Introducing USSD User Journey Tracking
Summary: Samuel Kinyua introduced a new feature for USSD applications that allows developers to track user navigation via a custom header named at-ussd-hop-metadata. This feature provides insights into user behavior by displaying session paths on client dashboards and sending hop metadata through callbacks. Developers should ensure the metadata stays within 99 characters, excludes the pipe character, and does not contain sensitive information. The update aims to enhance visibility into user journeys within USSD sessions.
Understanding how users navigate your USSD applications just got easier.
We've launched a new feature allowing developers to track the user journey through the various hops, or steps, a user passes through during a USSD session. This update provides greater visibility into session paths and user behavior directly from your application.
How to Implement Journey Tracking
Tracking is handled via a straightforward header implementation.
You can set an optional custom header named
at-ussd-hop-metadatato track the user journey.This custom header is to be returned as a response header for all USSD requests to your application.
The value you assign should be text that identifies the specific hop the user is currently on, for example,
WelcomeMenuPage.Once set, it will be included in the next request sent to your application under the same header name.
Dashboard Visibility and Callbacks
The metadata you pass is fully integrated into your monitoring environment.
The header value will be displayed on your client dashboard as part of the session details.
Where an events notification callback is set on your client dashboard, the metadata associated with each hop will be sent as part of the request payload.
This callback data will be located under the specific field
hopsMetadata.The
hopsMetadatafield is formatted as multiple substrings delimited by the pipe character ( ‘ | ’ ), each representing the respective hop metadata.
Constraints and Security Warnings
To ensure the tracking feature processes data correctly and securely, you must adhere to the following rules regarding the header value:
Therefore, take note not to share sensitive details in this header since it is displayed on the dashboard.
This value should neither exceed 99 characters.
The value must not include the pipe character ( ‘ | ’ ).
If the value exceeds the character limit or includes the pipe character, it will be ignored.
You can dive into the updated docs to begin integrating hop metadata into your USSD workflows today.
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