Google Analytics Redesign

by KEVIN SILVER :: MAY 15, 2007 :: COMMENTS (1)

Google recently released a redesigned version of the Google Analytics interface. Leading the charge was Jeff Veen, formerly of Adaptive Path and now a user experience team lead at Google. Veen moved over to Google when Google purchased Measure Map from Adaptive Path. Measure Map is a blog analytics application designed and built by Adaptive Path. It is also an exercise in interface love. The design is simple and yet powerful.

I had heard rumors that Veen and team was working on incorporating elements from the Measure Map interface into Google Analytics. This could not have happened soon enough. We use Google Analytics constantly and we recommend our clients to use it as well. But, I have had issues with the interface for a long time, it is not intuitive. The perfect example is to try and go find all the search engine key words used by visitors to your site. In the old interface this information was buried in a report labeled, “Overall Keyword Conversion” that was housed in the “Marketing Optimization > Search Engine Marketing” section. To this day I’m still unsure if this is exactly the report I was looking for. In the new interface, I simply go to “Traffic Sources” and then “Keywords.” Simple!

When I’m looking at our analytics, I’m interested in four things: who are the site visitors, where are they coming from, what are they doing on the site, and are they following any designed paths/funnels. These tasks are reflected in the main navigation scheme of the new interface: Visitors, Traffics Sources, Content, and Goals. The new scheme groups tasks accordingly and simplifies the overall navigation, at least according to my mental model.

Veen wrote about the impending release of the new interface on his blog. There are over 60 comments, some positive and some negative. The negative comments were interesting and it reminded me of the overall power of a user interface. Users do become attached to an interface regardless of quirks. They personify or even become possessive of it: “What did you do to my web stats site?“ Remember that in this case the function of the application is relatively the same (report web stats), it is the presentation and interaction that have been changed.

Similarly, over the weekend I went to the drum shop to pick up a new set of drumsticks, in my mind the ultimate interaction device. I’ve been using the same make and model pretty consistently for 20 years, but the shop didn’t carry them. I was forced to change my interface, I bought another pair of drumsticks that were similar yet different in weight and overall feel. And yes they felt different -- a good different -- yet the function stayed the same. But the interface and subsequently the interaction changed. The new sticks made me rethink how I interact with the drums, due to their feel, which unlatched a myriad of possibilities and creativity.

Redesigning an existing interface is tricky business, especially when modifying learned usage paths. I don’t think there is one best way to redesign an interface without a disruption for some users, whether you incrementally release modifications or do a wholesale redesign. Designers need to be aware of the attachment user develop with their interfaces, though change could be compelling. As a user of Google Analytics, I’m embracing the new version not only because it is easier to use, but because it has also allowed me to see things differently, which is a good thing.

tags: DESIGN, GOOGLE ANALYTICS, GOOGLE ANALYTICS REDESIGN, INTERFACE REDESIGN

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