How to plan the capture of specific user-behaviour data. How to make sure it is translated into readable information that you can use to make real evidence-based changes. Presentation at Museums Computer Network, Minneapolis 7 November 2015

1. Designing evidence
vam.ac.uk/digital
Andrew Lewis
Digital Content Delivery Manager
Victoria and Albert Museum
Planning how to capture specific user behaviour as readable
information to support evidence-based change

2. Event tracking in
Google Analytics
Making reporting
language readable
Planning data
capture schemas
Remote control using
Google Tag Manager

3. Before you start typing…

4. @rosemarybeetle
This session’s data will be tweeted…
slideshare.net/AndrewLVandA
This session’s slides are here…

5. Interface use…

6. …into evidence

7. Audience participation

8. Your data in real time #1
bit.ly/MCNDATA
*

9. Avoid data sad face

10. Fret not.
With these
techniques…

12. …see what works on
your navigation

13. Why?

14. Why?

15. See how people really
use your touch services

16. How much do users
pinch to zoom?
How often do
users scroll?

20. …measure how
game results affect
the uptake of
calls to action

21. 11.7%11.1%
10.6%19.4%
0.9%2.0%
3.5%3.4%
Game results affect impact of calls to action
“positive” result “negative”result

22. ….see where visitors
really go over
your Wi-Fi

24. Where?

25. Language?

26. ...understand more
about engagement
with your collections

32. Browsing
Top 10 object pages
viewed, by country
Engaging
Top 10 large images
downloaded, by country

33. Know what people do
in your audioguides

34. tap, tap, tap
tappity tap
etc.

35. All the
interactions
of each
individual
user
for every
session

36. Event tracking in
Google Analytics
Making reporting
language readable
Planning data
capture schemas
Remote control using
Google Tag Manager

37. Event Tracking converts
interactions into data in
Google Analytics

38. I want to know …
…how effective
each promotional
call-to-action is
on my home page

39. *

40. Event Action 1.1
Event Category 1
Event Label 1.1.1
Event Action 1.2
Event Label 1.1.2
Event Label 1.2.1
Event Label 1.2.2Event Category 2
Event Action 2.1
Event Label 2.1.1
Event Label 2.1.2
Categories Actions Labels

41. *

42. Event tracking in
Google Analytics
Making reporting
language readable
Planning data
capture schemas
Remote control using
Google Tag Manager

43. With Tag Manager you
configure data capture
through a web interface

44. I want to know …
…how effective
each promotional
call-to-action is
on my home page

45. Traditional
Event Tracking

46. Tracking using
Tag Manager

47. Tracking using
Tag Manager

48. Tag
Container
Tag Trigger Variable
Tag Manager concepts for beginners
How code gets in
and data comes
out of the page
Defines the
data sent
per interaction
Defines
when data
gets sent
Populates
specific values
into tag

50. *

52. Event tracking in
Google Analytics
Making reporting
language readable
Planning data
capture schemas
Remote control using
Google Tag Manager

53. Reports that make sense
have more impact

58. Event tracking in
Google Analytics
Making reporting
language readable
Planning data
capture schemas
Remote control using
Google Tag Manager

59. Planning your data
structure is how you get
clear reporting to work

60. Event Action 1.1
Event Category 1
Event Label 1.1.1
Event Action 1.2
Event Label 1.1.2
Event Label 1.2.1
Event Label 1.2.2Event Category 2
Event Action 2.1
Event Label 2.1.1
Event Label 2.1.2
Categories Actions Labels

61. SearchAudioguides -
Europe 1600-1815
galleries
Search term used
Navigation - Clicked next item in a
tour
Name of audio
Wi-Fi
Web address visitors are trying to
reach URL visited
Audio controls - Started playing an
audio
Name of Tour
Navigation - Selected room tours
option
Name of audio
Audio controls - Paused an audio
Name of Room
Categories Actions Labels

62. Find out what your staff
want in reports then
design the data structure
to capture it

63. Design prototypes
can be
rough and ready

64. tap, tap, tap
tappity tap
etc.

69. 11.7%11.1%
10.6%19.4%
0.9%2.0%
3.5%3.4%
Game results affect impact of calls to action

73. Extracting large
amounts of data

74. Complex datasets can be
created using comma-
separated event labels

77. Saving comma separated labels as CSV files

79. The Google Analytics add-on
for Google Spreadsheets
is great for extracting
large sets of data

82. Checklist

83. tweak! – once you get data you can always use
it to adjust the capture if needed
what are the aims you want to test?
what data would allow you to test those aims?
Is the data you need already
captured somehow?
how do you name the data so staff
will understand it?
what data structure will make reports look the
way you want them to?
make sure data structure you need is mirrored in your
code (CSS classes, HTML element, ids, attributes, etc.)
once in place, see if it works!
apply triggers that capture data when the user
behaviour occurs.
1. Agree objectives
2. Define success measures
3. Do you need to go bespoke?
4. Consider ease of reporting
5. Design your data hierarchy
6. Apply hierarchy to page code
7. Configure Google Analytics
8. Test
9. Tweak!

84. Your data in real time #2
bit.ly/MCNDATA2
*

85. Things I wish I had known
before I started…

86. Things to note about Tag Manager
• Tag containers are essentially a hole in your page through which to sneak
stuff in
• Tag Manager allows retrospective application
• Published changes are updated even within cached pages as long as page is
loaded (or reloaded unhanged)
• We use twin containers, but not officially recommended
• Now about a year into it but still learning
• Using a test property allows you to prototype without muddying real stats

87. Naming conventions
• Start with the reports
• Naming your child – the future bar test
• Think about how two projects collide/cross-compare, not just one
• If you need to rename schema heading, NOTE it is not retrospective
• Grouping in event tracking can be extended with custom variables..

88. Advanced things that are cool
• Cookies can control sessions
• Html element attributes can be set dynamically to store session data for tags
to collect
• Date-stamping and random numbers can be used to differentiate
anonymous users
• Clever naming extends three event tracking hierarchy layers into five or more

89. Further V&A Digital Media posts on this subject…
How people really react when judged – as shown by game data
http://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/digital-media/how-people-really-react-when-
judged-as-shown-by-game-data
How to gather data to show how visitors really use your site-specific features
http://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/digital-media/capturing-user-behaviour-specific-to-
your-services
Why bother designing for tablet users?
http://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/digital-media/why-bother-designing-layouts-for-
tablet
Making visitor information easier for mobile phone users
http://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/digital-media/making-mobile-users-experience-
better

90. Thank you
vam.ac.uk/digital
Victoria and Albert Museum
Slides
@rosemarybeetle
slideshare.net/AndrewLVandA
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