Video Analytics Dashboard
The Video Analytics dashboard displays aggregate and session-level viewing behavior for video activities recorded with the xAPI Video Profile. Use it to review watch time, plays, unique viewers, playback speed, second-by-second audience retention, screen sizes, daily activity, and individual viewing sessions.
This article explains the data requirements, how to open the dashboard, how to select a video, and how to interpret each section.
Video data requirements
For useful results, the statements should consistently identify the video activity and viewing session and should record the applicable playback events and extensions. Common events include initialized, played, paused, seeked, completed, and terminated. Useful extensions include video length, current time, progress, played segments, playback speed, and screen size.
Use a consistent activity ID and session or registration identifier. If the same video is reported under different activity IDs, Veracity Learning treats those records as different activities.
To test the dashboard, download the sample xAPI Video Profile dataset and import the JSON statements into a test LRS. Select All Time when viewing this sample so all included statements are available to the dashboard.
How to open the Video Analytics dashboard
- Open the LRS that contains the video statements.
- Select Analytics from the LRS menu.
- Select Dashboards, then select Browse Dashboards.
- Open the Advanced Dashboards tab.
- Select Video Analytics.
The Video Analytics dashboard is available from the Advanced Dashboards tab.
How to select a video
- Set the Time Range. Use All Time when you need the complete history or when working with the sample dataset.
- Enter part of the activity title in the search box, or select a video from the list.
- Select Cybersecurity Basics for Small Business to open the example shown in this article.
Use the time range and search field to locate the video activity represented in the LRS.
The picker searches video activities already represented by xAPI data in the selected LRS. It does not search the local file system or an external video hosting service.
Dashboard controls
- Set Parameters — Select a different video activity without returning to the picker.
- Back to Browse Videos — Return to the video activity list.
- Filter Dashboard — Add field, operator, and value rules to narrow the underlying xAPI statements. Not every widget supports the global filter.
- Bookmark — Save or assign the configured dashboard for easier access, depending on the available LRS permissions and configuration.
Video information and summary metrics
The top of the dashboard identifies the selected activity and displays available media metadata, such as duration, resolution, and frame rate. The summary cards report:
- Average Watch Time — the average percentage viewed across the analyzed sessions.
- Total Plays — the dashboard's reported play count for the selected period.
- Unique Viewers — the number of distinct learners represented in the data.
- Average Playback Speed — the average reported viewing speed.
The overview displays media information, summary metrics, the optional video preview, and audience retention.
In the Cybersecurity Basics for Small Business example, the 1 minute 28 second video reports 2,378 total plays, 50 unique viewers, 78.32 percent average watch time, and an average playback speed of 1×. The high number of plays per viewer was designed to demonstrate repeat viewing. In production data, compare repeat use with the purpose of the resource before interpreting it as positive or negative.
Audience Retention Heatmap
The Audience Retention Heatmap shows the number of views recorded at each second of the video. Higher points identify seconds that were viewed or replayed more often. Lower points may indicate seeking, abandonment, or fewer viewers reaching that point.
In the sample, video viewing declines through the first portion of the video, rises near the middle, and then tapers. The increase near the middle may represent replaying or seeking to a useful segment, perhaps a segment aligned with specific learning or performance objectives.
Synchronized video preview — If the xAPI activity object ID is a direct, browser-accessible URL to an MP4 file, Veracity Learning can display the video above the heatmap. As you scrub through the video, the dashboard shows the corresponding position in the retention data in real time. If the object ID is an internal identifier, or the browser cannot access the file, the analytics may still work but the video preview may not appear.
Daily Plays and Screen Sizes
Daily Plays
Daily Plays plots viewing activity over time. Use it to identify activity associated with a launch, reminder, campaign, refresher period, or an unexpected gap. The range selector beneath the chart can focus on a smaller interval without changing the entire dashboard time range.
Screen Sizes
Screen Sizes groups reported viewport dimensions and displays their counts. Use this information to determine whether learners primarily view the video on desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile-sized screens. This can help identify whether small text, detailed diagrams, or other visual elements should be revised for smaller displays.
Daily Plays and Screen Sizes provide time and device context before the session-level details.
Session Log
The Session Log connects the aggregate dashboard metrics to individual viewing sessions. Each row identifies the learner, date, reported device or viewport, engagement label, and completion percentage. Use the search and status controls to narrow the list, then expand a row to examine the recorded behavior for that session.
An expanded session may include:
An expanded session may include:
- Session duration and maximum progress reached
- Total interaction count
- Counts of plays, pauses, seeks, completions, and terminations
- A User Viewed Segments timeline showing which portions were played, paused, skipped, completed, or terminated
Expand a session to review the interactions and viewed-segment timeline behind the summary.
How to interpret engagement labels
The Session Log can label a viewing session Engaged, Distracted, Skimmed, or with a combination of available labels. These labels summarize patterns inferred from recorded video-player behavior and help identify sessions that may require closer review.
- Engaged — The recorded playback pattern is more consistent with active viewing.
- Distracted — The pattern includes behavior that may warrant investigation, such as interruptions or fragmented viewing.
- Skimmed — The pattern suggests rapid or selective viewing rather than continuous playback.
Engagement is evaluated at the session level; one learner may have different labels across sessions.
Engagement and completion describe different aspects of a session. A learner may reach 100 percent after repeated pauses or seeks, while another learner may watch continuously only to a task-relevant point. Expand the session and review duration, progress, plays, pauses, seeks, and the viewed-segment timeline before drawing a conclusion.
The engagement labels are behavioral indicators, not permanent learner attributes, grades, camera-based attention measurements, or proof that learning occurred. Interpret them with assessment results, performance data, and the context in which the video was used.
How to use the dashboard findings
- Review heatmap peaks with the corresponding video segment to determine whether the content is valuable, frequently referenced, or difficult to understand.
- Review early declines to determine whether the introduction is too long, the purpose is unclear, or the audience already knows the material.
- Compare screen-size patterns with the visual design and make important text and demonstrations usable on the devices learners use.
- Review distracted and skimmed sessions across multiple learners and sessions rather than treating a single label as a conclusion.
- Compare viewing behavior with assessments or performance outcomes when evaluating instructional effectiveness.
Related information
For general information about dashboards, see Analytics Dashboards and Widgets. For information about creating and browsing dashboards, see LRS Custom Dashboards and Charts.