kpi-dashboard-design — quality + safety report

---
name: kpi-dashboard-design
description: Designs effective KPI dashboards with proper metric selection, visual hierarchy, and data visualization best practices. Use when building executive dashboards, creating analytics views, or presenting business metrics.
license: MIT
---

# KPI Dashboard Design

Design effective dashboards that communicate key metrics clearly.

## KPI Selection Framework

**Good KPIs are:**
- Relevant to business goals
- Measurable and quantifiable
- Influenced by the team
- Updated frequently
- Simple to understand

## Common Business KPIs

| Goal | KPIs |
|------|------|
| Revenue | MRR, ARR, Revenue Growth |
| Acquisition | CAC, New Users, Conversion Rate |
| Retention | Churn Rate, NPS, DAU/MAU |
| Efficiency | LTV:CAC, Burn Rate |
| Quality | Error Rate, Response Time |

## Dashboard Layout

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Executive Summary                  │
│  [Revenue ▲12%]  [Users ▲8%]  [Churn ▼2%]      │
├─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┤
│                     │                           │
│   Revenue Trend     │    User Acquisition      │
│   (Line Chart)      │    (Bar Chart)           │
│                     │                           │
├─────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│                     │                           │
│   Retention Funnel  │    Top Products          │
│   (Funnel Chart)    │    (Table)               │
│                     │                           │
└─────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┘
```

## Visual Design Principles

```css
/* Traffic light colors for status */
.metric-good { color: #22c55e; }    /* Green */
.metric-warning { color: #f59e0b; } /* Amber */
.metric-bad { color: #ef4444; }     /* Red */

/* Visual hierarchy */
.metric-primary {
  font-size: 2.5rem;
  font-weight: 700;
}

.metric-secondary {
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  font-weight: 500;
}
```

## Chart Selection

| Data Type | Chart |
|-----------|-------|
| Trend over time | Line chart |
| Comparison | Bar chart |
| Composition | Pie/Donut |
| Distribution | Histogram |
| Correlation | Scatter plot |
| Funnel stages | Funnel chart |

## Interactivity Features

- Drill-down to detailed views
- Date range selection
- Filtering by segment
- Export to CSV/PDF
- Scheduled email reports

## Best Practices

- Limit to 5-7 KPIs per dashboard
- Show trends, not just snapshots
- Use consistent color coding
- Include comparison periods (vs last month)
- Update data in real-time or hourly
- Review dashboard relevance quarterly

## Common Mistakes

- Too many metrics (information overload)
- No clear visual hierarchy
- Missing context (no comparisons)
- Outdated or stale data
- Metrics without ownership