Guidelines for Creating a Telemetry Dashboard

1. Define Dashboard Objectives

• Identify Key Stakeholders: Determine who will use the dashboard and what insights they require.
• Purpose: Specify the primary goal of the dashboard, such as monitoring system health, user engagement, or feature performance.

2. Metrics Selection

• Focus on Actionable Metrics: Include metrics that provide clear, actionable insights for stakeholders.
• Balance Technical and Business Metrics: Ensure that both system health and business outcomes are represented.
• Avoid Overcrowding: Limit the number of metrics to avoid overwhelming users; focus on those most relevant to decision-making.

3. Dashboard Design Principles

• Clarity and Simplicity: Design the dashboard to be easy to interpret, with clear visualizations and minimal clutter.
• Logical Layout: Group related metrics together and arrange the dashboard logically for easy navigation.
• Use Visual Cues: Utilize colors, icons, and thresholds to highlight key information, such as anomalies or metrics outside acceptable ranges.

4. Visualization Types

• Charts: Use line charts for trends, bar charts for comparisons, and pie charts for proportions.
• Gauges: Implement gauges for metrics with well-defined ranges, such as CPU utilization.
• Tables: Display detailed logs or specific values where more context is required.

5. Real-Time and Historical Data

• Real-Time Monitoring: Include real-time metrics where immediate action may be required, such as error rates and system availability.
• Historical Trends: Provide historical data to help identify patterns and inform strategic decisions.

6. Alerts and Notifications

• Set Thresholds: Define thresholds for key metrics and configure alerts to notify stakeholders when these are breached.
• Notification Channels: Choose appropriate channels for notifications (e.g., email, SMS, Slack) based on urgency and audience.

7. Dashboard Review and Iteration

• Stakeholder Feedback: Regularly gather feedback from users to refine the dashboard and ensure it meets their needs.
• Continuous Improvement: Update the dashboard as new metrics become relevant or business needs evolve.