Google unveils Chrome User Experience Report to let developers see how visitors use websites

If you've ever wondered what happens to the data Google collects via Chrome, today's announcement gives you something of an idea. The newly unveiled Chrome User Experience Report is a collection of data from users who have opted in to usage statistic reporting, the idea being that developers will be able to see how users experience the websites they visit.

Google launched the new tool at the Chrome Dev Summit 2017 in San Francisco, and at the same time also announced Trusted Web Activity. This is essentially a way to provide app-like behavior in Chrome to create a more cohesive experience.

Google explains that Chrome User Data Report provides "insight into comparisons with other sites [and] macro user experience trends across the web." The initial dataset is built from 10,000 samples, with the focus being on loading metrics. In future, the metrics will be expanded to other areas so it will be more useful to developers looking to improve their sites.

Announcing the launch of the Chrome User Experience Report, Google says:

By querying the dataset, developers can understand how real Chrome users experience the web from the diverse set of hardware, software, and networks they use in the wild. Analyzing many origins on the web will help site developers and the web community understand where they are doing well, identify areas for improvement, and observe advancements in user experience over time.

You can find out more on the Chrome User Experience Report page.

Trusted Web Activity will make its way to the Developer and Canary builds of Chrome very soon, and the "app-in-a-browser-tab" experience will also be coming to other browsers thanks to APIs in the Android support library.

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