I held off writing about the new version of Google Analytics because my Web site’s statistics had not been converted to the new stuff yet. Now it has. My first take—this is a huge improvement.
Unless I am missing something (entirely possible), I think the numbers are mostly the same. What’s changed is the design and the visualization of the user interface.
As someone who worked with some fantastic designers while at ibm.com, I have to say that Google has outdone itself. The look has just enough visualizations and has done a much better job with typography—the numbers are big and bold to really stand out.
My experience with user interface changes is that it is typical for them to be received skeptically or even negatively at first, even when they eventually prove to be well-founded. Many people just like what they are used to, rather than having to deal with a change that requires relearning tasks they already know.
But this change just seems too good. I was used to the old interface but this one immediately felt more comfortable, even though it is new. I’ll leave it to Avinash Kaushik, Web metrics expert and now a consultant to Google, to lay out all the great new stuff in Google Analytics, but my first impression is overwhelmingly positive. If you thought that you couldn’t afford easy-to-use analytics, check out the new Google Analytics.
