Building Client-Friendly Fava Dashboards: What Metrics Actually Matter?

finance_fred
Mon, 23 Mar 2026 03:58:59 +0000

Inspired by the recent discussion about real-time dashboards, I’m working on setting up Fava instances for some non-accountant friends who want help organizing their small business finances.

But I’m running into a design challenge: What should a client-facing dashboard actually show?

The Goldilocks Problem

I’ve discovered there’s a tension between:

Too few metrics: Client doesn’t get enough insight (“just show me everything!”)

Too many metrics: Client gets overwhelmed and confused (“what am I supposed to look at?”)

Right now, Fava’s default interface shows everything: full chart of accounts, detailed transaction lists, every possible report. That’s perfect for me (I’m a data nerd), but when I showed it to my friend who runs a landscaping business, his eyes glazed over.

“Dude, I just want to know: Am I making money? Can I afford to hire someone? That’s it.”

My Initial Thinking: The Essential Three

I’m thinking a good client dashboard should answer three fundamental questions:

1. Am I making money? → Income Statement (Revenue vs. Expenses)

2. Can I afford things? → Cash Balance + Burn Rate

3. Am I trending up or down? → Monthly revenue/expense trends (chart)

Everything else—detailed account breakdowns, transaction-level data, tax reports—can be secondary views that clients access if needed.

Questions for the Community

For those of you serving clients with Beancount/Fava:

1. What metrics do you surface on the “homepage” of your client dashboards?

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow?

Trends, charts, KPIs?

Custom queries?

2. How do you avoid overwhelming non-accountants?

Do you hide certain accounts?

Simplify account names?

Use custom dashboards/plugins?

3. What’s the difference between “beginner” and “advanced” client dashboards?

Do you start simple and add complexity over time?

Or give everyone the full view from day one?

4. Any favorite Fava plugins or configurations for client-facing use?

I’ve heard about but haven’t tried it yet

What else makes Fava more client-friendly?

My Current Plan

I’m thinking of setting up three dashboard tiers based on client sophistication:

Basic: 3 metrics (revenue, expenses, cash balance) + simple monthly trend chart

Intermediate: Add budget vs. actual, account balances, basic customization

Advanced: Full Fava access, custom queries, detailed breakdowns

Then let clients “graduate” from Basic → Intermediate → Advanced as they get comfortable.

Does this make sense? Or am I overthinking it?

I’d love to hear how you’ve solved this—especially from the bookkeepers and CPAs serving real clients. What have you learned about dashboard design from actual client feedback?