Systems and methods for recording and recreating interactive user-sessions involving an on-line server

• US 9,497,091 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LoGrocket, Inc.
• Original Assignee: User Replay Limited
• Inventors: Smith, Philip, Western, Peter, Simms, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hitesh
• Application Number:
  US14/855,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20160191351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• 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 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

An auditing system and method are used to capture and report an interactive client journey between a web-browser and a website. Instantiation of control code at an end-user computing device, typically initiated in response to a tag embedded in a website, initiates capture of server and request headers from the perspective of the locally-executing web-browser. The control code causes the sending of an uplink journey report to a cloud-based processing server that uses the report to interpret the server and request headers to imply real-time interactions between the end-user, the web-browser executing on the computing device and the web-server. Client-side capture provides for easy installation of control code that can be delivered directly from a content distribution network. The processing server correlates the server and request headers with predefined flagged events related to at least one of operation of the web-server and data processing at the web-server.

Claims

1. A method of recording and recreating an interactive end-user journey with a web-site supported by a web-server, access to the web-site provided over a communications network, the method comprising:

at a computing device of an end-user, during a web session with a web browser, instantiating code modules configured to perform;

capturing server and request headers from the perspective of the web browser, the server and request headers being data calls between the web browser and the web-site;

sending, to a processing server over the communications network, an uplink journey report including said server and request headers; and

at the processing server, in response to receipt of the uplink report journey uploaded by the computing device, executing code to interpret the server and request headers to imply real-time interactions between (i) the end-user, (ii) the web browser executing on the computing device and (iii) the web-server;

at the processing server, correlating the server and request headers with predefined flagged events related to at least one of operation of the web-server and data processing at the web-server;

identifying negative and positive correlation between reported end-user interactions and system operational performance, including identifying end-user interactions that are abnormal, unexpected or develop into a recognizable trend for multiple journeys for multiple end-users;

at the computing device, executing code to capture and report, to the processing server, mobile gestures that, when executed on a touch screen, bring about a real-world change in display properties of the computing device or computing device operation; and

at the processing server and in the context of a data call to the website, receiving an indication of visually-discernible changes occurring at the computing device on a per page basis.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a list of flagged event includes flagged events based on at least one of:

i) identified language or text;

ii) the absence of expected text with a predetermined period of timer;

iii) web page refresh times or volumes;

iv) web page load times;

v) overall speed of client interactions with the web pages supported on the web browser;

vi) absolute file and/or attachment size; and

vii) repeated interaction behaviour.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

providing an access portal through which flagged events can be defined and stored in a database.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the code modules are downloaded through the communications network following a request triggered by a tag within a web page, the web page accessed through the web browser and the request sent from a content distribution network.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the content distribution network applies logic selectively to control the download of the control modules to the web browser.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of capturing the server and request headers is based on the capture of at least:

i) AJAX requests related to end-user interaction; and

ii) data calls made to an e-commerce server during the web session.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the code modules are provided in JavaScript.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein sending the uplink journey report is contemporaneous with the capture of the AJAX request or the data call.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon code that, when loaded into a computer, executes to cause the computer to capture and report an interactive end-user journey with a web-site, the code including procedure to perform the method of comprising:

at a computing device of an end-user, during a web session with a web browser, instantiating code modules configured to perform;

capturing server and request headers from the perspective of the web browser, the server and request headers being data calls between the web browser and the web-site;

sending, to a processing server over the communications network, an uplink journey report including said server and request headers; and

at the processing server, in response to receipt of the uplink report journey uploaded by the computing device, executing code to interpret the server and request headers to imply real-time interactions between (i) the end-user, (ii) the web browser executing on the computing device and (iii) the web-server;

at the processing server, correlating the server and request headers with predefined flagged events related to at least one of operation of the web-server and data processing at the web-server;

identifying negative and positive correlation between reported end-user interactions and system operational performance, including identifying end-user interactions that are abnormal, unexpected or develop into a recognizable trend for multiple journeys for multiple end-users;

at the computing device, executing code to capture and report, to the processing server, mobile gestures that, when executed on a touch screen, bring about a real-world change in display properties of the computing device or computing device operation; and

at the processing server and in the context of a data call to the website, receiving an indication of visually-discernible changes occurring at the computing device on a per page basis.

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, further comprising code configured to capture and report:

i) AJAX requests related to end-user interaction; and

ii) data calls made to an e-commerce server during the web session.

11. A system for auditing a web-server application requiring end-user interactions, the system comprising:

i) one or more processors of a content distribution network;

ii) a memory, including a downloadable control code module executable by the one or more processors to cause the system to at least;

a) capture server and request headers from the perspective of data entry and display events with respect to the web browser, the capture of the server and request headers being data calls between the web-browser and the web-server; and

b) send, to a processing server, an uplink journey report including said server and request headers;

iii) a processing server operationally responsive to receipt of uplink report journeys uploaded by at least one computing device, the processing server arranged to;

interpret the server and request headers to imply real-time interactions between (a) the end-user, (b) the web browser executing on the computing device and the (c) web-server; and

correlate the server and request headers with predefined flagged events related to at least one of operation of the web-server and data processing at the web-server; and

iv) processing intelligence coupled to the processing server, the processing intelligence configured to identify negative and positive correlation between reported end-user interactions and system operational performance, including identifying end-user interactions that are abnormal, unexpected or develop into a recognizable trend for multiple journeys for multiple end users;

wherein the control code module further includes code arranged to capture and report, to the processing server, mobile gestures that, when executed on a touch screen, bring about a real-world change in display properties of the computing device or computing device operation, and wherein the processing server is configured to acquire, within the uplink journey report, an indication of visually-discernible changes occurring at the computing device on a per page basis.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processing server further configured to provide an access portal through which flagged events can be stored in a database.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the content distribution network includes logic that selectively controls the download of the control modules to the web browser.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control code module causes the computing device on which it is loaded to capture at least:

i) AJAX requests related to end-user interaction; and

ii) data calls made to an e-commerce server during the web session.

15. The system according to claims 11, further including at least one software as a service “

SaaS”

server, the at least one SaaS server configured to remove uploaded journey reports in a network communication and to buffer at least some of those journey reports for subsequently processing.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the content distribution network includes a decision engine configured to determine the nature of the control code module returned to the computing device making the request.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processing server is a cloud-based server.