User Session

A User Session is a session that represents a continuous period of application usage by an application user within an application.

• AKA: Usage Session, Application Session, User Visit.
• Context:
  • Session Input: User Credentials, Device Information, User Preferences
    • Optional Input: Previous Session Data, User Profile, Usage History
  • Session Output: Usage Data, Activity Logs, Performance Metrics
  • Session Performance Measures: Engagement Level, Activity Count, Duration
  • ...
  • It can (typically) have a Session Start marked by authentication or initial interaction.
  • It can (typically) have a Session End triggered by explicit logout, timeout, or inactivity threshold.
  • It can (typically) maintain Session State through state management mechanisms.
  • It can (typically) track User Activity through event logging.
  • ...
  • It can (often) collect Usage Metrics such as interaction counts and feature usage.
  • It can (often) support Session Recovery through state preservation.
  • It can (often) generate Analytics Data for user behavior analysis.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Brief User Session to being an Extended User Session, depending on duration.
  • It can range from being a Passive User Session to being an Active User Session, depending on interaction level.
  • It can range from being an Anonymous User Session to being an Authenticated User Session, depending on user identification.
  • It can range from being a Single-Device Session to being a Cross-Device Session, depending on access pattern.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Digital Entertainment Sessions:
    • Gaming Sessions:
      • Console Gaming Session for console platforms.
      • Mobile Gaming Session for mobile devices.
      • PC Gaming Session for computer platforms.
    • Media Consumption Sessions:
      • Video Streaming Session for video content.
      • Music Listening Session for audio content.
      • Podcast Session for spoken content.
  • Social Platform Sessions:
    • Social Network Sessions:
      • Profile Browsing Session for connection exploration.
      • Content Sharing Session for media distribution.
      • Messaging Session for communication exchange.
    • Community Platform Sessions:
      • Forum Discussion Session for topic engagement.
      • Group Chat Session for real-time interaction.
      • Collaborative Session for team activity.
  • Productivity Application Sessions:
    • Work Application Sessions:
      • Document Editing Session for content creation.
      • Data Analysis Session for information processing.
      • Project Management Session for task coordination.
    • Learning Platform Sessions:
      • Course Access Session for educational content.
      • Practice Session for skill development.
      • Assessment Session for knowledge evaluation.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Page Impressions, which represent single views.
  • System Processes, which run without user interaction.
  • Background Tasks, which execute autonomously.
  • Service Operations, which provide infrastructure support.
• See: User, Session, User Engagement, Application Usage, Session Management, User Experience.

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References

2020

• (Wikipedia, 2020) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Session_(web_analytics)#Definition Retrieved:2020-12-9.
  • The definition of "session" varies, particularly when applied to search engines. Generally, a session is understood to consist of "a sequence of requests made by a single end-user during a visit to a particular site".In the context of search engines, "sessions" and "query sessions" have at least two definitions.A session or query session may be all queries made by a user in a particular time periodor it may also be a series of queries or navigations with a consistent underlying user need.

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