Goal flow visualization

• US 8,745,504 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Peng, Xu, Zhiting, Liao, Lin, Zhang, Fenghui, Mui, Lik
• Primary Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US13/271,191
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 715/736, 382/113
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

System and method for visualizing network traffic data. Webpage visits are grouped into nodes connected by traffic paths. Steps in an online process are used to assign nodes to levels in the visualization.

Claims

1. A method of displaying Internet traffic data, comprising:

receiving, from an interface, a selection of steps in an online process and a selection of a source type, wherein each step in the online process corresponds to visiting one or more webpages and the source type is indicative of a characteristic of a device that accesses the one or more webpages;

retrieving, from a memory, data representative of nodes and traffic paths between nodes based, in part, on the selection of steps and the selection of the source type, wherein a first node corresponds to the source type, a second node corresponds to a first group of one or more webpages, and a third node corresponds to a second group of one or more webpages, wherein a first traffic path corresponds to a number of devices that accessed the first group of one or more webpages and had the characteristic indicated by the source type, wherein a second traffic path corresponds to traffic from the first group of one or more webpages to the second group of one or more webpages;

determining a level for the second node and the third node, the level representing a step in the online process;

generating visualization data configured to cause an electronic display to display a visual representation of the first node, the second node, the third node, the first traffic path between the first node and the second node, and the second traffic path between the second node and the third node based, in part, on the levels of the second node and the third node; and

providing the visualization data to an electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display a first width of the first traffic path based in part on an amount of traffic associated with the first traffic path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display a first size for the first node in proportion to an amount of traffic associated with the first node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display a drop-off traffic path from the second node based, in part, on an amount of traffic that does not proceed to the third node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display the drop-off traffic path as an aggregate of traffic paths that are connected to only one displayed node.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display a backwards traffic path.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is a system configuration.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is a geographic location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is an installed application on the device.

10. A system for generating a visualization of network traffic comprising:

a processing circuit configured to;

receive a selection of sequential steps in an online process, a selection of a source type, and a selection for a connector selector, wherein each step in the online process corresponds to visiting one or more webpages, wherein the source type is indicative of a characteristic of a device that accesses the one or more webpages, and wherein the selection for the connector selector is representative of a threshold value for a number of traffic flows to be display;

retrieve data representative of nodes and traffic paths between nodes based, in part, on the selection of steps and the selection of the source type, wherein a first node corresponds to the source type, a second node corresponds to a first group of one or more webpages, and a third node corresponds to a second group of one or more webpages, and a fourth node corresponds to a third group of one or more webpages, wherein a first traffic path corresponds to a number of devices that accessed the first group of one or more webpages and had the characteristic indicated by the source type, wherein a second traffic path corresponds to traffic from the first group of one or more webpages to the second group of one or more webpages, and wherein a third traffic path corresponds to traffic from the first group of one or more webpages to the third group of one or more webpages;

determine a level for the second node, third node, and fourth node, the level representing a position of a step in a sequence of the online process;

determine a first value for the second traffic path and a second value for the third traffic path, wherein the first value and the second value are determined using a scoring function, wherein the scoring function comprises a length weight factor associated with a number of levels traversed by a traffic path;

generate visualization data configured to cause an electronic display to display a visual representation of the first node, the second node, the third node, the fourth node, the first traffic path between the first node and the second node, the second traffic path between the second node and the third node, and the third traffic path between the second node and the fourth node; and

provide the visualization data to an electronic device, wherein the provided visualization data includes the third traffic path based on the second value exceeding the threshold value based on the selection for the connector selector, wherein the first value does not exceed the threshold value based on the selection for the connector selector.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display a first width of the first traffic path based, in part, on an amount of traffic associated with the first traffic path.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display a first size for the first node in proportion to an amount of traffic associated with the first node.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display a drop-off traffic path from the second node based, in part, on an amount of traffic that does not proceed to the third node.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display the drop-off traffic path as an aggregate of traffic paths that are connected to only one displayed node.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the visualization data is further configured to cause the electronic display to display a backwards traffic path.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the characteristic is a system configuration.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the characteristic is a geographic location.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored therein, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a selection of steps in an online process and a selection of a source type, wherein each step in the online process corresponds to visiting one or more webpages and the source type is indicative of a type of characteristic of a device that accesses one or more webpages;

retrieving data representative of nodes and traffic paths between nodes based, in part, on the selection of steps and the selection of the source type, wherein a first node corresponds to a first type of characteristic, a second node corresponds to a second type of characteristic, and a third node corresponds to a group of one or more webpages, wherein a first traffic path corresponds to a first number of devices that accessed the group of one or more webpages of the third node and had the first type of characteristic, wherein a second traffic path corresponds to a second number of devices that accessed the group of one or more webpages of the third node and had the second type of characteristic;

generating visualization data configured to cause an electronic display to display a visual representation of the first node, the second node, the third node, the first traffic path between the first node and the third node, and the second traffic path between the second node and the third node; and

providing the visualization data to an electronic device.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the characteristic is a system configuration.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the characteristic is a geographic location.