Personas

Same page, five people

One homepage, five visitors. Each card shows the signals that went in and the rule that changed the hero, the offer, and the notes. The sixth card is this browser, and it updates as you edit the signals.

Same rules as the homepage

Each card calls the homepage decision function. The hero, the offer, and the note order are that result. A highlighted row is one that is not the same on every card. Nothing on this page is written to the database.

With consent off, a card uses request context only: device, referrer, and local time. Stored visit count and pages are not read, and the controls are not saved.

Edit the You card

Toggles and sliders re-run the decision in this browser. They do not change the five examples, and they are not stored.

Device

Referrer

Consent

Visit count (live)

Local hour (live)

Pages viewed

Consent is off, so visit count and pages are not used. The card keeps device, referrer, and local time from this request. Nothing is stored.

Personalized

First visit from search

A phone, a first visit, and a Google referrer. No stored pages yet.

From www.google.com

You came from search.

The referrer is www.google.com. Search arrivals get a direct path into what a browser can reveal on load, before any beacon is sent.

Open the Collection Lab

Read the notes

A useful first note for this visit

What a browser can reveal on page load
What a beacon actually sends

Layout compact, illustration on

Signals

Device: mobile · 390px
Referrer: search · www.google.com
Visit count: 1
Pages viewed: /
Time: 2:10 PM · afternoon · America/Denver
Segment: New visitor, Mobile, Other region
Consent: on

Rule trace

hero · differs
Search referrer
document.referrer points at a search host, so the hero speaks to that arrival instead of using the default introduction.
cta · differs
Baseline call to action
Scroll is under 40%, this is not a known return visit, and the URL has no campaign parameters. The action stays the baseline invitation.
recommendations · differs
Arrival reading
No topic has been read yet. Because this visit has a campaign parameter or a search referrer, the note on what a browser reveals on load is placed first.
layout · differs
Compact viewport
The viewport is under 760px wide. The page tightens spacing. The connection is not slow, so the illustration is still requested.

Personalized

Returning engineer

A desktop return visit after the webhooks lab, the API lab, and two notes read to the end.

Visit 8 on this browser

Welcome back.

This browser has a first-party record of 8 visits. No account and no third-party cookie — local storage on this device is the whole memory.

Engaged reader · see the rule

Read the notes

Because you read about beacons, collection, server

Personalization from the same signals
What a browser can reveal on page load

Layout comfortable, illustration on

Signals

Device: desktop · 1440px
Referrer: direct
Visit count: 8
Pages viewed: /lab/webhooks, /lab/api, /blog/what-a-beacon-actually-sends, /blog/what-the-server-adds
Time: 11:20 AM · morning · America/Los_Angeles
Segment: Returning visitor, Desktop, Engaged reader, Lab explorer, West Coast
Consent: on

Rule trace

hero · differs
Returning visitor
A first-party record in localStorage shows an earlier visit from this browser. The greeting changes because of that count.
cta · differs
Engaged reader
Scroll reached 75% on two or more notes (a note that fits on the screen counts). The primary action opens the segment that matched.
recommendations · differs
Topic affinity
Notes you have not opened are listed first, with unseen topics ahead of ones you already read. The order comes from pages and topics stored for this browser.
layout · differs
Standard image weight
The connection does not look slow and the viewport is wide enough for the comfortable layout. The hero illustration is requested as its own file.

Personalized

Executive from LinkedIn

A wide desktop, a first visit, and a LinkedIn referrer. Company size is not a signal this engine reads.

From www.linkedin.com

You came from a social link.

The referrer is www.linkedin.com. The page can see that host and nothing more about the network that sent you.

