This invention relates generally to determining performance of communication channels, and more particularly to evaluating effects of technical characteristics of a communication channel with user perception of the communication channel's performance.
Various systems provide an increasing amount of content to client devices for presentation to users via one or more networks. Client devices are coupled to a network via one or more communication channels to obtain content provided by various systems. For example, a system coupled to a network provides audio or video data to client devices that are coupled to the network via one or more communication channels, allowing users of the client devices to access the audio or video data.
While systems providing content or systems that maintain networks through which content is distributed may capture technical data describing performance of the networks, user perception of a communication channel with a network is affected by various factors outside of the network. For example, a system providing a network is unable to control content or other services requested by a user through a client device that may affect the user's interaction with content provided via the communication channel with the network. Additionally, configuring communication channels to optimize transmission of content between a system and a client device is increasingly complex, making it difficult for a system to configure communication of content to various client devices in different locations or communicating via different types of communication channels. Further, communication channels configuration or operation, as well as client device functionality or usage, may change over time, making it difficult to optimize use of client devices or communication channels over time. For example, over time, users may request more video or dynamic content from mobile devices, which may warrant modification of how a system communicating the content is configured over time. Accordingly, conventionally obtained technical data describing performance of a communication channel provides little information about how the technical data relates to user perception of the communication channel's performance. Hence, a system providing content through or maintaining networks are unable to accurately identify modifications to one or more technical characteristics of communication channel with a network to improve how users perceive performance of the communication channel; such improved perception may increase user consumption of content through the communication channel, increasing revenue to the system.