Comments on: google analytics and sparklines http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=google-analytics-and-sparklines a discussion of visual report design & web analytics Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:13:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Clint http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-22055 Clint Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:29:35 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-22055 @blee55: and all, <a href="http://www.visifire.com/blog/2008/06/16/sparkline-charts-using-visifire/" rel="nofollow">this link on the Visifire blog</a> is probably more helpful than the main site. @blee55: and all, this link on the Visifire blog is probably more helpful than the main site.

]]> By: blee55 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-22030 blee55 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:46:30 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-22030 hey guys,want to improve the quality of your Sparkline charts? look what i have found <a href="http://visifire.com" rel="nofollow">visifire,/a> an amazing charting component powered by silverlight offered under open source just for free hey guys,want to improve the quality of your Sparkline charts? look what i have found visifire,/a> an amazing charting component powered by silverlight offered under open source just for free

]]> By: matt http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-18585 matt Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:47:17 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-18585 Very interesting critics! I will try to use your advice carefully on Piwik (open source web analytics) Very interesting critics!
I will try to use your advice carefully on Piwik (open source web analytics)

]]> By: Andrea http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-13277 Andrea Wed, 16 May 2007 19:12:05 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-13277 In this case, I think there are usability issues for both the interface and the infographics. I actually reined in my usability-related comments! Misrepresenting geographic regions is not only confusing when you try to read the infographic, but it is also alienating to the people who live in those misrepresented regions. But since the graphics include the lakes as though they were landmass, how did they decide whether to credit non-existent visits from the middle of the Great Lakes to Michigan versus other lake-adjacent areas like Wisconsin, Ontario, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York? Looks like convenience to me, and that's never a good answer when it comes to useful data representations! The area graph representations on Walker Tracker may not be the best choice, but they are glanceable, and that's one of my primary criteria for usefulness. I think that in some cases (like the simple two-variable same-scale trend graph) it can be easier to understand with a very quick look since there's more visual differentiation between the variables. I am not aware of any analytics packages that show a moving average, though I think it could be very useful for comparing short-term trends to daily patterns or long-term to short-term trends. In this case, I think there are usability issues for both the interface and the infographics. I actually reined in my usability-related comments!

Misrepresenting geographic regions is not only confusing when you try to read the infographic, but it is also alienating to the people who live in those misrepresented regions. But since the graphics include the lakes as though they were landmass, how did they decide whether to credit non-existent visits from the middle of the Great Lakes to Michigan versus other lake-adjacent areas like Wisconsin, Ontario, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York? Looks like convenience to me, and that’s never a good answer when it comes to useful data representations!

The area graph representations on Walker Tracker may not be the best choice, but they are glanceable, and that’s one of my primary criteria for usefulness. I think that in some cases (like the simple two-variable same-scale trend graph) it can be easier to understand with a very quick look since there’s more visual differentiation between the variables. I am not aware of any analytics packages that show a moving average, though I think it could be very useful for comparing short-term trends to daily patterns or long-term to short-term trends.

]]> By: Clint http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-13239 Clint Tue, 15 May 2007 19:39:01 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-13239 Andrea, I agree the maps are quite confusing. Since when is Greenland part of the Americas or Central/Eastern Russia part of Europe? If I remember my Geography, Greenland is the 'largest island' in the world and not affiliated with a continental group. Furthermore, the division between Europe and Asia falls in the Ural mountains. I hadn't even noticed the distortion of the states Michigan is particularly bad. I don't think I'm going to tackle the overall usability issues though and instead will continue to focus on the infographics. BTW, I do like the moving average on walkertracker but have to wonder about the use of area graphs...;~) Andrea,
I agree the maps are quite confusing. Since when is Greenland part of the Americas or Central/Eastern Russia part of Europe? If I remember my Geography, Greenland is the ‘largest island’ in the world and not affiliated with a continental group. Furthermore, the division between Europe and Asia falls in the Ural mountains. I hadn’t even noticed the distortion of the states Michigan is particularly bad.

I don’t think I’m going to tackle the overall usability issues though and instead will continue to focus on the infographics.

