Key takeaways
- Heatmaps show where attention goes; recordings show why people struggle.
- Filter recordings to the pages and visitors that matter.
- Turn patterns into hypotheses, not instant redesigns.
Types of heatmaps
- Click maps: where people click - including things that aren't links.
- Scroll maps: how far down the page people get.
- Move/attention maps: approximate where people focus (less reliable).
Watching recordings efficiently
- Filter to one key page and one segment (e.g. mobile visitors who didn't convert).
- Watch 10-20 sessions and note repeated behaviours.
- Look for rage clicks, dead clicks, form abandonment and U-turns.
From patterns to action
Write each pattern as a hypothesis: 'Because many mobile visitors stop scrolling before the form, moving the form higher will increase opt-ins.' Then test or implement and measure.
FAQ
How many recordings should I watch?
Enough to see patterns - often 10 to 20 per segment is a useful start. Stop when you're seeing the same behaviours repeatedly.