How to Build Custom Dashboards in Amplitude (Step‑by‑Step)

Building custom dashboards in Amplitude empowers product managers, data analysts, and engineers to visualize key user behaviors, track performance against goals, and uncover insights that drive better decision‑making. In this guide, you’ll learn how to prepare your data, set up and configure a new dashboard, add and customize charts, leverage best practices for organization and collaboration, and maintain dashboards over time. By the end, you’ll have a reusable process for turning raw event data into polished, actionable dashboards that keep your team aligned on product metrics.

What Is a Custom Dashboard?

A custom dashboard in Amplitude is a collection of charts, funnels, cohorts, retention tables, and other “cards” that present event‑level or user‑level data in a unified view. Unlike one‑off charts crafted in isolation, dashboards allow you to:

• Monitor multiple KPIs at once (e.g., daily active users, conversion rates, revenue per user)

• Compare and correlate trends (e.g., engagement vs. retention)

• Share a single source of truth with stakeholders via link, email, or embedded reports

Custom dashboards are especially powerful when you want to track product launches, run A/B tests, or regularly review healthy metrics on a weekly or monthly cadence.

Prerequisites

Before diving in, make sure you have:

1. An Amplitude account with Editor or Admin privileges.

2. Instrumented key events and properties in your product so that Amplitude is capturing the things you care about (e.g., User Signup, Item Purchased, Level Completed).

3. A naming convention for events and properties that’s clear and consistent (e.g., prefixing with UI – for UI interactions or API – for backend calls).

If you haven’t yet instrumented events, refer to your product’s analytics plan and implement SDK calls (JavaScript, iOS, Android, etc.) before building dashboards.

Step 1: Define Your Metrics and Goals

1. Align on objectives. Are you tracking weekly active users? Funnel conversion? Feature adoption? Determine 3–5 high‑priority metrics for your dashboard so it remains focused and easy to read.

2. Map events to metrics. For each KPI, list the underlying Amplitude events or properties you’ll use. For example:

   KPI	Amplitude Event	Property / Filter
   New Signups per Day	User Signup	N/A
   Trial‑to‑Paid Conversion	Payment Completed	Plan = “Pro Annual”
   Feature X Adoption Rate	Feature X Opened	User Cohort = “New”

3. Determine timeframes. Will you look at yesterday, past 7 days, month‑to‑date? Having clear date ranges prevents confusion later.

Step 2: Create a New Dashboard

1. Navigate to Dashboards in the left sidebar of Amplitude.

2. Click “+ New Dashboard”.

3. Enter a descriptive name, e.g., “Weekly Growth Metrics” or “Mobile Onboarding Health.”

4. (Optional) Add a dashboard description to document its purpose.

5. Set sharing permissions: choose whether the dashboard is private (only you), team‑wide, or company‑wide.

Your blank dashboard canvas will appear—ready for cards.

Step 3: Add and Configure Charts

Amplitude supports multiple chart types. The most common are:

• Line & Bar Charts for trend analysis

• Funnels for conversion tracking

• Retention Tables for cohort analysis

• User Sessions for engagement depth

Adding a Line Chart

1. Click “+ Add Chart” → “Line Chart.”

2. Select the event you defined (e.g., User Signup).

3. Choose metric aggregation: count, unique users, sum of property, etc.

4. Apply filters if needed (e.g., only mobile web).

5. Set the date range (e.g., Last 30 days, Custom).

6. Hit “Save to Dashboard,” choosing your target dashboard.

Adding a Funnel

1. Click “+ Add Chart” → “Funnel.”

2. Define each funnel step: select events in order (e.g., App Open → Signup Start → Signup Complete).

3. Adjust conversion window (e.g., 7 days).

4. Segment by property (e.g., device type) or cohort.

5. Save to your dashboard.

Tips for Chart Configuration

• Name each card clearly. Use titles like “DAU (7‑Day MA)” or “Signup → Purchase Funnel.”

• Use consistent colors for the same metrics across cards (Amplitude auto‑assigns, but you can override).

• Pin cards to keep the most critical at the top.

Step 4: Organize and Layout Your Dashboard

1. Reorder cards via drag‑and‑drop to surface top priorities.

2. Resize cards so that time‑series are wide, while small tables or cohort widgets occupy less real estate.

3. Use sections or dividers: click the “Add Text” widget to introduce headings like “Acquisition,” “Activation,” and “Retention.”

4. Group similar cards: place all funnel analyses together, trend charts in another row, and cohort/retention tables in a third.

A well‑organized layout reduces cognitive load for viewers and highlights your core metrics.

Step 5: Share, Collaborate, and Schedule Reports

1. Share a live link: Click “Share” → “Copy Dashboard Link.” Stakeholders can view with appropriate Amplitude permissions.

2. Export charts: Download as PNG or CSV for slide decks.

3. Schedule email reports:

   • Click “Schedule” in the dashboard header.

   • Choose frequency (daily, weekly, monthly) and recipients.

   • Optionally include a custom message.

4. Comment & discuss: Use the “Comment” icon on any card to leave notes or feedback for teammates.

By scheduling automated emails, you ensure your team is always up to date on the metrics that matter.

Step 6: Maintain and Iterate

1. Review dashboard performance every 1–2 weeks:

   • Are cards still relevant?

   • Are any event definitions outdated?

2. Archive unused cards rather than delete—so you can restore if needed.

3. Refine filters and segments based on evolving product questions (e.g., new geography, updated plan tiers).

4. Version control your naming conventions in a shared document, aligning with any product changes.

5. Collect stakeholder feedback frequently—run a quick survey or hold a metrics review to ensure the dashboard remains actionable.

Continuous iteration prevents dashboards from becoming stale and encourages adoption.

Best Practices

• Limit dashboards to 10–15 cards. Too many visuals dilute focus.

• Leverage cohort cards to measure long‑term impact of features.

• Use annotations for major product updates or marketing campaigns—Amplitude lets you mark dates on time series.

• Monitor anomalies with alerts. Set threshold‑based alerts on critical metrics to catch dips or spikes.

Following these best practices will keep your dashboards high‑signal, low‑noise.

Conclusion

Custom dashboards in Amplitude turn raw events into compelling narratives about how users interact with your product. By defining clear KPIs, methodically building charts and funnels, organizing layout, and embedding dashboards into your team’s rhythm, you’ll gain the transparency and alignment necessary to drive product growth. Remember that dashboards are living documents: maintain, iterate, and solicit feedback to ensure they continue delivering value over time. With this step‑by‑step process, you’re now equipped to craft dashboards that surface the insights your team needs to make data‑driven decisions.