In August, I launched a small bit of code that enabled me to track the common habits of Prevue customers - but with a twist... my tracking doesn't tell me anything about people.

Instead, this code anonymously records and analyses exactly how Prevue is being used. It tells me the amount of times certain actions have been performed, how many errors have been seen, and the common user journeys people are taking.

For example; I can tell you that on any given second in September, an average of 3 actions were being performed within the app. Or that almost everyone renames their images after uploading.

Track for a cause

This method of analysis is great for a variety of reasons. Not only do I get a more detailed report of how Prevue is performing from a technical perspective (i.e. speed and number of errors), but I get a much clearer idea of how people are actually engaging with their accounts. For example, if people are doing the same repetitive tasks in a row, perhaps there's a way Prevue can streamline that process.

Additionally, my tracking generates a leaderboard of popular features within the app... a report that proved to be the most useful.

A surprise entry

I was shocked to that 'Replace' was number 3 on my list of popular features... and on closer inspection, the reports revealed that almost 70% of images uploaded are later replaced by a new version.

Seventy percent!

That's a huge amount, and if I'm honest, I had no idea it was such a widely used feature... if I'd known, I would have definitely made the act of replacing an image easier.

So, announcing a new way to replace

Why track if you're not going to act on those results? Clearly, people needed an easier way to replace images — and since editing is the most commonly used tool, why not combine the two?

Starting this week, you can replace images simple by dragging a new version directly from your computer onto the edit page. It's fast, easy, and doesn't take you away from the action. Here's a quick video of it in action:

Tip of the iceberg

This is just one of the many benefits to watching how people interact with Prevue, and a great example of gaining valuable insight whilst also respecting privacy. It'll be interesting to see how well this is received - and it'll be the first of many subtle ways in which Prevue will improve your workflow.