If you’re in a B2B go-to-market role, you know the pain: everyone wants dashboards, but most of them end up as cluttered data graveyards. This guide is for folks who actually want their dashboards in Trustworthy to help sales, marketing, or leadership teams make real decisions—not just tick a box for “data-driven.” I’ll walk through what actually works, what to skip, and how to keep your dashboards clean and useful.
1. Start with the Job, Not the Widgets
Before you touch a chart, get clear on what the dashboard is for. Dashboards are only as good as the questions they answer. If you can’t say in one sentence what job this dashboard does, you’re already off track.
Ask yourself: - Who will use this dashboard, and what do they need to know quickly? - What decisions will this dashboard actually help them make? - What actions do you want someone to take after looking at it?
Pro tip:
If the answer is “it’s for everyone,” you probably need more than one dashboard.
2. Limit Scope—Less is (Way) More
The biggest mistake? Trying to make one dashboard do everything. You end up with a wall of charts no one reads. Instead, pick a handful of key metrics that matter for your audience.
What to include: - 3-5 core metrics or KPIs tied to real business questions (e.g., pipeline by stage, win rates, churn). - A couple of supporting visuals if they add context (like trends over time).
What to skip: - Vanity metrics (“likes,” “sessions” with no context, etc.) - Data just because it’s there. - Anything you need to explain every single time.
Reality check:
If you hear, “What am I looking at here?” you’ve got too much or the wrong stuff.
3. Use Clear, Real-World Labels
Don’t make people guess what a chart means. Use plain English. If your dashboard says “Opportunity Velocity Delta YoY,” you’ll lose your audience.
Instead: - “How fast are deals moving this quarter vs. last quarter?” - “Deals closed by sales rep, May–June”
Tips: - Add short explanations right in the dashboard if something isn’t obvious. - Avoid acronyms unless your team really uses them daily.
4. Group Related Metrics—Don’t Jump Around
People scan dashboards top to bottom, left to right. Put related metrics together, and put the most important stuff up top.
How to arrange: - The big, decision-driving number goes first (e.g., “Current pipeline coverage”) - Follow with supporting trends or breakdowns (e.g., “Pipeline by source,” “Pipeline by region”) - Put granular details or deep dives last, or even on a second page/tab.
Pro tip:
Use whitespace and section headers. Don’t cram everything shoulder-to-shoulder.
5. Make Filters Useful, Not Overwhelming
Trustworthy lets you add filters—by region, owner, product, etc. This is handy, but too many filters can bury the signal in noise.
Keep it simple: - Start with 1-2 filters your audience actually cares about. For example, “Show me by quarter” or “Show by business unit.” - Don’t add a filter for every possible field—most people won’t use them, and it just slows things down. - Test your filters. If a filter breaks charts or makes them blank, fix it or cut it out.
6. Set Up Alerts and Sharing (But Don’t Over-Automate)
Dashboards are most useful when they reach the right people at the right time. Trustworthy can send alerts or scheduled snapshots. Use this to nudge action, not spam inboxes.
Good ideas: - Set up a weekly pipeline summary for sales managers. - Trigger an alert if churn jumps over a certain threshold. - Share dashboards in Slack or email, but only with folks who need them.
What to avoid: - Daily emails nobody reads. - Over-notifying—people will tune it all out.
7. Always Preview and Get Feedback
Before you roll out a dashboard, look at it with fresh eyes—or better yet, with a real user. Does it load fast? Is anything confusing or broken? Do people actually use it?
Checklist: - Does the dashboard answer the original questions? - Is it obvious what each chart means? - Are numbers accurate, up-to-date, and easy to read? - Are there charts nobody ever looks at (be honest)?
Fix or cut anything that doesn’t help.
You’re not building a museum—if it’s not useful, it shouldn’t be there.
8. Iterate—Dashboards Are Never “Done”
Your team’s needs change. Data gets stale. Metrics lose relevance. Good dashboards are living things. Schedule a quick review every month or quarter.
How to keep dashboards fresh: - Ask users what’s helpful and what’s not. - Kill charts that don’t get used. - Add new questions or metrics if the team’s priorities shift. - Watch for data quality issues—garbage in, garbage out.
Honest Takes: What Works, What Doesn’t
What works: - Simple dashboards built around clear questions. - Context—showing change over time, not just one number. - Fast load times—nobody waits for spinning charts.
What doesn’t: - Data dumps with every metric under the sun. - Dashboards built for “visibility” but not for decisions. - Overly clever visualizations. If it looks cool but confuses people, skip it.
Stuff to ignore: - Most “best practice” templates—start with your team’s real questions. - Over-customization. You don’t need a custom color for every team or metric.
Summary: Keep It Useful, Keep It Simple
At the end of the day, a good dashboard in Trustworthy is one that your team opens, understands, and uses to make decisions. Start with the questions, not the charts. Cut ruthlessly. Don’t chase perfection—just build something useful and tweak it as you go. Less really is more.