Tracking And Analyzing Mobile Application User Interactions

• US 20160254970A1
• Filed: 02/25/2016
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Bartholomew, Aaron Robert, Hogg, William
• Granted Patent: US 10,097,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for tracking and analyzing mobile application user interactions. One or more mobile devices run an application. At each of the one or more mobile devices, a framework level interaction logger logs user interactions with the application. Analysis modules and heat map generators can use the logged user interactions to generate reports and heat maps indicative of the performance of the application.

Claims

1. A processor implemented method for use at a mobile device, the mobile device including a processor, a cellular communication module, and a Wi-Fi communication module, the mobile device also including an application, the application having a plurality of application elements configured for interaction with a user, the processor implemented method for delivering user interaction data for the application, the processor implemented method comprising:

accessing logging configuration options, the logging configuration options defining data elements for which values are to be gathered during operation of the application at the mobile device, the defined data elements including;

user interactions with the plurality of application elements of the application on a per interaction and per element basis, connection information, and device information, the connection information related to characteristics of a network connection used by the application, the device data related to characteristics of the mobile device;

during operation of the application at the mobile device, gathering values for the defined data elements at the mobile device, the application using the cellular communication module for network communication;

storing the gathered values in an offline storage device at the mobile device; and

in accordance with transmission conditions and when network connectivity is available through the Wi-Fi communication module, sending at least some of the gathered values to a network storage location through the Wi-Fi communication module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing logging configuration options comprises accessing logging configuration options defined by technical personnel responsible for managing performance of the application;

and

wherein sending the gathered values to an a network storage location comprises sending the gathered values to the network storage location for analysis by the technical personnel.

3. The method claim 1, further comprising, subsequent to storing the gathered values, reconfiguring the gathered values in the offline storage device to reduce the storage footprint of the gathered values, the gathered values reconfigured by changing how duplicate values for data elements are represented within the gathered values;

and

wherein sending the gathered values to an network storage location comprises sending the reconfigured values to the network storage location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the gathered values to a network storage location comprises sending the gathered values to a network storage location when values for defined data elements consume a specified amount of the offline storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the gathered values to a network storage location comprises sending the gathered values to a network storage location at a specified time interval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing logging configuration options comprises accessing logging configuration options defining data elements for which values are to be logged based on available resources at the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending at least some of the gathered values to a network storage location comprises:

determining differences between the gathered values and previously gathered values for the defined data elements; and

sending the determined differences to the network storage location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is one of:

a mobile application and a web-based application.

9. A processor implemented method for use at computer system, the computer system including a processor, the processor implemented method for analyzing performance of an application, the processor implemented method comprising:

receiving a selection of data elements that are to be analyzed for the application, the data elements including;

user interactions with a plurality of application elements of the application on a per interaction and per element basis, connection information, and device information, the connection information related to characteristics of a network connection used by the application, the device information related to characteristics of a mobile device;

accessing values for the data elements from a network storage location, the values received from one or more mobile devices, the values gathered during operation of the application at each of the one or more mobile devices in accordance with logging configuration options defining the data element, the values logged at and transmitted from each of the one or more mobile devices based on resource availability at the mobile device; and

determining the performance of the application by analyzing the accessed values, including analyzing values for user interactions with the plurality of application elements of the application on a per interaction and per element basis by;

grouping the accessed values into user-specific groupings;

separating the user-specific groupings by occurrence; and

segmenting the values by application and occurrence; and

returning a report indicative of the determined application performance.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving a selection of data elements that are to be analyzed for the application comprises receiving a selection of graphical user-interface elements.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein accessing values for the data elements from a network storage location comprises access values gathered from a plurality of mobile devices that include the application.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein returning a report indicative of the determined application performance comprises returning a report that includes statistical data representative of the application'"'"'s performance.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the application is one of:

a mobile application or a web-based application.

14. A processor implemented method for use at computer system, the computer system including a processor, the processor implemented method for presenting a visual representation of user interactions with an application, the processor implemented method comprising:

receiving a selection of data elements that are to be presented in a heat map for the application, the data elements including;

user interactions with a plurality of application elements of the application on a per interaction and per element basis, connection information, and device information, the connection information related to characteristics of a network connection used by the application, the device information related to characteristics of a mobile device;

accessing values for the data elements from a network storage location, the values received from one or more mobile devices, the values gathered during operation of the application at each of the one or more mobile devices in accordance with logging configuration options defining the data elements; and

forming a heat map for the application by representing the user interactions as a heat map overlay of the application based on the accessed values, the heat map varying the visual representation of each user interaction based on values for the user interaction, values for connection information associated with the user interaction, and values for device information associated with the user interaction, including for each interaction;

displaying an application view as it appeared to a user at the time the interaction took place; and

overlying the interaction at the points of interaction within the application view; and

returning the heat map.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein forming a heat map for the application comprises forming a heat map that identifies user interaction locations within an application view.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein forming a heat map for the application comprises forming a heat map that identifies specific interaction points within an application view.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the specific interaction points are visual indicated using a scale to represent frequency of occurrence.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein forming a heat map for the application comprises forming a heat map that includes a set of session path information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein paths within the set of session path information are visual indicated using a scale to represent frequency of occurrence.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the application is one of:

a mobile application and a web-based application.