Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 📈 Prompts

SUMMARY

Purpose: KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) help teams measure UX success by aligning user outcomes with product goals.

Design Thinking Phase: Define

Time: 45–60 min session + 1–2 hours analysis

Difficulty: ⭐⭐

When to use:After defining problem areas and opportunity spacesWhen preparing usability or product experimentsTo align cross-functional teams on what success looks like

What it is

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in UX are measurable indicators that reflect how effectively a digital product supports its intended user outcomes. They help bring clarity to what success means, both for teams and end users, by linking user-centric behaviours to product strategy.

📺 Video by NNgroup. Embedded for educational reference.

Why it matters

Without clear and relevant UX KPIs, teams risk optimising for vanity metrics or misaligned business goals. By setting meaningful success criteria early, you enable evidence-based design decisions, focus stakeholder conversations, and get buy-in on the UX definition of value.

KPIs also make it easier to test assumptions, run experiments, and iterate with purpose instead of following hunches. For leadership and PMs, they create a shared language around progress.

When to use

• When scoping or prioritising UX research plans
• While conducting early stakeholder workshops
• During validation and post-launch analysis

Benefits

• Rich Insights: Helps uncover user needs that aren’t visible in metrics.
• Flexibility: Works across various project types and timelines.
• User Empathy: Deepens understanding of behaviours and motivations.

How to use it

Start by identifying what success looks like from the user's perspective. Then, collaborate with stakeholders, analysts, and product managers to define metrics that can capture that success in practice.

Steps:

1. Identify clear JTBD (Jobs To Be Done) or user needs in scope.
2. Map touchpoints or user flows where you expect success to manifest.
3. Brainstorm potential user-centred KPIs: engagement, task success rate, NPS, drop-off reduction etc.
4. Prioritise each KPI for clarity, measurability, and strategic value.
5. Assign baseline values, success targets, and timelines where possible.
6. Revisit after deployment and tie results to design iteration loops.

Example Output

Project: Redesigning user onboarding for a mobile banking app

UX KPIs:

• Onboarding completion rate: Target 85% in 30 days
• Time to first successful transaction: Target < 5 mins from completion
• User-reported ease-of-use (from in-app survey): Score 8/10 avg minimum
• Error events per 100 sessions: Reduce from 12 to under 3

Common Pitfalls

• Overusing generic metrics: E.g. bounce rate or download numbers often lack UX relevance.
• Focusing only on business KPIs: Ignoring behavioural or satisfaction outcomes leads to shallow insights.
• Setting metrics without data readiness: Metrics that can’t be reliably tracked create false signals and wasted effort.

10 Design-Ready AI Prompts for KPIs – UX/UI Edition

How These Prompts Work (C.S.I.R. Framework)

Each of the templates below follows the C.S.I.R. method — a proven structure for writing clear, effective prompts that get better results from ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or any other LLM.

C.S.I.R. stands for:

• Context: Who you are and the UX situation you're working in
• Specific Info: Key design inputs, tasks, or constraints the AI should consider
• Intent: What you want the AI to help you achieve
• Response Format: The structure or format you want the AI to return (e.g. checklist, table, journey map)

Level up your career with smarter AI prompts.Get templates used by UX leaders — no guesswork, just results.Design faster, research smarter, and ship with confidence.First one’s free. Unlock all 10 by becoming a member.

Prompt Template 1: “Draft Success Metrics for Your UX Flow”

Draft Success Metrics for Your UX Flow

Context: You are a senior UX designer preparing to launch a revised [checkout flow] in a [mobile eCommerce app].

Specific Info: The redesign focuses on reducing cart abandonment and handling edge cases like errors during payment.

Intent: Define a list of KPIs to measure UX success post-launch.

Response Format: Return a table with KPI name, rationale, how to measure, and ideal outcome target.

If any feature detail or goal is ambiguous, ask for clarification.
Then suggest one strategy to validate assumptions behind the KPIs.

Prompt Template 2: “Improve Underperforming KPIs Using UX Insights”

Improve Underperforming KPIs Using UX Insights

Context: You’re a UX strategist analysing a drop in engagement for a [learning module] feature.

Specific Info: Usage has declined by 30% over two months; existing KPI is time spent on module.

Intent: Explore better UX-aligned KPIs and diagnostics to uncover why interaction declined.

Response Format: Return a diagnostic checklist followed by 3 new KPI suggestions with rationale.

If the target audience or module content is unclear, ask follow-up questions first.
Then propose one lightweight research method to validate your ideas.

