Making sense of tracking data

One main advantage of using computers for communications is that all media consumption can be monitored, recorded, and studied. While server logs files can be analyzed to identify the ways in which people make use of a website, single user logs can be utilized to understand an individual’s cognitive processes. This book comprises a holistic approach to the authoring of interactive stories that starts with the creation of an interactive narrative (a mix of virtual reality with film) and concludes with a scientific pursuit based on the analysis of user behavior. Anchored in theoretical frameworks derived from mass communication, information science, and psychology, the book shows the potential of integrating the design of interactive storytelling with actual user experience. New media researchers and developers, as well as new media artists and writers, will find the concepts and the methods presented in this book practical and valuable, giving them a clear path to understanding how digital media projects can be improved by taking advantage of the significance intrinsic to tracking data.