If you’re building software and want to know what features your users actually use, you’ve probably heard about Pendo. This is for product managers, UX folks, or anyone who’s tired of guessing what’s working. I’ll walk you through how to use Pendo to measure feature adoption and user engagement—without the fluff. Real steps, real pitfalls, and some hacks you might not find in the official docs.
Why bother measuring feature adoption anyway?
Before you dive into dashboards, let’s be honest: it’s easy to assume you know what users love. But the features you sweat over might be gathering dust. Tracking adoption and engagement helps you:
- See which features are pulling their weight (and which are dead weight)
- Make decisions based on reality, not wishful thinking
- Stop wasting dev time on stuff nobody cares about
If you’re just looking for vanity metrics or want to impress your boss with big numbers, Pendo’s not magic. But if you want actionable data, it can be a solid tool.
Step 1: Get Pendo set up (Don’t skip this, even if it’s boring)
You can’t measure what you aren’t tracking. Here’s the rundown:
- Install the Pendo snippet.
- For web apps, you or your dev drops their JavaScript snippet into your product’s codebase.
- For mobile apps, you’ll need their SDK.
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This isn’t a five-minute job if you want it done right—make sure it’s loading on every page/view you care about.
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Send the right metadata.
- Pendo tracks anonymous users out of the box, but you’ll get way more value by sending user IDs, account IDs, and any custom properties (like plan type or signup date).
- Talk to your devs about this. A little extra work here saves a lot of headaches later.
Pro tip:
Double-check the snippet is firing after users log in, so you can tie actions to real accounts, not just random site visitors.
Step 2: Tag your features—yes, every button you care about
Pendo can’t magically know what counts as a “feature” in your app. You have to tag them.
- Go to the Visual Design Studio.
- This lets you tag features without code, just by clicking around your app (as long as the snippet’s working).
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Tag things like buttons, links, tabs—whatever you want to track.
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Be specific.
- Don’t just tag “Settings.” Tag “Change Password,” “Enable Notifications,” etc.
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Name features clearly. “Button 1” and “Mystery Tab” won’t help you later.
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Tag both obvious and less-used features.
- You might be surprised what gets traction. Include new features, and the ones you think nobody uses.
Heads up:
Some dynamic elements (like stuff that loads after user interaction) can be hard to tag. If Pendo can’t “see” it, you’ll need your devs to add custom event tracking. Don’t let this stall you—just tag what you can for now.
Step 3: Define what “adoption” even means for you
This is one of those areas where teams get tripped up. Adoption isn’t the same as “someone clicked it once.” Decide up front:
- Is adoption just a single use? Or do you want to see repeated use over time?
- Is it per user, per account, or both?
- Does it matter when the feature was used (e.g., within 7 days of signing up)?
Pendo gives you raw usage numbers, but it’s up to you to interpret them. Write down what counts as “adopted” and share it with your team.
Step 4: Build your feature adoption reports
Now you can actually see what’s going on.
- Open the Features dashboard.
- You’ll see usage counts for each feature you tagged.
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Filter by date range, user segments, or account type.
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Create segments for deeper insight.
- For example, compare “power users” (logged in 10+ times) vs. new users.
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See if certain features are only popular with a subset of your users.
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Track trends over time.
- Is adoption growing, flat, or dropping? Launch a new feature, then watch the numbers.
What to ignore:
Don’t obsess over every tiny dip or spike—there’s natural noise. Look for sustained trends, not one-off events.
Step 5: Measure user engagement (beyond feature clicks)
Clicks are easy to count. Engagement is trickier.
- Use Pendo’s “Pages” to track flows.
- Tag key pages or screens, not just buttons. This helps you see if users are getting stuck or dropping off.
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Example: Are users visiting the “Reports” section but never clicking “Export”?
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Set up Funnels.
- Build a funnel (sequence of steps) to see how many users complete critical workflows.
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Useful for onboarding, checkout flows, or anything multi-step.
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Look at Time on Feature.
- Pendo can show how long users spend on certain pages. If users open a feature but bounce in two seconds, that’s a red flag.
Pro tip:
Pair quantitative data (numbers) with qualitative feedback (like in-app surveys or polls). Sometimes users hate a feature, but still use it because they have to.
Step 6: Make sense of the data (don’t just stare at charts)
This is where most teams drop the ball. Data’s only useful if you act on it.
- Spot “zombie features.”
If hardly anyone uses something, ask why. Is it hard to find? Not useful? Or just not needed? - Celebrate the wins.
If a new feature’s getting traction, share it with the team. - Talk to users.
Use Pendo’s in-app guides to ask targeted questions: “What did you expect from this feature?” or “Was this helpful?” - Prioritize, don’t panic.
Not every feature needs to be a superstar. Decide which ones matter for your goals.
What not to do:
Don’t turn every dip in usage into a “must-fix” project. Sometimes features are niche, and that’s fine.
Step 7: Keep it simple, and revisit often
You’ll be tempted to tag everything, build a million reports, and drown in data. Resist.
- Start with your core flows: onboarding, key features, and anything new you launch.
- Review adoption and engagement monthly—not daily.
- Prune tags and reports you don’t use. Clutter leads to confusion.
Remember:
Pendo is a tool, not a strategy. The real value comes from asking the right questions and making small, steady improvements based on what you learn.
Wrap up: Don’t overthink it
Measuring feature adoption and user engagement with Pendo isn’t rocket science, but it does take discipline. Get the basics set up, focus on what really matters, and don’t get lost in the weeds. Your goal isn’t to win at analytics—it’s to build something people actually use.
Iterate, stay curious, and let the numbers nudge you in the right direction.