BTW, I do like the moving average on walkertracker but have to wonder about the use of area graphs…;~)

]]> By: Andrea http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-13231 Andrea Tue, 15 May 2007 17:10:55 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-13231 Right on, Clint. The shading under the line graphs is pretty darn useless. I would much rather see an x-day moving average overlaid on the line graph, much like those shown in the profile stats for users of http://www.walkertracker.com/. I'm trying not to have a knee-jerk reaction to interface changes, as today is the first time I've seen them on my own reports... That disclaimer aside, I do have to say that I really don't care for the new geo-map overlay. While I do like that it's clickable, a shortcoming of the prior version, it feels pretty cumbersome to me and the text links for "detail level" offered are inconsistent from one zoom level to the next, a VERY big usability no-no. The new paradigm of zooming out with a magnifying glass but zooming in with text links is just plain counterintuitive; why can't we have controls of both kinds in both zoom directions? While I know this is really trivial, it's also terribly depressing to me how badly distorted Michigan appears. A lot of the usefulness of the graphic is destroyed by the distortion - no more at-a-glance comprehension; I can't tell where the land ends and the lakes begin, so I've completely lost my frame of reference for the west side of the state and everything "up north." Not cool. The rest, however, I'm looking forward to exploring. It is indeed pretty! Right on, Clint. The shading under the line graphs is pretty darn useless. I would much rather see an x-day moving average overlaid on the line graph, much like those shown in the profile stats for users of http://www.walkertracker.com/. I’m trying not to have a knee-jerk reaction to interface changes, as today is the first time I’ve seen them on my own reports…

That disclaimer aside, I do have to say that I really don’t care for the new geo-map overlay. While I do like that it’s clickable, a shortcoming of the prior version, it feels pretty cumbersome to me and the text links for “detail level” offered are inconsistent from one zoom level to the next, a VERY big usability no-no. The new paradigm of zooming out with a magnifying glass but zooming in with text links is just plain counterintuitive; why can’t we have controls of both kinds in both zoom directions?

While I know this is really trivial, it’s also terribly depressing to me how badly distorted Michigan appears. A lot of the usefulness of the graphic is destroyed by the distortion – no more at-a-glance comprehension; I can’t tell where the land ends and the lakes begin, so I’ve completely lost my frame of reference for the west side of the state and everything “up north.” Not cool.

The rest, however, I’m looking forward to exploring. It is indeed pretty!

]]> By: Clint http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-13228 Clint Tue, 15 May 2007 14:54:27 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-13228 thanks Bob! It was a good thing I wasn't eating when I discovered that particular 'feature'... thanks Bob! It was a good thing I wasn’t eating when I discovered that particular ‘feature’…

]]> By: Bob Page http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-13227 Bob Page Tue, 15 May 2007 14:46:19 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-13227 Great example, Clint. I'm a fan of sparklines but couldn't put my finger on why the GA beta sparklines weren't quite doing it for me. You nailed it. The "compare to past" sparkline is a riot! Great example, Clint. I’m a fan of sparklines but couldn’t put my finger on why the GA beta sparklines weren’t quite doing it for me. You nailed it.

The “compare to past” sparkline is a riot!

]]> By: Eric T. Peterson http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-13204 Eric T. Peterson Tue, 15 May 2007 01:03:48 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-13204 Clint, I love your example sparkline and fully agree that while GA's implementation of sparklines is a big step in the right direction there is still some walking to do. Nice work talking a good concept and telling Google how to make it great. Eric T. Peterson http://www.webanalyticsdemystified.com Clint, I love your example sparkline and fully agree that while GA’s implementation of sparklines is a big step in the right direction there is still some walking to do. Nice work talking a good concept and telling Google how to make it great.

Eric T. Peterson
http://www.webanalyticsdemystified.com

]]> By: SEO News Tips and Tricks » Blog Archive » The new Google Analytics is pretty http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-13191 SEO News Tips and Tricks » Blog Archive » The new Google Analytics is pretty Mon, 14 May 2007 20:09:21 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-13191 [...] Clint Ivy at Instant Cognition breaks it down. [...] [...] Clint Ivy at Instant Cognition breaks it down. [...]

]]> By: The new Google Analytics is pretty « Search Engine Blog http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/comment-page-1/#comment-13190 The new Google Analytics is pretty « Search Engine Blog Mon, 14 May 2007 19:30:24 +0000 http://blog.instantcognition.com/web-analytics/2007/05/14/google-analytics-and-sparklines/#comment-13190 [...] Clint Ivy at Instant Cognition breaks it down. [...] [...] Clint Ivy at Instant Cognition breaks it down. [...]

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