primary workflows, multi-step forms, or critical decision-making tasks rather than content browsing.
Dos and don’ts
- Do focus each card on a single entity or subject.
- Do use consistent visual height and media ratios across grid items.
- Do provide clear hover and focus indicators for interactive Cards.
- Do truncate long description text to preserver layout grid balance.
- Don’t nest Cards inside other Cards.
- Don’t overload Cards with competing primary actions or extensive body text.
- Don’t Embed inline links or Buttons inside a Card that is already fully clickable.
- Don’t use Cards purely for background styling or wrapping single text paragraphs.
Behavior
- Click targets: If the Card container itself is actionable, make the entire surface area trigger the primary action. If the Card contains multiple distinct actions (e.g., Bookmark, Share, View Details), make secondary controls individual target Buttons and keep the container static to avoid conflicting tap zones.
- Visual states: Include explicit visual feedback for Default, Hover (subtle elevation rise or border highlight), Focus-Visible (accessible focus ring for keyboard navigation), and Pressed states.
- Responsive layout: Cards should adjust fluidly—scaling column spans across desktop break-points and dropping down to a single-column, full-width stack on mobile screens.
Anatomy
Each section of the Card is optional, but it is highly recommended to use a header to ensure a clear hierarchical relationship among content within the Card.Header
While not restricted, it is highly recommended to use a pre-configured header from Aura to create consistency across Cards in the product. Headers may consist of a combination of the following: leading icon, title, subtitle or status indicator and trailing content, which may be a Count or icon Buttons.Body
Card bodies are entirely flexible to present relevant information and may consist of, but not limited to, media images, text, and Charts.Footer
While not restricted, it is highly recommended to use a pre-configured footer from Aura to create consistency across Cards in the product. Footers may consist of Buttons or metadata.Often used with
Button, Badge, Avatar, Separator; optional card-title typography; body slots for charts, lists, or form fields.Accessibility
- Interactive containers: Avoid wrapping entire cards containing internal links or buttons inside a single parent
<a>tag. Make internal action links individual keyboard focus targets. - Document outline: Structure internal title nodes (CardTitle) into logical heading sequences (
<h2>to<h4>) to support page landmark scanning.