DIGITAL CONCEPTSWITH ADDED VALUE.

Google Analytics and UX#uxce13 @katrinmathis

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Katrin Mathis

Freelance consultant and conceptual designer based in Freiburg, Germany

B. Sc. in OnlineMedia from Hochschule Furtwangen University

MBA in Service Innovation and Design student (part-time) from September

Google Analytics and AdWords Qualified Individual

7+ years of experience with international clients

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

What is Web Analytics?

Web Analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data

for the purpose of understanding and optimizing Web usage.

(Web Analytics Association)

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Web Analytics User Experience

What is analyzed Behavior - „what“ Intentions and motives - „why“

Methods Quantitative Qualitative

Goal Help organization meet goals Help users achieve goals

How data is used Top down Bottom up

Kinds of data Statistical data Conceptual data

Background Engineering or math Social sciences, humanities, arts

Web Analytics vs. User Experience

Source: Louis Rosenfeld (2011): Search Analytics for Your Site. Rosenfeld Media.

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Define

Measure

1. Define conversion goals and funnels

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Key Performance Indicators

Definition of 5 - 8 individual key figures per department

SMART = Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timelye.g. „Increase traffic by 25% until the end of the year“

Fluctuations vs. true trends

Compare values to targets

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Conversion Goals

Macro and micro goals, e.g.

Purchases

Contact form

Registrations

Newsletter subscription

Downloads

Comments

Clicks on outbound links

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Goal Definition

Up to 4 x 5 = 20 goals per profile

Per session conversion goals can only be reached once

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Goal Definition - URL Destination

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Goal Definition - Goal Funnels

Up to 10 steps, e.g.

Shopping cart

Address

Payment

Confirmation page

Image: http://www.google.com/intl/de/analytics/features.html

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Goal Definition - Engagement Goals

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Goal Definition - Event Goals

2. Track your internal search

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Site Search

Tracking of internal search, e.g.http://www.n-tv.de/suche/?at=m&q=test

Activation in profile settings

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Site Search Reports

Overview

Visits with Search

Total Unique Searches

Results Pageviews / Search

% Search Exits

% Search Refinements

Time after Search

Search Depth

Usage

Visits with/without Site Search

Search Terms

Search Term

Site Search Category

Pages

Start Page

Destination Page

3. Individualize your tracking

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

<a href=‘/document.pdf‘ onClick =‘_gaq.push([‘_trackPageview‘, ‘/downloads/document-xy.pdf‘]);‘>Jetzt Downloaden</a>

Virtual Page Views

Tracking of actions that are not page views, e.g. Downloads or outbound Links

Tip: Integrate script that tracks automatically all downloads and outbound links

Tip: File into categories, e.g. /downloads und /links

Request tracked, not completion!

Number of page views increased by virtual page views!

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

<a onclick=“_gaq.push([‘_trackEvent‘, category, action, label, value]);“>...</a>

Event Tracking

Tracking of objects (e.g. Video) and interactions (Play, Pause etc.)

category

action

label (Optional)

value (Optional)

In contrast to virtual pageviews events do not generate additional page views

Image: http://analytics.blogspot.de/2011/04/new-google-analytics-events-goals.html

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

_gaq.push([‘_trackSocial‘, network, socialAction, opt_target, opt_pagePath]);

Social Media Tracking - Social Plugins

Google +1 Button tracked automatically

Plugins of other networks require manual tracking

network

social action

opt_target

opt_pagePath

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

_gaq.push([‘_setCustomVar‘, index, name, value, scope]);_gaq.push([‘_getVisitorCustomVar‘, index]);_gaq.push([‘_deleteCustomVar‘, index]);

Custom variables

Up to 5 custom variables per page view or event

index

name

value

scope

1: Visitor

2: Session

3: Page

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

E-Commerce Tracking

Enable in profile settings

Integration of _addTrans(), _addItem(), _trackTrans() on confirmation page after _trackPageview()

While goal conversions are only counted once per session, all e-commerce transactions are counted.

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

_gaq.push([‘_addTrans‘,‘transaction id‘,‘affiliation‘,‘total‘,‘tax‘‘shipping‘,‘city‘, ‘region‘,‘country‘]);

_gaq.push([‘_addItem‘,‘transaction id‘,‘SKU/code‘, ‘product name‘,‘category‘,‘price‘,‘quantity‘]);

_gaq.push([‘_trackTrans‘]);

E-Commerce Tracking

4. Track errors

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

<script type="text/javascript">_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Error', '404', 'page: ' + document.location.pathname + document.location.search + ' ref: ' + document.referrer ]);

</script>

Error tracking

Track errors as events

Types of errors

404 Not found errors

Referrer

URL trying to reach

Form field errors

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Define

Measure

Analyze

5. Put your numbers into context

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Look for trends

Tip: Choose same week days when comparing periods of time

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Tip: Calender

By default 1 months until previous day

Reports of current day often already available

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Tip: Annotations

Annotations for single days

Visible to all users of that profile or private tied to a single login

Use identifier in teams, e.g. (KM)

Annotations show up as baloons in the graph

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Plot rows

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Weighted sorting

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Sorting by absolute change

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Comparison

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Filter

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Advanced Filter

6. Understand time on site and bounce rate

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Time on site and Bounce rate

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Time on site

Exit

Page 1

Exit

Time on site = 0Bounce rate = 100%

7. Segment your data

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Advanced segments

Apply up to 4 segments at once

Similar to profile filters but

are easier to create and to compare

can also be applied to historical data

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Custom segments

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Advanced segments

8. Customize your reports

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Dashboards

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Dashboards - Widgets

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Dashboards - Sharing

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Shortcuts

Saves shortcut to standard and custom reports including

Open tab

Sorting

Advanced segments

Graph settings

Filter

Number of rows

Tied to login, so far no possibility to share

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Intelligence Events

Daily, weekly and monthly events

Google Analytics calculates expected range from historical data

Upon deviations from this expected range intelligence events are created

Importance indicator and filter

Helps to promptly discover anomalies and start further investigation

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Custom Alerts

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Custom reports

10 metrics per tab (blue)

1 - 5 dimensions (green)

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Custom reports

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Define

Measure

Analyze

Optimize

9. Validate your MVP

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Validate your MVP

Standish group: 64% of features never or rarely used

MVP = Minimum viable product

Announcement of a new feature

„Fake“ feature

Basic version of a new feature

Wizard of oz testing

10. Verify your changes

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Content Experiments

1. Create variation pages

2. Choose conversion goal and percentage of participating visitors

3. Add test code

Image: http://support.google.com/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1745152&topic=1745207&ctx=topic

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Content Experiments

Image: http://support.google.com/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1745152&topic=1745207&ctx=topic

Winner at the earliest after 2 weeks

Conversion rate of variations

Compared to original page

Chances to beat original page

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Value of Web Analytics for UX

Web analytics can start on a small budget and scale

Produces high fidelity data about natural use of product

Identify problematic areas for qualitative testing and quantify their impact

Quantify the ROI of usability/UX