Time spent analysis

Amplitude calculates the time spent on an event as the duration between consecutive events of the specified type. To prevent long periods of inactivity from skewing the analysis, Amplitude applies a 30-minute timeout. If no events of the specified type occur within a 30-minute window, Amplitude closes the current time spent window and begins a new window with the next event.

When you specify a group-by property, such as page URL or page type, any change in its value resets the time spent window. This ensures that Amplitude can attribute time spent to the specific value of the group-by property at the beginning of each window.

In the following example, the timeline represents a set of consecutive page views and their associated page types.

Supported event types

Amplitude supports any event type to define a time spent metric. Page view events are most commonly used for this analysis. You can define page view events in a few ways:

• Primitive page view event: A basic event designed to track page views. For example, the predefined [Amplitude] Page View event.

• Any active event where Event Name ∈ 'Page View': Some taxonomies define page view at the property level. Use a filter to limit event selection to names that contain page view.

• Custom page view event: A combination of primitive events that collectively represent a page view.

Use time spent metrics in data tables

Time spent metrics are available in data tables. Use these metrics to gain insight into user behavior:

• Total time spent on page
  • Definition:
    • The cumulative time spent by all users on a specific page or set of pages.
    • TimeSpent(PV)
• Time spent per user
  • Definition:
    • The average time users spend viewing pages on your site.
    • TimeSpent(PV) / Uniques(PV where TimeSpent(PV) > 0)
• Time spent per page
  • Definition:
    • The average time spent per page event.
    • TimeSpent(PV) / Totals(PV where TimeSpent(PV) > 0)
• Time spent per session
  • Definition:
    • The average time spent on page views per session.
    • TimeSpent(PV) / SessionTotals(where TimeSpent(PV) > 0)

Time spent metrics return results in the specified unit of time, such as seconds, minutes, or hours.

Create a time spent metric

To create a time spent metric:

1. Create a new Data Table or open an existing one.
2. Click +Add Event or Metric.
3. Select the Metrics tab in the dialog. Click +Define new Metric.
4. In the Metric Type selection, scroll to the Time Spent metrics and select the metric you want to use.
5. Optionally, apply a filter to the event and select the unit of time.
6. Click Save.