Open the Collection Lab

Read the notes

Notes

What a beacon actually sends
What the server adds to a beacon

Layout comfortable, illustration on

Signals

Device: desktop · 1366px
Referrer: social · www.linkedin.com
Visit count: 1
Pages viewed: /
Time: 9:40 AM · morning · America/Chicago
Segment: New visitor, Desktop, Other region
Consent: on

Rule trace

hero · differs
Social referrer
document.referrer points at a social host. The hero acknowledges that instead of the default introduction.
cta · differs
Baseline call to action
Scroll is under 40%, this is not a known return visit, and the URL has no campaign parameters. The action stays the baseline invitation.
recommendations · differs
Date order
No topic, campaign, or search referrer is available to reorder the notes. They stay in date order, which is also the default.
layout · differs
Standard image weight
The connection does not look slow and the viewport is wide enough for the comfortable layout. The hero illustration is requested as its own file.

Personalized

Late return, Save-Data on

A returning visit at 11:40pm with Save-Data on. There is no price field. Save-Data is what changes the layout, and the hour turns on Night owl.

Visit 4 on this browser

Welcome back.

This browser has a first-party record of 4 visits. No account and no third-party cookie — local storage on this device is the whole memory.

Continue in the Collection Lab

Night owl · see the segment

Because you read about personalization, consent

What a beacon actually sends
What the server adds to a beacon

Layout compact, illustration off

Signals

Device: mobile · 390px · Save-Data
Referrer: direct
Visit count: 4
Pages viewed: /blog/personalization-from-the-same-signals
Time: 11:40 PM · night · America/Phoenix
Segment: Returning visitor, Mobile, Other region, Night owl
Consent: on

Rule trace

hero · differs
Returning visitor
A first-party record in localStorage shows an earlier visit from this browser. The greeting changes because of that count.
cta · differs
Returning visitor
A return visit changes the primary action from a first-run invitation to a continuation. Night owl is also on at local hour 23, so the second action opens that segment.
recommendations · differs
Topic affinity
Notes you have not opened are listed first, with unseen topics ahead of ones you already read. The order comes from pages and topics stored for this browser.
layout · differs
Light page
Save-Data is on, or the connection looks like 2G or under 1 Mbps. The hero illustration is not requested, and the home layout stays compact.

Default

Privacy-first, consent off

Consent is off. The card uses this request only: device, referrer, and local time. Stored visits are not read, and nothing is saved.

Neil Black · Powering Personalization through Digital Collection

Demystify how digital metrics are collected.

A page already knows a lot before anything is sent: what the browser can see, which requests it makes, and what a first-party beacon looks like when it arrives. Those same signals can change this page, once you allow it.

Open the Collection Lab

Read the notes

Notes

What a beacon actually sends
What the server adds to a beacon

Layout comfortable, illustration on

Measurement consent is off, so this is the default experience. Rules were evaluated in this browser and were not applied. Stored visit history was not read.

Signals

Device: desktop · 1280px
Referrer: direct
Visit count: not read
Pages viewed: none
Time: 7:05 PM · evening · America/New_York
Segment: Desktop, Other region
Consent: off

Rule trace

hero · evaluated, not applied · differs
Time of day
Nothing more specific matched — no campaign parameters, no search or social referrer, and no earlier visit on record. The headline uses the hour in your timezone instead of the default title.
cta · evaluated, not applied · differs
Baseline call to action
Scroll is under 40%, this is not a known return visit, and the URL has no campaign parameters. The action stays the baseline invitation.
recommendations · evaluated, not applied · differs
Date order
No topic, campaign, or search referrer is available to reorder the notes. They stay in date order, which is also the default.
layout · evaluated, not applied · differs
Standard image weight
The connection does not look slow and the viewport is wide enough for the comfortable layout. The hero illustration is requested as its own file.

You

Reading this browser…

Where the cards differ

Slot	First visit from search	Returning engineer	Executive from LinkedIn	Late return, Save-Data on	Privacy-first, consent off
hero	Search referrer	Returning visitor	Social referrer	Returning visitor	Time of dayNot applied
cta	Baseline call to action	Engaged reader	Baseline call to action	Returning visitor	Baseline call to actionNot applied
recommendations	Arrival reading	Topic affinity	Date order	Topic affinity	Date orderNot applied
layout	Compact viewport	Standard image weight	Standard image weight	Light page	Standard image weightNot applied

Recommended next

Why these picks

Reading path transitions…