Monday, October 15, 2012

Why I love the new Google Developer Console

Today Google released the preview of their new Developer Console to everyone.  I love it!  Why you may ask.  Well as someone who checks the statistics and ratings everyday of several applications, it's much easier to read and navigate.  The layout and design of the tables is very clean, allowing one to quickly get an overview of the current state of each application.



The new design allows you to quickly move between the statistics, ratings, app description, and apk uploads.  Previously you had to navigate between tabs and do a lot of extra clicking to get to similar pieces of information.



Yes, the new layout is very refreshing and I look forward to the other features that Google has in store for us developers.  What do you think?  Leave comments/feedback.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Game Development: Using Google Analytics to track user flow

Recently we have begun to take advantage of the flow visualizations available from Google Analytics for analyzing user behavior in Word Crank.



What is a Flow Report?
"Flow Reports in Google Analytics illustrate the paths visitors take through your website...In one graphic, you can see how visitors enter, engage, and exit your site. " -- Google Analytics

One aspect of these diagrams that I especially appreciate is the ability to compare two different time frames and see how the user flow differs.  I really recommend this if you include a new feature in your application and want to see what impact it has on user behavior.

How to Compare Two Dates:

  1. Select Compare to Past

  2. Choose a second date range

  3. Choose similar time periods ( full months or weeks )




Happy flow reporting!