Corresponding app: https://github.com/themihel/Design-Pattern-Analysis-App
Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3473856.3473987
Background of this repository is a framework to give researchers the opportunity to have a look into closed source apps using their, mostly present, web app. It is possible to run different tests, like turning specific design patterns on or off. Any change using the functionality of Javascript and CSS is possible. Also you can track different groups to construct a study based on your need. Furthermore this platform can be used for any other field study using own content.
composer install && npm install
docker-compose up
The build process minifies the javascript and CSS files and moves them to the corresponding directory in the public folder to be accessible through the internet.
gulp build
GET / - Method to check if the server is up and running
POST /trackaction - Method to receive data from the app (configured already)
GET /statistics/generate - Method to generate session data
Regarding the prerequisites, care was taken to ensure that they can be met with minimal resources. In the case of universities, such servers are usually provided by the data center, but also very many (almost all) external hosters with this service can be used.
- Apache Server (Config is provided, in case of NGINX you have to adapt the redirect rules)
- PHP
- MySQL
The following part explains the content and usage of relevant folders to adapt.
Each folder is meant for a specific group.
For example you can configure your app that the trial group uses modification/1 and the control group modification/2, other groups can be added on your choice.
Each folder should at least include the styles.css and script.js file as the app references them by name.
The first part of the javascript indicates the version which will be send to the app. For the proof of concept study a following concept was used:
Version 1 = Group 1 Week 1
Version 2 = Group 1 Week 2
Version 3 = Group 2 Week 1
// ...
But you can adapt this to your needs and only need to keep track of the association.
This folder includes a SQL file for creating a initial database for tracking action which are received in the trackaction.
The included json file needs to be adapted to your database configuration.
A session is defined by the time period between opening and closing the app, which were separate tracked event themselves. All events within this period belong to the corresponding user session. Within the session, the number of visits to certain pages and the cumulative duration of the stay on each page is stored. Although this results in a loss of information content, for example how long individual stays of certain pages were, this form of data is still sufficient to draw conclusions.
Feel free to contact me.