Web Analytics Engine Categorizing User Actions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Web analytics solutions fail to accurately capture the human experience of website visitors, as they primarily track aggregate data and sequences of HTTP requests, lacking semantic detail and user intent, and often infringe on user privacy by relying on external tracking methods.
Innovation Solution
A method and web analytics data collection engine that categorizes user actions as navigation or event actions within the website, allowing for detailed recording and association with specific web pages, and integrates analytics into the Web Content Management system, eliminating the need for external tracking and log parsing, while providing control over which actions are tracked and how they are associated with pages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external tracking methods and log parsing are used to collect analytics data, then data collection capability is improved, but user privacy is compromised and semantic detail is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using external tracking methods to collect analytics data (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by having the web server itself generate and expose analytics data through standardized HTTP responses. This eliminates the need for external surveillance while maintaining data collection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The web server performs analytics data generation and collection autonomously without requiring external tracking systems. The server self-services by automatically creating analytics responses that include semantic details about user interactions, eliminating dependency on external privacy-infringing tools.
2Device complexity
If aggregate data and HTTP request sequences are tracked, then data collection is simplified, but semantic detail and user intent are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments analytics data into distinct standardized response types (navigation responses, event responses, etc.), each capturing specific semantic details about user interactions. This segmentation allows comprehensive semantic tracking while maintaining organized, manageable data structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces standardized analytics responses as an intermediary layer between user interactions and analytics collection. These responses act as mediators that capture semantic details about user intent and actions, translating complex user behaviors into structured, analyzable data without losing meaningful information.
3Measurement precision
If external tracking systems are implemented, then analytics capability is enhanced, but system complexity and privacy concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges analytics data generation functionality directly into the web server infrastructure. By combining analytics capabilities with the existing web server, the system eliminates the need for separate external tracking systems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining enhanced user behavior tracking accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The web server is designed to perform multiple functions: serving web content and generating analytics data through standardized responses. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated external tracking systems, simplifying the overall architecture while providing comprehensive analytics capabilities.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for collecting human experience analytics data for visitors browsing a Web site and a web analytics data collection engine are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of registering an action performed by a visitor browsing the Web site, categorizing said registered action as a navigation action between web pages of the Web site and/or as an event action within a web page of the Web site. In the case that the registered action is categorized as an event action, the event is associated with a web page of the Web site, and the action is recorded as an event within the associated web page. In the case that the registered action is categorized as a navigation action, the action is either recorded as a navigation from a current web page to a subsequent web page, or recording of the action is cancelled, based on previously defined criteria. Finally, the recorded events and navigations are stored in a data storage facility. The invention allows the owner of the Web site to collect and store data which reflects the human experience of visitors browsing the Web site. This may be used for adjusting design of the Web site and/or for customizing information presented to the visitor.