Define a Critical Event in Amplitude
Choose a critical event that represents the value people return for, then check real journeys and the product’s natural cadence. Any activity is a broad technical definition, not necessarily meaningful customer engagement.
Before you start: Have validated events, stable identities and a description of the core user task. Involve product and engineering in choosing the definition.
Worked example: A team-reporting app might use report shared rather than login. An administrator who only configures access needs a different interpretation from the teammate who consumes weekly reports.
Step-by-step guide
Name recurring value
Describe the outcome users seek repeatedly. Separate that outcome from setup activities and incidental navigation.
List candidate events
Find events that correspond to successful completion. Reject events triggered by background work or unconfirmed button intent.
Inspect sample users
Check whether the event appears when known people actually receive value. Include occasional and frequent users so the definition does not describe only power users.
Choose the audience
Identify who has the opportunity to perform the event. Document roles or plans excluded from the definition.
Test return behavior
Use a retention view with a meaningful start and return event. Compare plausible candidates without selecting a definition only because its chart looks strongest.
Save the metric contract
Record the chosen event, owner, trigger and exceptions. Revisit it when product scope or instrumentation changes.
Common mistakes
Login becomes value
Authentication is often a prerequisite rather than the outcome.
One role represents everyone
Different roles may receive value differently. State the audience.
Best-looking chart chosen
Selecting a definition for appearance can hide actual behavior. Start with the user task.
Tips
Keep the rejected candidate events and reasons.
Verify one journey manually before publishing.
Review the definition after substantial workflow changes.
Sources and verification
Based on product documentation checked on 2026-10-24. This is a documentation-based guide, not a hands-on benchmark. Features and availability can change.