TRACKING AND ANALYSIS OF USAGE OF A SOFTWARE PRODUCT

• US 20130074051A1
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: National ICT Australia Limited
• Original Assignee: National ICT Australia Limited
• Inventors: Freeman, Clinton
• Application Number:
  US13/364,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20130074051A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/130
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software

Abstract

A method for tracking and analysing usage of a software product, comprising: (a) collecting data relating to usage of instances of the software product from multiple user devices, wherein the user devices each execute an instance of the software product instrumented to capture the data, and the collected data includes data relating to (i) features of the software product invoked on the user devices, and one or more of: (ii) any errors occurred during the use of the software product and (iii) user feedback indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product regardless of whether an error has occurred; and (b) analysing the collected data to determine at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to an error and/or a sequence of the features that is likely to lead to user satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the software product for facilitating enhancement of the software product.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for tracking and analysing usage of a software product, the method comprising:

(a) collecting data relating to usage of multiple instances of the software product from multiple user devices,

wherein the user devices each execute an instance of the software product instrumented to capture the data, and the collected data includes data relating to (i) features of the software product invoked on the user devices, and one or more of;

(ii) any errors occurred during the use of the software product and (iii) user feedback indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product regardless of whether an error has occurred; and

(b) analysing the collected data to determine at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to an error and/or at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to user satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product for facilitating enhancement to the software product.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user feedback comprises a movement-based feedback detected by a spatial displacement sensor on the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user feedback comprises a touch-based feedback detected by touch screen on the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user feedback comprises a text-based feedback inputted into the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user feedback further indicates the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises aggregating the usage data to determine possible sequences of features that lead to a particular error or user feedback.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising creating a tree data structure to store the possible sequences, the tree data structure having nodes representing features in the possible sequences, and edges representing the number or frequency of occurrence of each feature in the sequences.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising traversing the tree data structure to search for the sequence of features that most likely leads to the error or user feedback based on the number or frequency of occurrence of the features.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising analysing the collected data to determine most popular and/or least popular features of the software product based on the user feedback.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data relating to the users or user devices and further analysing the received data in step (b) to determine profile of the users or user devices.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending data relating to the sequence of features determined in step (b) to a software developer or vendor associated with the software product.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the errors include programmatic errors and software exceptions.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the features invoked on the user devices include software functions of the software product.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each instance of the software product is instrumented with an application programming interface (API) to capture the data.

15. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions recorded on a computer-readable medium, the computer program being operable to cause a computer system to implement a method for tracking and analysing usage of a software product, wherein the method comprises:

(a) collecting data relating to usage of multiple instances of the software product from multiple user devices,

wherein the user devices each execute an instance of the software product instrumented to capture the data, and the collected data includes data relating to (i) features of the software product invoked on the user devices, and one or more of;

(ii) any errors occurred during the use of the software product and (iii) user feedback indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product regardless of whether an error has occurred; and

(b) analysing the collected data to determine at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to an error and/or at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to user satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product for facilitating enhancement to the software product.

16. A computer system for tracking and analysing usage of a software product, the computer system comprising a server to:

(a) collect data relating to usage of multiple instances of the software product from multiple user devices in communication with the server,

wherein the user devices each execute an instance of the software product instrumented to capture the data, and the collected data includes data relating to (i) features of the software product invoked on the user devices, and one or more of;

(ii) any errors occurred during the use of the software product and (iii) user feedback indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product regardless of whether an error has occurred; and

(b) analyse the collected data to determine at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to an error and/or at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to user satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product for facilitating enhancement to the software product.

17. A method implemented by a user device for tracking and analysing usage of a software product, wherein the user device is instrumented to capture data relating to usage of an instance of the software product and the method comprises:

(a) capturing data relating to usage of the instance of the software product,

wherein the capture data includes data relating to (i) features of the software product invoked on the user devices, and one or more of;

(ii) any errors occurred during the use of the software product and (iii) user feedback indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product regardless of whether an error has occurred; and

(b) sending the captured data to a server in communication with the user device,

wherein the server is operable to analyse the captured data received from the user device, and from other user devices, to determine at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to an error and/or at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product for facilitating enhancement to the software product.

18. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions recorded on a computer-readable medium on a user device, the computer program being operable to cause the user device to implement a method for tracking and analysing usage of a software product, wherein the user device is instrumented to capture data relating to usage of an instance of the software product and the method comprises

(a) capturing data relating to usage of the instance of the software product,

wherein the capture data includes data relating to (i) features of the software product invoked on the user devices, and one or more of:

(ii) any errors occurred during the use of the software product and (iii) user feedback indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product regardless of whether an error has occurred; and

(b) sending the captured data to a server in communication with the user device,

wherein the server is operable to analyse the captured data received from the user device, and from other user devices, to determine at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to an error and/or at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product for facilitating enhancement to the software product.

19. A user device for tracking and analysing usage of a software product, wherein the user device is instrumented to capture data relating to usage of an instance of the software product, and comprises a processor to:

(a) capture data relating to usage of the instance of the software product,

wherein the capture data includes data relating to (i) features of the software product invoked on the user devices, and one or more of;

(ii) any errors occurred during the use of the software product and (iii) user feedback indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product regardless of whether an error has occurred; and

(b) send the captured data to a server in communication with the user device,

wherein the server is operable to analyse the captured data received from the user device, and from other user devices, to determine at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to an error and/or at least one sequence of the features that is likely to lead to user satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the software product for facilitating enhancement to the software product.