System and method for logical view analysis and visualization of user behavior in a distributed computer network

• US 7,165,105 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2001
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: NetGenesis Corp. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Tan, Ming, Richard, Eric, Ventikos, Panagiotis, Reiner, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Salad; Abdullahi
• Application Number:
  US09/906,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,010 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/217, 709/203, 709/226, 707/10, 707/6, 707/101, 715/700
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

A method for logical view visualization of user behavior in a networked computer environment that includes sites that a user may visit and wherein the sites comprise pages that the user may view and/or resources that the user may request includes the step of collecting raw data representing user behavior which can include requesting resources, viewing pages and visiting sites by the user. This raw data is then refined or pre-processed into page views and visit data and stored in a data mart. Pages are clustered into super pages, and page to super page mappings reflecting the relationship between pages and super pages are stored in the data mart. An automated clustering means is applied to the page view, visit and super page data in the data mart to discover clusters of visits to define super visits having visit behavior characteristics. The visit data stored in the data mart is then scored against the super visit clusters to classify visits into super visits according to visit behavior characteristics. A system is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for logical view visualization of user behavior in a networked computer environment, wherein the networked computer environment includes resources, pages and sites and the user behavior includes requesting resources, viewing pages and visiting sites, comprising the steps of:

collecting raw data reflecting user behavior;

refining the raw data into page views and visit data for storing in a data mart;

clustering pages to define super pages and storing page to super page mappings reflecting the relationship between pages and super pages in the data mart;

applying an automated clustering means to the page view, visit and super page data in the data mart to discover clusters of visits to define super visits having visit behavior characteristics; and

scoring the visit data stored in the data mart against the super visit clusters to classify visits into super visits according to visit behavior characteristics.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying an automated clustering means to the page view and visit data in the data mart to discover clusters of pages to define super pages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein super pages are defined in at least two types of site semantics including at least one type selected from the group consisting of page content and behavior progress.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated clustering means includes a two-stage clustering method having pre-clustering and clustering stages.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing visualization means to illustrate the relationship between super visit characteristics and user behavior in the networked computer environment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user behavior includes purchase transaction activity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a visit to super visit mapping is created during scoring and stored in the data mart.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a classification means to profile the behavior of users having visits classified as belonging to a super visit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein visits are classified into a super visit in each of a plurality of super visit types.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying an automated clustering means to page view, visit, super page and super visit data in the data mart to discover clusters of users to define user segments.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising employing visualization means to illustrate the relationship between user segments and user behavior in the networked computer environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user behavior includes a purchase transaction.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising scoring visit data stored in the data mart against the user segment clusters to classify visits into user segments.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a visit to user segment mapping is created during scoring and stored in the data mart.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising applying a classification means to profile the behavior of users having visits classified as belonging to a user segment.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein visits are classified into a user segment in each of a plurality of user segment types.

17. A system for logical view visualization of user behavior in a networked computer environment, wherein the networked computer environment includes resources, pages and sites and the user behavior includes requesting resources, viewing pages and visiting sites, comprising:

an importer means for collecting raw data reflecting user behavior;

a data mart for storing data;

a preprocessing means for refining the raw data into page views and visit data for storing in a data mart;

a clustering means for clustering pages to define super pages and storing page to super page mappings reflecting the relationship between pages and super pages in the data mart;

an automated clustering means accepting page view, visit and super page data in the data mart for discovering clusters of visits to define super visits having visit behavior characteristics; and

a scoring means for scoring the visit data stored in the data mart against the super visit clusters to classify visits into super visits according to visit behavior characteristics.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the clustering means for clustering pages to define super pages and storing page to super page mappings reflecting the relationship between pages and super pages in the data mart is an automated clustering means.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the clustering means for clustering pages to define super pages and storing page to super page mappings reflecting the relationship between pages and super pages in the data mart is a manual clustering means allowing selection of a plurality of attributes to cluster pages.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein super pages are defined in at least two types of site semantics including at least one type selected from the group consisting of page content and behavior progress.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the automated clustering means accepting page view, visit and super page data in the data mart for discovering clusters of visits to define super visits having visit behavior characteristics includes a two-stage clustering method having pre-clustering and clustering stages.

22. The system of claim 17, further comprising a visualization means for illustrating the relationship between super visit characteristics and user behavior in the networked computer environment.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the user behavior includes purchase transaction activity.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein a visit to super visit mapping is created during scoring and stored in the data mart.

25. The system of claim 17, further comprising a classification means for profiling the behavior of users having visits classified as belonging to a super visit.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein visits are classified into a super visit in each of a plurality of super visit types.

27. The system of claim 17, further comprising an automated clustering means accepting page view, visit, super page and super visit data from the data mart for discovering clusters of users to define user segments.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a visualization means for illustrating the relationship between user segments and user behavior in the networked computer environment.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the user behavior includes purchase transaction activity.

30. The system of claim 27, further comprising a scoring means for scoring visit data stored in the data mart against the user segment clusters to classify visits into user segments.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein a visit to user segment mapping is created during scoring and stored in the data mart.

32. The system of claim 30, further comprising applying a classification means to profile the behavior of users having visits classified as belonging to a user segment.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein visits are classified into a user segment in each of a plurality of user segment types.