Analytics is the discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data.

First: some context on big data and analytics

Every company is becoming a software company. Every software company is becoming a data company.

“Big Data” and “Analytics” are kind of a thing right now.

job security.

Cool data stories

Johannes KeplerTycho Brahe aka science walrus

Johannes KeplerTycho Brahe

John Snow Figured out Cholera spreads through water. No one believed him :(

Next: applying analytics to your business

Use analytics to measure progress toward a goal. Use analytics to test new hypotheses. Use analytics to explore.

What is the goal of your app? Write down at least one goal for an app that you’ve worked on. Be prepared to share it with the class.

How do you measure your progress toward that goal? Assuming you could record anything in your app, what would you measure to test your progress toward your goal?

A common goal: engagement Downloads App Launches Account creations Views Posts Shares/Tweets/ s Purchases

Introducing Event Data

Time Action (verb) State (nouns) { timestamp: T19:10: , item: sophisticated orange turtleneck with deer on it, cost: 469.5, payment_method: Bank Simple VISA, customer: { name: Francis Woodbury, age: 28, personality: sullen, }, store: { name: Yupster Things, city: San Francisco, state: California, address: 467 West Portal Ave, } }; purchase =

Example Data Model App: People Directory Events: Opens, Closes, Searches, Calls, s, Texts, Modifications Nouns: User, App, Device/Platform, Record

Examples Nouns: User, Company, Organization, Team, Platform, Device, App, Level, Garden, Favorites, Message, Interests, Inventory, Cart, Location, Item, Record, Product, Account, Form, Picture, Story Verbs: Login, Upgrade, Submit, Scroll, Send, Share, Search, Logout, Invite, Check-In, Vote, Purchase, Level Up, Favorite, Vote, Crash, Rate, Start, Modify, Check, View, Capture

Rules of thumb for event data 5-10 nouns are important in your app 5-10 verbs are important in your app Nouns and their properties are your data model. Verbs are the actions you should record. Try to record maximum information about nouns with every event.

Exercise I (10min) Pair with the person next to you. Pick 1 event (action) in your app and create a data model for it. What nouns and properties can you record for this event? Prepare to share your results with the class.

Next: Common Analytics Techniques

Segmentation / Filtering Sorting data into buckets. Commonly used to sort users into groups. Examples: Gender, Age, Location, Department, Referrer, Version, Device Any property you record with an event can be used in filtering.

Exercise II – 5min 1. Recall the event you modeled in the previous exercise. 2. Think about the properties you could record for that event. 3. Think of at least one property you would like to use for filtering or segmentation. Be prepared to share it with the class.

A/B Testing aka Split Testing 21% more people clicked on the red button than on the green button!

Example of split testing data Which version of the form was more effective? Signup Events

Name an example of something in your app that you would like to A/B test.

Funnels Launched App: 550 Performed Search: 548 Viewed Contact: 369 Contacted: 225 opportunity!

Frequently used terms Conversion Retention DAU/MAU

Cohort Analysis A cohort is a group of people who share a common characteristic over a certain period of time.

Cohort Analysis

Analytics

Analytics Architecture Analytics DB App Servers events

Analytics Architecture FreeCloud ServiceDIY Flurry Google Analytics Keen IO Mixpanel MongoDB SQL Omniture Vertica :( Traditional

Mobile Analytics Considerations Battery Life Offline Usage Geo Data (ability to record location) Sessions User ID

Exercise III (Hands-on) Send event data from your iOS app (Go to dataclassroom.com for links.) 1. Install the Keen IO iOS client library 2. Send one or more events 3. Run a count on the number of events 4. Run a count with a filter on one of your custom properties 5. Export your data to see what it looks like in Excel

Exercise IV (Group or Individual) Build a data model for your app. 1. Identify the key actions to record 2. Identify the key objects (nouns) 3. Identify the event properties 4. Identify 3 ways to measure engagement 5. Outline a funnel for this app

Exercise V (Group) Go around the room and discuss how to measure engagement for a variety of apps.

Mobile Analytics Considerations Global Properties