User Paths

User Paths allow you to see the different paths that users take through your app. The new User Paths in Explorer can be based a collection of events of your chosing, allowing you to focus in on only the events that are meaningful to your analysis.

Creating a User Path

There are a few steps to creating a user path.

  1. Provide a name for the path - Paths are saved using the name that you provide, so make sure it is something that will allow you to identify the path analysis when you come back.

  2. Select the First Event - By default, this is the Start Session event. However, you may select any other event to be the starting point.

  3. Build the list of events that you want included in the analysis

  4. Press Start Path button - Doing this both starts the calculation of the analysis and saves the definition you just created.

paths_setup

What appears is a flow diagram beginning with the event selected in Step 2 above and showing the events from Step 3 that followed, with a relative path size breakdown. The more common a given event is, the larger the percentage of the path it will take up.

paths_first_run

Following a Path

From here, you can click on one of the Events in the second node of the path to see which events, of your selected set, came after that. This will then show you what users did after doing the Start Event AND the Second event you selected. This process can be repeated as far as you would like to follow the path.

paths_drill_down

If you have followed a path down five steps and want to investigate a different node at step 3, just click that node and the analysis will rebuild based on your selection. Please note, only a single path may be followed at any one time.

Small Nodes

Sometimes, the number of users that did a given event is very small relative to the other events. In this case, the path size will be presented as a very small line. Even for these very small lines, the header will clearly provide the details for the node.

paths_small_node

Rerooting

If, in the middle of the analysis, you feel that you would rather see the paths leading from a different starting event, you can mouse over the and select Actions > Set As First Event. This will start the path analysis over with that event as the starting event.

paths_reroot

Saving a Path

If you reach a point where you want to save the path for later analysis, click the Save button. This will save the definition of the analysis including all nodes you have drilled into. Please note, the next time you open the path, new data will be included in the analysis, so numbers could change.

Controls

paths_controls
  • Application - This allows you to select the app you wish to analyze.

  • Saved Queries - Here you will find all paths that you have previously saved for the selected app. Selecting a query from the list will retrieve that path analysis and run the query on the current data.

  • Date Filter - The path analysis is focused on the selected period of time.

  • Lines Represent - Allows you to toggle between seeing the lines as a percentage of the first step, or the previous step.

  • Save Path - Use this to save the current path analysis. Please note, data will not be saved, only the definition and path expansions.

  • Save As - Use this to save the current path analysis under a new name. As with Save, data will not be saved, only the definition and path expansions.

  • Discard - This will discard any unsaved changes to the current path.