Comparison of website visitation data sets generated from using different navigation tools

• US 7,383,334 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omniture Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Error, Brett Michael, Error, Christopher Reid, Wong, Catherine Jen
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US11/458,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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 43/067 using time frame reporting

Abstract

A system compares website visitation data sets in response to receiving user input. The system includes a client for processing the input to define one or more data sets as a query to a network, which returns the requested data. The system calculates, for at least one website visitation metric, a difference between values of the website visitation metric for the data sets, and displays one or more reports. In addition, reports can be further adjusted per additional data input. The results enable users to analyze the effects of combinations of factors.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a comparison of website visitation data sets, comprising:

receiving user input to compare a first set of website visitation data to a second set of website visitation data, the first set of website visitation data and the second set of website visitation data both describing navigation between web pages, wherein the first and second sets comprise a plurality of criteria, the plurality of criteria comprising a plurality of website visitation metrics, wherein said first and second data sets of visitation data are generated from using a first and second navigation tool, respectively;

receiving user input to define the second set;

retrieving data corresponding to the second set;

calculating, for at least one website visitation metric, a difference between values of the website visitation metric for the first and second data sets; and

displaying a report comprising the calculated difference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of website visitation data is determined by a displayed report showing the first set of website visitation data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of website visitation data serves as baseline data for comparison with the second set of website visitation data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of website visitation data is editable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of website visitation data is locked.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving user input to compare a first set of website visitation data to a second set of website visitation data comprises receiving input selecting a compare mode button.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of website visitation data comprises a first of the plurality of criteria and the second set of website visitation data comprises a second of the plurality of criteria.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of website visitation data comprises a first set of date criteria and the second set of website visitation date comprises a second set of date criteria.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of website visitation data comprises a first of the plurality of criteria and a first set of date criteria and the second set of website visitation data comprises a second of the plurality of criteria and a second set of date criteria.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of website visitation data comprises a first element of the plurality of criteria and a second element of the plurality of criteria and the second set of website visitation data comprises a third element of the plurality of criteria.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the difference between the values of the website visitation metric for the first and second data sets is calculated using subtraction.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the report comprises a graphical comparison area.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the report comprises columnar data displaying the difference.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input to adjust criteria for the report; and

displaying one or more adjusted reports, each adjusted according to the adjusted criteria.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving data further comprises:

sending one or more report queries to a network; and

receiving report data from the network corresponding to the one or more report queries.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to receiving report data, interpreting the data using a look up table.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the report occurs virtually instantaneous with receiving user input to compare a first set of website visitation data to a second set of website visitation data.

18. A computer-implemented method for providing a comparison of website visitation data sets, comprising:

receiving user input to compare a first set of website visitation data to a second set of website visitation data, the first set of website visitation data and the second set of website visitation data both describing navigation between web pages, wherein the first and second sets comprise a plurality of criteria, the plurality of criteria comprising a plurality of website visitation metrics, wherein said first and second data sets of visitation data are generated from using a first and second navigation tool, respectively;

receiving user input to define the second set;

retrieving data corresponding to the second set;

calculating, for at least one website visitation metric, a difference between values of the website visitation metric for the first and second data sets; and

displaying a report comprising the first set of website visitation data, the second set of website visitation data, and the calculated difference.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the report comprises columnar data displaying the first set data, the second set data, and the calculated difference.

20. A system for providing a comparison of website visitation data sets, comprising:

a definition module configured for receiving user input to compare a first set of website visitation data to a second set of website visitation data, the first set of website visitation data and the second set of website visitation data both describing navigation between web pages, wherein the first and second sets comprise a plurality of criteria, the plurality of criteria comprising a plurality of website visitation metrics, further configured for receiving user input to define the second set, wherein said first and second data sets of visitation data are generated from using a first and second navigation tool, respectively;

a retrieval module configured for retrieving data corresponding to the second set and calculating, for at least one website visitation metric, a difference between values of the website visitation metric for the first and second data sets; and

a reporting module configured for displaying a report comprising the calculated difference.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first set of website visitation data serves as baseline data for comparison with the second set of website visitation data.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the definition module is further configured for receiving input selecting a compare mode button.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the retrieval module is configured for using subtraction to calculate the difference between values of the website visitation metric for the first and second data sets.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the definition module is further configured for receiving user input to adjust criteria for the report and displaying one or more adjusted reports, each adjusted according to the adjusted criteria.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the retrieval module is further configured for sending one or more report queries to a network and receiving report data from the network corresponding to the one or more report queries.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the retrieval module is further configured for interpreting report data received using a look up table.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the reporting module is further configured for displaying the report virtually instantaneous with receiving user input to compare a first set of website visitation data to a second set of website visitation data.

28. A system for providing a comparison of website visitation data sets, comprising:

a means for receiving user input to compare a first set of website visitation data to a second set of website visitation data, the first set of website visitation data and the second set of website visitation data both describing navigation between web pages, wherein the first and second sets comprise a plurality of criteria, the plurality of criteria comprising a plurality of website visitation metrics, wherein said first and second data sets of visitation data are generated from using a first and second navigation tool, respectively;

a means for receiving user input to define the second set;

a means for retrieving data corresponding to the second set;

a means for calculating, for at least one website visitation metric, a difference between values of the website visitation metric for the first and second data sets; and

a means for displaying a report comprising the calculated difference.

29. A computer readable memory storing a computer program executable by a processor, the computer program producing a user interface for displaying website visitation data, the user interface comprising:

a report control area configured for receiving user input to compare a first set of website visitation data to a second set of website visitation data, the first set of website visitation data and the second set of website visitation data both describing navigation between web pages, wherein the first and second sets comprise a plurality of criteria, the plurality of criteria comprising a plurality of website visitation metrics, and configured for receiving user input to define the second set, wherein said first and second data sets of visitation data are generated from using a first and second navigation tool, respectively;

a executable process for retrieving data corresponding to the second set and for calculating, for at least one website visitation metric, a difference between values of the website visitation metric for the first and second data sets; and

a report display area for displaying a report comprising the calculated difference.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the first set of website visitation data is editable.