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Funnels & User Paths

React Flow

🚀 How to Set Up a Baseline Analytics Platform to Monitor Onboarding Funnel Health​

Setting up product analytics for a V1 product isn’t about chasing perfect dashboards — it’s about putting the right foundations in place to capture meaningful signals and enable quick learning.

Here’s how to get started:

1.Pick Your Core Stack​

Start simple. A typical early-stage setup:

  • Segment to manage event tracking and route data to tools

  • Mixpanel for product usage insights and funnel breakdowns

This gives you flexibility, real-time tracking, and avoids early vendor lock-in.

2.Map the Onboarding Funnel​

Before writing a single line of tracking code, define the key stages of your onboarding experience:

  • Sign-up

  • First action

  • Key activation point

  • Successful onboarding (e.g., first meaningful value)

Make sure each step is something you can track as a distinct event.

3.Define Your Events and Properties​

Don’t just dump every click — be intentional.

  • Use a consistent naming convention (Signed Up, Activated Feature, Viewed Dashboard)

  • Attach useful properties (plan_type, user_role, source)

This will save you hours of cleanup later.

4.Work with Engineers, Not Around Them​

Your analytics only work if your code is clean and structured.

  • Provide devs with a simple event spec

  • Review instrumentation together

  • Explain the why behind each event

Good collaboration here saves weeks of debugging later.

5.Instrument Once, Learn Repeatedly​

Once live, use your tools to:

  • Monitor funnel drop-offs

  • Identify time-to-value lag

  • Watch for behavioral patterns in active vs. churned users

Don’t overbuild. Just enough to see what’s working and where users get stuck.

TL;DR​

Start small, name things clearly, and align your tracking to key moments of value. The goal isn't a perfect dashboard — it's a foundation that grows with your product.