Avoiding vanity metrics

Not all numbers reveal real progress. Vanity metrics look impressive but fail to inform meaningful decisions. They often track activity instead of impact: downloads instead of retention, page views instead of engagement, or total sign-ups without considering churn. These metrics create an illusion of success and can easily mislead teams when defining priorities in product specs.

To avoid them, focus on metrics that show a clear link between user behavior and business value. A useful metric answers a question that leads to action: “What behavior should increase or decrease if the product succeeds?” For example, tracking weekly active users is more insightful than counting total installs, because it shows consistent value delivery. During specification writing, review each proposed metric and ask whether improving it would genuinely advance the goal. If not, it belongs in a report, not in the spec.