Workshop outline

Presentations > Site Search Analytics workshop > Workshop Outline

Workshop Outline

What is Site Search Analytics (SSA)?
A brief primer on what the data is and what we can learn from it. Cover search log anatomy, introduce samples of common reports. Explore Zipf distribution (long tail, short head, middle torso).
The Point of SSA
Overview of methods for determining what users want, and how SSA is different from and complementary with traditional methods. Demonstrate the value of data-driven analysis for designers.
SSA Demonstration
Introduce generic questions that can be asked of any data set. Live demonstration of basic analytics to indicate sessions, patterns, and failures.
Technical Stuff: the nuts and bolts of SSA
The three ways queries are captured. Comparison of reports from a variety of tools (search engine, web analytics).
Exercise/Discussion: Pattern Analysis
Hands-on analysis to determine frequent queries, query categories, metadata values and attributes, and content types. Plumb the impact of seasonality/time.
Improving Navigation and Metadata
Using SSA to generate metadata attributes and types, determine synonyms, popular terms, major categories. Improve contextual navigation.
Exercise/Discussion: Failure Analysis
Analyze failures (e.g., common failed queries, navigational failures) to diagnose problems, suggest possible fixes or follow-up research.
Improving Content
Tuning content and titling to improve findability. Identify and plug content gaps. Determine common content types.
Exercise/Discussion: Session Analysis
Identifying and sampling sessions. Looking for patterns within sessions, and learning from the changes that commonly take place during sessions.
Improving Search
Interface design improvements to query entry UI, search results presentation, and search refinement UI.
SSA and UX methodology
How SSA fills a quantitative hole within typically qualitative UX methodologies. Show how SSA can improve task analysis, personas, and other traditional UX methods.
Advanced Topics/Discussion
As time permits, compare web-wide and local queries, discuss SSA's impact on business strategy, when and how to sample the Long Tail, and how to get SSA embedded within your organization.






	Presentations > Site Search Analytics workshop > Workshop Outline		Workshop Outline What is Site Search Analytics (SSA)? A brief primer on what the data is and what we can learn from it. Cover search log anatomy, introduce samples of common reports. Explore Zipf distribution (long tail, short head, middle torso). The Point of SSA Overview of methods for determining what users want, and how SSA is different from and complementary with traditional methods. Demonstrate the value of data-driven analysis for designers. SSA Demonstration Introduce generic questions that can be asked of any data set. Live demonstration of basic analytics to indicate sessions, patterns, and failures. Technical Stuff: the nuts and bolts of SSA The three ways queries are captured. Comparison of reports from a variety of tools (search engine, web analytics). Exercise/Discussion: Pattern Analysis Hands-on analysis to determine frequent queries, query categories, metadata values and attributes, and content types. Plumb the impact of seasonality/time. Improving Navigation and Metadata Using SSA to generate metadata attributes and types, determine synonyms, popular terms, major categories. Improve contextual navigation. Exercise/Discussion: Failure Analysis Analyze failures (e.g., common failed queries, navigational failures) to diagnose problems, suggest possible fixes or follow-up research. Improving Content Tuning content and titling to improve findability. Identify and plug content gaps. Determine common content types. Exercise/Discussion: Session Analysis Identifying and sampling sessions. Looking for patterns within sessions, and learning from the changes that commonly take place during sessions. Improving Search Interface design improvements to query entry UI, search results presentation, and search refinement UI. SSA and UX methodology How SSA fills a quantitative hole within typically qualitative UX methodologies. Show how SSA can improve task analysis, personas, and other traditional UX methods. Advanced Topics/Discussion As time permits, compare web-wide and local queries, discuss SSA's impact on business strategy, when and how to sample the Long Tail, and how to get SSA embedded within your organization. ©2008 Louis Rosenfeld LLC. All rights reserved.