Custom dashboards are what you build when one survey dashboard is no longer enough. Instead of reviewing each source separately, you can combine charts, KPI cards, response feeds, text blocks, and aggregate metrics from multiple surveys and chain steps into one shared surface. That makes the dashboard less like a report page and more like a working review space.

What a custom dashboard is best for

• Combining several surveys into one review view.
• Mixing simple surveys and chain steps inside the same dashboard.
• Building a summary row with aggregate metrics across key sources.
• Creating a reviewer-facing surface for a team, stakeholder group, or embedded portal.

Step 1: Decide what the dashboard should help someone do

The strongest custom dashboards are built around a review job, not around the number of widgets they can hold. Before adding anything, decide what the dashboard should help the viewer answer. Is it tracking event performance, reviewing response quality, comparing several collection points, or giving one team a live operating view?

That decision shapes everything else: which sources belong, which metrics should sit in the top row, and which widgets deserve full-width space.

A useful custom dashboard is not just a pile of widgets. It is a layout that helps someone reach the next decision faster.

Step 2: Start with the aggregate bar

If the dashboard needs a quick top-line summary, add the aggregate bar first. Aggregate cells are useful for response counts, averages, NPS, and other headline metrics that should stay visible while the rest of the dashboard is scanned.

The aggregate row works especially well when it pulls from more than one source. For example, you might put one cell for a session pulse survey, one for a chain step that captures follow-up sentiment, and one for a satisfaction or completion metric.

Keep the row selective. A smaller set of strong aggregate cells reads better than a crowded strip of numbers.

Step 3: Add a full-width primary widget row

After the aggregate bar, choose the one widget that deserves the most space. In many dashboards, that is a full-width chart or response feed that anchors the rest of the view. A full-width row gives the dashboard a clear focal point and makes the layout feel intentional instead of evenly fragmented.

Good candidates for a full-width row include:

• a trend or comparison chart,
• a response feed the team watches closely,
• or a text block that frames what the dashboard is for before the smaller widgets begin.

Step 4: Layer in supporting widgets underneath

Once the top row is established, add smaller supporting widgets. KPI cards are good for fast headline numbers. Half-width or third-width charts work well for breakdowns. Response feeds help when the team needs to see recent submissions without leaving the dashboard. Text blocks can add section breaks or short framing notes.

The goal is to create a reading order:

• top-line aggregate row,
• one clear primary row,
• supporting detail underneath.

That structure is often enough to make the dashboard feel much easier to scan.

Step 5: Mix surveys and chain steps deliberately

One of the strongest parts of the dashboard builder is that the source does not have to be only a standalone survey. You can also pull from chain steps. That makes it possible to combine the benchmark question, the follow-up question, and a supporting simple survey inside one view instead of reviewing them separately.

This is especially useful when the team wants to see the front-door signal and the follow-up detail together. A chain step can supply one widget while a standalone survey supplies another.

Step 6: Finish with access, embed, and theme choices

Once the layout is working, decide how the dashboard should be shared. Custom dashboards support different access modes, embedding, approved domains, and presenter-style theming. That means the same dashboard can be tuned for internal review, a controlled embedded surface, or a branded live view.

Do this after the information design is working. Access and theme matter, but they are most effective when the dashboard already has a clear structure.

Best practices for building a custom dashboard

• Start with the review question. The layout should serve a real operational job.
• Use an aggregate row for the quick scan. It gives the dashboard immediate shape.
• Give one widget a full-width row. A focal point makes the layout read like a dashboard.
• Use smaller widgets for supporting detail. Not everything needs equal visual weight.
• Mix surveys and chain steps intentionally. The best dashboards pull related signals into one place.

Where to go next

After the first custom dashboard is working, the next layer is usually access and distribution: deciding whether the dashboard should stay private, use password or embed-only access, or be embedded inside a reviewer portal. The other common next step is refining the theme so the dashboard looks right in the environment where people will actually use it.