Analytics: request tracking on back link breadcrumbs

[sterkenburgsara]

Description

The week prior to office hours on 9/16/2024, we realized that the breadcrumb event tracking in GA4 wasn't pulling data from details pages that utilize back link breadcrumbs in lieu of the traditional V3 breadcrumb component. This is likely because no teams have tracking implemented on it since this isn't captured automatically. After confirming w/ appointments team (who has had back link breadcrumbs the longest) that they aren't actively tracking data on it, we posed the question about how to pursue tracking to analytics team in the #vfs-analytics channel. It is likely that no teams in the health portal have tracking enabled on details pages, so a single event strategy that all teams could implement would be beneficial for research/metrics collection long-term.

User story

As a Cartography team member, I want to be able to understand how users are navigating the portal, and in order to compare various types of navigation to the usage of secondary navigation, I need to collect data on breadcrumb usage, including back link breadcrumbs.

Notes

• Slack thread w/ appointments team - they don't think they're collecting data on back link breadcrumbs, but Jeff Roof mentioned that he would look into it. Thread here.
• Slack thread in #vfs-analytics channel here

Possible tasks:

• [x] See if appointments team has a strategy implemented. If so, can we piggy back off of it?
  • Appointments does not have tracking implemented on back breadcrumbs
• [x] If not, fill out analytics ticket for custom event to track back link breadcrumbs
  • ticket here
• [x] Go to analytics office hours to get clarification on the best approach
• [x] Tag/connect Robyn on communications about this

Acceptance criteria

• [ ] a strategy has been identified and is being implemented
• [ ] Teams are aware of what to do in order to get data collection on back link breadcrumbs

[fmccaf1]

Important to ask about timelines in conversations about scope

[sterkenburgsara]

Update: went to analytics office hours today to ask about the back link breadcrumbs tracking. It sounds like VADS may need to add tracking to this component on their end, but Jamie wants to look at the implementation in a few places to better speak to how this might be set up. If it should be set up independent of VADS, then custom process will need to be implemented by all teams who leverage back link breadcrumbs in the health portal. This will include shutting off the current analytics event on this element (which is on the link component) and setting up a custom event.

In order to investigate, Jamie needs a few test users, URLs and use cases to examine herself in staging. I will provide those asap - probably tomorrow in the body of the request ticket I placed with their team.

I have some other outstanding questions around some differentiated use cases for back link breadcrumbs, some of which do not match the current component that's in VADS and may require adjustment and further dev implementation notes. I brought this conversation to the IA CoP for further conversation & will circle back.

[sterkenburgsara]

cc @rbsingleton

[sterkenburgsara]

Based on some Q&A with Mikki about use-cases for <- Back link "breadcrumbs" will be moving forward with one implementation request to cover all requests, and will be able to divide analytics out by link text (generic or specific) as needed.

[sterkenburgsara]

Update: 10/30/24 - provided use cases to Jamie in analytics request ticket. Moving to blocked since this is now in analytics' hands.