diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 38e08660a7fb7..0000000000000
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,77 +0,0 @@
-export const DEFAULT_PANEL_WIDTH = 3;
-export const DEFAULT_PANEL_HEIGHT = 2;
-
-/**
- * Represents a panel on a grid. Keeps track of position in the grid and what visualization it
- * contains.
- *
- * @param id - Id of the visualization contained in the panel.
- * @param type - Type of the visualization in the panel.
- * @param panelId - Unique id to represent this panel in the grid.
- * @constructor
- */
-function Panel(id, type, panelId) {
-  /**
-   * A reference to the gridster widget holding this panel. Used to
-   * update the size and column attributes.
-   */
-  this.$el;
-
-  /**
-   * Width of the panel.
-   * @type {number}
-   */
-  this.size_x = DEFAULT_PANEL_WIDTH;
-
-  /**
-   * Height of the panel.
-   * @type {number}
-   */
-  this.size_y = DEFAULT_PANEL_HEIGHT;
-
-  /**
-   * Column index in the grid.
-   * @type {number}
-   */
-  this.col;
-
-  /**
-   * Row index of the panel in the grid.
-   * @type {number}
-   */
-  this.row;
-
-  /**
-   * Height of the panel.
-   * @type {number}
-   */
-  this.id = id;
-
-  /**
-   * Unique identifier for this panel. Guaranteed to be unique among the current
-   * panels in the grid.
-   * @type {number}
-   */
-  this.panelId = panelId;
-
-  /**
-   * Type of visualization this panel contains.
-   * @type {string}
-   */
-  this.type = type;
-}
-
-
-export class PanelFactory {
-  /**
-   * Factory function to create a panel object.
-   *
-   * @param id {string} - The id of the visualization this panel contains
-   * @param type {string} - The type of visualization this panel contains
-   * @param panelId {number} - A unique identifier for this panel in the grid
-   * @returns {Panel}
-   */
-   static create(id, type, panelId) {
-     return new Panel(id, type, panelId);
-   }
-}
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_state.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_state.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..f3b9c137adc51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_state.js
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+export const DEFAULT_PANEL_WIDTH = 3;
+export const DEFAULT_PANEL_HEIGHT = 2;
+
+/**
+ * Represents a panel on a grid. Keeps track of position in the grid and what visualization it
+ * contains.
+ *
+ * @typedef PanelState
+ * @property {number} id - Id of the visualization contained in the panel.
+ * @property {Element} $el - A reference to the gridster widget holding this panel. Used to
+ * update the size and column attributes. TODO: move out of panel state as this couples state to ui.
+ * @property {string} type - Type of the visualization in the panel.
+ * @property {number} panelId - Unique id to represent this panel in the grid.
+ * @property {number} size_x - Width of the panel.
+ * @property {number} size_y - Height of the panel.
+ * @property {number} col - Column index in the grid.
+ * @property {number} row - Row index in the grid.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Creates and initializes a basic panel state.
+ * @param {number} id
+ * @param {string} type
+ * @param {number} panelId
+ * @return {PanelState}
+ */
+export function createPanelState(id, type, panelId) {
+  return {
+    size_x: DEFAULT_PANEL_WIDTH,
+    size_y: DEFAULT_PANEL_HEIGHT,
+    panelId: panelId,
+    type: type,
+    id: id
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_utils.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_utils.js
index dc2a80f25e931..2b789179ba322 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_utils.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_utils.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { DEFAULT_PANEL_WIDTH, DEFAULT_PANEL_HEIGHT } from 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel';
+import { DEFAULT_PANEL_WIDTH, DEFAULT_PANEL_HEIGHT } from 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_state';
 
 export class PanelUtils {
   /**
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/directives/dashboard_panel_directive.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/directives/dashboard_panel.js
similarity index 98%
rename from src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/directives/dashboard_panel_directive.js
rename to src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/directives/dashboard_panel.js
index bc0abc9799883..ed1736349991d 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/directives/dashboard_panel_directive.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/directives/dashboard_panel.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ uiModules
 
   /**
    * Returns a unique id for storing the panel state in the persistent ui.
-   * @param panel
+   * @param {PanelState} panel
    * @returns {string}
    */
   const getPersistedStateId = function (panel) {
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ uiModules
       parentUiState: '=',
       /**
        * Contains information about this panel.
-       * @type {Panel}
+       * @type {PanelState}
        */
       panel: '=',
       /**
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/index.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/index.js
index 08a6cab3de0da..607633f747aff 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/index.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/dashboard/index.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import 'ui/notify';
 import 'ui/typeahead';
 import 'ui/share';
 import 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/directives/grid';
-import 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/directives/dashboard_panel_directive';
+import 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/directives/dashboard_panel';
 import 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/services/saved_dashboards';
 import 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/styles/main.less';
 import FilterBarQueryFilterProvider from 'ui/filter_bar/query_filter';
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import uiRoutes from 'ui/routes';
 import uiModules from 'ui/modules';
 import indexTemplate from 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/index.html';
 import { savedDashboardRegister } from 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/services/saved_dashboard_register';
-import { PanelFactory } from 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel';
+import { createPanelState } from 'plugins/kibana/dashboard/components/panel/lib/panel_state';
 require('ui/saved_objects/saved_object_registry').register(savedDashboardRegister);
 
 const app = uiModules.get('app/dashboard', [
@@ -272,12 +272,12 @@ app.directive('dashboardApp', function (Notifier, courier, AppState, timefilter,
       // called by the saved-object-finder when a user clicks a vis
       $scope.addVis = function (hit) {
         pendingVis++;
-        $state.panels.push(PanelFactory.create(hit.id, 'visualization', getMaxPanelId()));
+        $state.panels.push(createPanelState(hit.id, 'visualization', getMaxPanelId()));
       };
 
       $scope.addSearch = function (hit) {
         pendingVis++;
-        $state.panels.push(PanelFactory.create(hit.id, 'search', getMaxPanelId()));
+        $state.panels.push(createPanelState(hit.id, 'search', getMaxPanelId()));
       };
 
       // Setup configurable values for config directive, after objects are initialized