Techniques for measuring user engagement

• US 20070244739A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharma, Nitin, Soito, Francesca
• Application Number:
  US11/404,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244739A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for measuring engagement of a plurality of users with a product. User engagement data are generated representative of interaction with the product by the plurality of users. The user engagement data correspond to a plurality of user engagement variables. A user engagement score is generated for each of the plurality of users. Each user engagement score includes contributions corresponding to at least two of the user engagement variables for the corresponding user. Each contribution is weighted in accordance with at least one correlation among the plurality of user engagement variables.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for measuring engagement of a plurality of users with a product, comprising:

generating user engagement data representative of interaction with the product by the plurality of users, the user engagement data corresponding to a plurality of user engagement variables; and

generating a user engagement score for each of the plurality of users, each user engagement score including contributions corresponding to at least two of the user engagement variables for the corresponding user, wherein each contribution is weighted in accordance with at least one correlation among the plurality of user engagement variables.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user engagement variables include a sessions variable, a time spent variable, and a user actions variable, and wherein the user engagement data including sessions data corresponding to the sessions variable and representing a number of sessions with the product for each of the plurality of users, time spent data corresponding to the time spent variable and representing time spent interacting with the product for each of the plurality of users, and user actions data corresponding to the user actions variable and representing a number of user actions by each of the plurality of users corresponding to the product.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the at least one correlation among the plurality of user engagement variables using a factor analysis.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing outliers from the user engagement data before generating the user engagement scores.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising segmenting the user engagement scores into a plurality of user groups, each user group corresponding to a range of user engagement scores.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating an overall engagement score from selected ones of the user engagement scores.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the selected user engagement scores comprise all of the user engagement scores.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the selected user engagement scores are defined by a range of the user engagement scores.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the user engagement data and the user engagements scores are generated for a first time interval measured in any of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising generating additional user engagement data and additional user engagement scores for at least one time interval subsequent to the first time interval.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the product comprises one of a web site, a web-based application, stand-alone application, a client application, a distributed application, a peer-to-peer application, a group of applications, a portal, and a hardware device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the user engagement data are generated and stored locally with each user for subsequent transmission to a remote location for generation of the user engagement scores.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the user engagement data are generated and stored remotely from the users as the users are interacting with the product.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising analyzing the user engagement scores with reference to demographic data corresponding to the plurality of users.

15. A computer program product for measuring engagement of a plurality of users with a product, the computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable medium having computer program instructions stored therein which are operable to make at least one computer:

generate user engagement data representative of interaction with the product by the plurality of users, the user engagement data corresponding to a plurality of user engagement variables; and

generate a user engagement score for each of the plurality of users, each user engagement score including contributions corresponding to at least two of the user engagement variables for the corresponding user, wherein each contribution is weighted in accordance with at least one correlation among the plurality of user engagement variables.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the user engagement variables include a sessions variable, a time spent variable, and a user actions variable, and wherein the user engagement data including sessions data corresponding to the sessions variable and representing a number of sessions with the product for each of the plurality of users, time spent data corresponding to the time spent variable and representing time spent interacting with the product for each of the plurality of users, and user actions data corresponding to the user actions variable and representing a number of user actions by each of the plurality of users corresponding to the product.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to make the at least one computer determine the at least one correlation among the plurality of user engagement variables using a factor analysis.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to make the at least one computer remove outliers from the user engagement data before generating the user engagement scores.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to make the at least one computer segment the user engagement scores into a plurality of user groups, each user group corresponding to a range of user engagement scores.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to make the at least one computer generate an overall engagement score from selected ones of the user engagement scores.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the selected user engagement scores comprise all of the user engagement scores.

22. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the selected user engagement scores are defined by a range of the user engagement scores.

23. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the user engagement data and the user engagements scores are generated for a first time interval measured in any of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to make the at least one computer generate additional user engagement data and additional user engagement scores for at least one time interval subsequent to the first time interval.

25. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the product comprises one of a web site, a web-based application, stand-alone application, a client application, a distributed application, a peer-to-peer application, a group of applications, a portal, and a hardware device.

26. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the user engagement data are generated and stored locally with each user for subsequent transmission to a remote location for generation of the user engagement scores.

27. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the user engagement data are generated and stored remotely from the users as the users are interacting with the product.

28. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to make the at least one computer analyze the user engagement scores with reference to demographic data corresponding to the plurality of users.