The Dashboard Delusion: Why More Clicks Don’t Mean More Insight.

Too many clicks don’t mean better insights. Here’s what data leaders get wrong.

Author

Glenda Carnate
October 23, 2025

Read time: 2.5 minutes

When you log into Qlik and see dashboards filled with random clicks, you know something’s broken.

As a founder, I’ve watched teams mistake activity for insight. Managers believed more clicks meant more discovery. Dashboards multiplied, Filters crashed. Analysts clicked like their lives depended on it. It looked like progress, but it was chaos disguised as productivity.

I led a 20-person analytics team once. We were buried in click logs, chasing numbers that meant nothing. So, I flipped the play. We built fewer surfaces, asked deeper questions, and rewired filters with purpose. What came out wasn’t more dashboards… it was better decisions.

Here’s what the data shows:

  • 49% of analytics leaders say AI automation is the key to boosting productivity.
    (Source: Qlik / IDC, 2025)
    But that doesn’t mean more dashboards or random filters create better outcomes.

Focus Moves That Work:

  • Set clear goals. Know exactly what you’re measuring and why.

  • Redesign filters. Simplify them so they guide decisions, not distract.

  • Ask better questions. Each click should answer something meaningful.

  • Build guardrails. Reduce dashboard noise to highlight real insight.

  • Empower your analysts. Let them say no to vanity metrics.

💡Key Takeaway: 

Clicks are cheap. Insight is expensive.
If your manager equates them, you’re building on sand, not strategy.

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