The proliferation of analytics tools has produced an abundance of data on websites and applications. This abundance is a resource provided it can be organised — a source of noise otherwise.
Defining the relevant indicators
Before building a dashboard, it is useful to answer a simple question: what decisions should this dashboard inform? The answer determines which indicators are worth tracking — and which can be ignored.
A dashboard displaying twenty metrics without clear hierarchy is as useless as an empty dashboard. The value lies not in the quantity of data displayed but in the relevance of the indicators chosen and the clarity of their presentation.
The indicators that matter
For a website, the fundamental indicators are generally few: traffic volume and source, behaviour on key pages (duration, bounce, navigation depth), and actions taken towards defined objectives.
Reading cadence
An effective dashboard is not only well designed — it is consulted regularly and at the right frequency. Some indicators are read daily (traffic, errors), others monthly (underlying trends), others quarterly (structural evolution).
Defining this reading cadence and adhering to it is as important as the quality of the dashboard design itself.