Prompt Template 3: “Create a KPI Discovery Workshop Plan”

Create a KPI Discovery Workshop Plan

Context: You are facilitating a cross-functional workshop to align around UX success criteria for a new [B2B dashboard product].

Specific Info: Stakeholders include PMs, engineers, and client success managers. Project is entering solution validation phase.

Intent: Generate a structured agenda and activity plan to guide the team in co-defining actionable KPIs.

Response Format: Timeline and facilitation steps for a 1-hour remote session.

Ask questions about team readiness or tools if needed.
Include one reflection question to open or close the session.

Prompt Template 4: “Prioritise and Validate KPI Candidates”

Prioritise and Validate KPI Candidates

Context: Your team has generated a list of 10 potential success metrics in Figma Jam after a brainstorm.

Specific Info: Not all metrics are easy to track or sympathetic to user outcomes.

Intent: Score and shortlist the most useful UX KPIs.

Response Format: Return a prioritisation matrix and any red-flags to discuss with PMs.

Suggest a data constraint or tooling question we should confirm next.

Prompt Template 5: “Generate UX KPIs from Jobs to Be Done”

Generate UX KPIs from Jobs to Be Done

Context: You have a JTBD statement for a key persona in a goal-tracking app.

Specific Info: “When checking progress weekly, I want a simple breakdown so I can feel in control.”

Intent: Translate that job story into measurable UX KPIs.

Response Format: Provide 3–5 KPIs, each linked to behaviour or perception linked to the JTBD.

If emotion or value drivers are unclear, ask for refinement.
Then suggest how to prototype around those signals.

Prompt Template 6: “Map UX KPIs to Product Roadmap Outcomes”

Map UX KPIs to Product Roadmap Outcomes

Context: Your design team works in quarterly increments and needs to align UX KPIs with product OKRs.

Specific Info: OKRs include increasing feature usage, reducing support tickets, and improving task success.

Intent: Build a mapping of OKRs to user-centred UX KPIs.

Response Format: Return a table connecting each OKR to UX KPI(s) and justification.

Include one suggestion for how to get PM or leadership buy-in.

Prompt Template 7: “Compare Two KPI Strategies Across Segments”

Compare Two KPI Strategies Across Segments

Context: You’re testing onboarding flows for both enterprise users and early-stage startups.

Specific Info: Segment A values speed; Segment B values control and options.

Intent: Determine whether your current KPIs fairly capture success for both.

Response Format: Return a comparison table and one recommendation for reconciling or segmenting KPIs.

Ask about data availability by segment if needed.

Prompt Template 8: “Audit a UX KPI Dashboard for Actionability”

Audit a UX KPI Dashboard for Actionability

Context: You’re reviewing an internal UX dashboard used by C-level stakeholders.

Specific Info: The dashboard includes time on page, NPS, and bounce rates.

Intent: Critique usefulness and suggest improvements aligned to real UX outcomes.

Response Format: Return a table with ‘Current Metric’, ‘Weakness’, ‘Replacement Idea’, and ‘UX Value Reason’.

Recommend one additional stakeholder KPI that complements UX value.

Prompt Template 9: “Design KPIs for Feature Sunset or Rollback”

Design KPIs for Feature Sunset or Rollback

Context: A legacy feature will be removed in an upcoming update to a [SaaS web tool].

Specific Info: There’s internal concern about backlash and user disruption.

Intent: Define KPIs to monitor the deprecation impact and identify UX risks.

Response Format: Return a list of leading and lagging indicators, with thresholds for re-evaluation.

Include one suggestion for ongoing user support during rollback.

Prompt Template 10: “Clarify UX KPIs During A/B Test Planning”

Clarify UX KPIs During A/B Test Planning

Context: You are contributing to an experiment plan for redesigning a document creation flow.

Specific Info: The variation changes layout and adds AI suggestions.

Intent: Ensure test has UX-valid KPIs beyond business conversion goals.

Response Format: List 3–5 UX KPIs suitable for an A/B test, with dependency notes.

Suggest one way to triangulate those metrics with qualitative results.

Recommended Tools

• Mixpanel – Behavioural analytics with user paths and funnels
• Pendo – Usage and feedback tracking for B2B SaaS
• Lookback – Real-time UX testing and recall for KPI context
• Amplitude – Powerful visualisations for product analytics and retention
• UXCam – Mobile UX insights with heatmaps and journey tracking

Learn More

• NNGroup: UX Research & Design Articles
• Interaction Design Foundation – Topics
• Google Design Sprint Kit