Reporting questions that show which numbers users still work out by hand
Ask users how they build reports in your product, who reads them and what they still do in a spreadsheet. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What reporting and dashboard survey questions tell you
Reporting and dashboard survey questions ask users whether they build their own dashboards, how easy a report is to make, which charts they need, who they share reports with and which numbers they still work out by hand. Every report that ends in a spreadsheet is work your product could do, and the answers show which one to build first.
Ask inside the product on the dashboard pages, after a user builds or opens a report, or by email to active users. Pick four or five: whether they build dashboards, the ease score, the chart rating, the number done by hand and the time spent each week.
Written answers get a theme and a type, so a chart request is filed as an idea and a wrong total as a bug. Each response gets an owner and a status in the inbox, and workflows can open a Jira or Linear issue for the requests your team plans.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- After a user builds or opens a report
- Industry
- SaaS
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 dashboards and reporting questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How reports get built
Start with who builds dashboards and how the builder works, so you know whether the tools or the habits need work.
- 01Yes / No
Do you build your own dashboards?
Asks whether the user builds their own dashboards. Add logic so users who say No go to the chart and outside reporting questions, which show what they use instead.
- 02Customer effort
How easy is it to build a report from scratch?
A customer effort score for building a report from scratch. Ask it right after a user saves a new report; low scores point to the builder itself.
- 11Matrix
Rate each reporting feature
Rates filters, choice of chart, scheduling and sharing on one grid. The heat map shows which reporting feature pulls the rest down.
- 12Number
How many dashboards does your team keep?
Dashboards the team keeps, typed as a number. A high median next to low chart ratings can mean users build many dashboards to get around missing options.
Whether the charts answer the question
These show which charts and date ranges users need, and which numbers they still work out themselves.
- 05Stars
How well do the charts answer your questions?
Five stars for how well the charts answer the user's questions. Read it with the number worked out by hand to find the chart that is missing.
- 07Text
Which number do you still work out by hand?
An open question for the number still worked out by hand. Each answer is a report or metric to consider building, in the user's words.
- 09Ranking
Rank the chart types you need most
Users drag five chart types into order, from a trend over time to a breakdown by share. Results shows the average place of each, which tells you what to build or improve first.
- 10Slider
How many days does a typical report cover?
The days a typical report covers, on a slider up to a year. The median and the middle half set the default date range for new reports.
Who reads the reports
Ask who reports are for and how they leave the product, so reports read well for the people who receive them.
- 03Multiple choice
Who do you share reports with?
Lets users pick everyone they share reports with, from their team to clients. The bars show who your reports must read well for, such as leadership or clients.
- 04Multiple choice
How do reports leave the product?
One choice for how reports leave the product, from reading on screen to copying numbers elsewhere. A large share copying numbers points to an export or a sharing gap.
- 13Text
Who asks you for these reports?
An open question for who asks the user for reports, such as a manager, a client or the board. The answers show the audience your report templates should serve.
- 06Dropdown
How often do you open a dashboard?
How often the user opens a dashboard, from several times a day to almost never. The share of each answer shows whether dashboards are a daily tool or a monthly report.
Reporting done elsewhere
End with the reporting that happens outside your product and the time it takes each week.
- 08Big scale
How much of your reporting happens outside our product?
How much reporting happens outside your product, on a ten-step scale. High scores show users export to spreadsheets or other tools for the work that matters to them.
- 14Ruler
How many minutes do you spend on your weekly reporting?
Minutes spent on weekly reporting, on a ruler up to four hours. The median and the middle half show the time your product could give back.
Tips for asking about dashboards and reporting
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask on the dashboard pages
Show the survey where reports are built and read, with targeting by pages, so the answers describe real reporting work.
- 02
Find the numbers done by hand
Keep the open question about numbers worked out by hand. Each answer is a candidate for a new chart or metric.
- 03
Ask readers as well as builders
Ask builders inside the product, and send a short version by email to account admins who read the reports others build.
- 04
Measure the time saved
Ask the weekly reporting time before and after a reporting release, and compare the medians.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about dashboards and reporting
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Right after a user builds or opens a report, inside the product. From Starter, or on 1 survey on Free, a custom event from your code can show the survey when a report is saved.
Four or five. Start with whether they build dashboards and the ease score, add the chart rating, and end with the number they still work out by hand.
Yes, from Starter. Targeting by user traits can show the survey to users with a trait you pass from your code, such as a report builder role.
Yes, on every plan, along with Jira. Workflows can also post each response to Slack or Microsoft Teams or add it to Google Sheets.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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