DIGITAL CONCEPTS

WITH ADDED VALUE.

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 vs. User Experience

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

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

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Define

Measure

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

1. Define conversion goals and funnels
Key Performance Indicators
Definition of 5 - 8 individual key figures per department
SMART = Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely
e.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

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Goal Definition - URL Destination

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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

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Goal Definition - Engagement Goals

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Goal Definition - Event Goals

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

Activation in profile settings

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Site Search Reports
Overview Usage
Visits with Search Visits with/without Site Search
Total Unique Searches Search Terms
Results Pageviews / Search Search Term
% Search Exits Site Search Category
% Search Refinements Pages
Time after Search Start Page
Search Depth Destination Page

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3. Individualize your tracking
Virtual Page Views
Tracking of actions that are not page views,
e.g. Downloads or outbound Links

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

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

Event Tracking
Tracking of objects (e.g. Video) and interactions (Play, Pause etc.)
category
action
label (Optional)
value (Optional) Image: http://analytics.blogspot.de/2011/04/new-google-analytics-events-goals.html

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

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

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Social Media Tracking - Social Plugins
Google +1 Button tracked automatically
Plugins of other networks require manual tracking
network
social action
opt_target
opt_pagePath

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

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Custom variables
Up to 5 custom variables per page view or event
index
name
value
scope
1: Visitor
2: Session
3: Page
_gaq.push([‘_setCustomVar‘, index, name, value, scope]);
_gaq.push([‘_getVisitorCustomVar‘, index]);
_gaq.push([‘_deleteCustomVar‘, index]);
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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

E-Commerce Tracking

_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‘]);
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4. Track errors
Error tracking
Track errors as events
Types of errors
404 Not found errors
Referrer
URL trying to reach
Form field errors

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

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

Define

Measure

Analyze

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

5. Put your numbers into context
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

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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

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Sorting by absolute change

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Comparison

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Filter

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Advanced Filter

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

6. Understand time on site and bounce rate
Time on site and Bounce rate

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Exit

Time on site

Page 1

Exit

Time on site = 0
Bounce rate = 100%
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7. Segment your data
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

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Advanced segments

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8. Customize your reports
Dashboards

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Dashboards - Widgets

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Dashboards - Sharing

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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

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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

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Custom Alerts

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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

Optimize Measure

Analyze

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis

9. Validate your MVP
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

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10. Verify your changes
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
Winner at the earliest after
2 weeks
Conversion rate of variations
Compared to original page
Chances to beat original page

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

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

Google Analytics and UX, #uxce13 @katrinmathis