customizable user pages ("dashboard" or panels type)

hi,

i'm looking for a way to do customizable dashboard pages kind of like google apps dashboards - i.e. not only to be able to add & remove blocks of content, but also to be able to move blocks around through drag&drop and have block preferences.

would the panels module be a good place to start and how much custom coding does it take?

has anyone gone this route? any pointers to share?

thanks