Sankey Diagrams in Google Analytics
According to Visualization Expert Edward Tufte This Sankey diagram is “Probably the best statistical graphic ever drawn”
It tells the story of the losses suffered by Napoleon's army in the Russian campaign of 1812. Beginning at the Polish-Russian border, the thick band shows the size of the army at each position. The path of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in the bitterly cold winter is depicted by the dark lower band.
Google recently announced an addition to Google Analytics that uses the same visualization technique to show you how your users move across you site. The call it Flow visualization.
Some pictures:
Browser – Product Catalog – Shopping Cart – Login – Order
Country (France selected) - Product Catalog – Shopping Cart – Login – Order
A very nice addition with which we (website owners) get to play within the next weeks… Looking forward to that.