Skip to main content

Lantern session timeline

Wendy avatar
Written by Wendy
Updated this week

The Session Timeline is a critical component of Lantern Events, providing a detailed view of individual user journeys through your quizzes. This feature allows you to trace each step a user takes, offering granular insights into their interactions and decisions.

Accessing the Session Timeline

To access the Session Timeline, navigate to your Lantern dashboard and select the Advanced Analytics option from the main menu on the left hand-side. Then, from the Lantern Events Panel, click on Explore Events. You’ll find the Session Timeline option located in the bottom left corner of the interface.

Image showing the Advanced Analytics section in the Lantern dashboard with the "Explore Events" button highlighted and clicked, and the Session Timeline option highlighted in the bottom left of the Lantern Events interface.

Navigating the Session Timeline Interface

The Session Timeline interface is intuitively designed to allow you to follow the quiz journey of individual users. Here’s how to navigate this feature:

  • Selecting a Session: To view a specific session, you can either search by a user's email address or by session ID. This flexibility is particularly useful for examining the actions of known users or investigating specific sessions that have been flagged in other analytics reviews.

Image showing the interface where a user can search for a session by email address or session ID to view detailed quiz activity.

  • Timeline Display: The timeline visually represents each action taken by the user during the quiz. Actions are chronologically ordered, showing everything from quiz initiation to completion.

  • Detailed Action Insights: Each point on the timeline provides detailed insights such as the time each action was taken, the type of question displayed, answers submitted, and any interactions with result pages.

In our example we’re analyzing the session of a user who recently completed the "Find your perfect pet food - LIVE" quiz. You can search for this session by entering the user's email in the search bar. Once selected, the timeline will display:

  • Loading the Welcome Screen: The user started the quiz at 2:21 AM. The session ID and exact timestamp are displayed.

Image showing the first action in the timeline where the welcome screen was loaded at 2:21 AM, including the timestamp and session ID.
  • First Question Interaction : At 2:22 AM, the user responded to "What’s the name of your pet?" with "Buddie".

Image showing the timeline entry of the user responding to the first quiz question with "Buddie" at 2:22 AM.
  • Progression Through Quiz: The timeline will show each subsequent question and the user’s responses, such as how active their pet is, their pet’s food preferences, etc.

Image showing the user's progression through subsequent quiz questions with corresponding timestamps and answer details.
  • Completion and Results: At 2:24 AM, the user reached the end of the quiz and viewed their personalized pet’s food recommendations. Each product shown on the results page is logged, along with the timestamp.

Image showing the final quiz interaction where the user reached the results page and viewed product recommendations at 2:24 AM.

This detailed view allows you to trace the user's journey through the quiz, helping you understand their decision-making process and how they interact with different elements of the quiz.

Locating and Using Session IDs

Session IDs are pivotal for tracking and analyzing specific user interactions. To find a session ID, go to the Reporting tab on your Lantern dashboard and select the Sessions report. This report lists all quiz sessions, and you can easily copy the session ID from here.

Image showing the Sessions report under the Reporting tab in the Lantern dashboard, where session IDs can be copied.

For convenience, session IDs are also linked directly to their respective session timelines, allowing you to seamlessly view the detailed journey of any session by simply clicking on the ID link.

Image showing how session IDs in the Sessions report are clickable links that redirect to their corresponding Session Timeline view.

Utilizing Session Timeline for Enhanced Insights

The Session Timeline is an invaluable tool for understanding how individuals interact with your quiz. By analyzing these timelines, you can identify user pain points, optimize flow and content to increase completion rates.

For any queries or further assistance with using the Session Timeline, please contact our support team.

Did this answer your question?