SaaS Dashboard Design: What Goes First
A dashboard should answer the question a user opens it with, in seconds. Most SaaS dashboards answer every question at once, so they answer none of them well.
What makes a good SaaS dashboard?
A good SaaS dashboard answers one main question for one type of user, shows three to five headline numbers with a comparison such as last month, highlights what needs attention, and links each item to the action that fixes it. Details live one click away, not on the first screen.
What does a cluttered dashboard look like next to a focused one?
The cluttered version shows every metric the product can calculate. The focused version answers ‘is anything wrong this week, and what should I do?’ for an account manager.
Notice that the focused version has less data but more meaning. Every number has a comparison, and the list tells the user what to do today.
How do you choose what goes on the dashboard?
Choose by asking users what they check first and what they do next. List the decisions they make from the dashboard, keep the numbers that drive those decisions, and move the rest to reports. Different roles usually need different default views rather than one dashboard for everyone.
- Name the user and their main question.
- List the decisions they make from the answer.
- Keep the three to five numbers behind those decisions.
- Add a comparison to each: last period, target or peers.
- Link each item to the action that fixes it.
Which charts work best?
Use the simplest chart that answers the question: a number with a change for status, a line for trends over time, a bar for comparing categories, and a table for detail. Avoid pie charts with many slices and 3D effects. Label axes and units, and never rely on colour alone to show good or bad; see SaaS accessibility.
A dashboard that gets forwarded must still make sense without the person who built it, so titles and labels carry more weight than styling.
Every number needs a ‘so what’.
If a user can’t tell whether a number is good and what to do about it, it doesn’t belong on the first screen.
What should happen when the dashboard is empty or new?
New accounts need a dashboard that teaches, not one full of zeros. Show what will appear once data arrives, and link to the first setup step. See empty states and onboarding UX. For the detail behind each number, users move to tables, covered on tables, search and filters.
Frequently asked questions
What should a SaaS dashboard show?
Three to five headline numbers that answer the user’s main question, with comparisons and what needs attention.
How many metrics should a dashboard have?
Usually three to five headline numbers. Put the rest in reports.
Should different users see different dashboards?
Often yes. Different roles have different main questions.
What charts work best on dashboards?
Numbers with changes for status, lines for trends, bars for comparisons and tables for detail.
Why do SaaS dashboards get cluttered?
Teams add every metric they can calculate instead of the few that drive decisions.
What should a new account’s dashboard show?
What will appear once data arrives, and the first setup step, not a screen of zeros.