Session Recordings capture individual user sessions as video playbacks. You see exactly how visitors navigate your site: mouse movements, clicks, scrolls, and page transitions. They provide qualitative insight into user behavior.
What are Session Recordings?
Session recordings replay what a user saw and did during their visit. The recording captures page content, cursor movement, clicks, scrolls, and keyboard inputs (passwords are masked).
Unlike which aggregate behavior, session recordings show individual journeys. You see one person's complete experience from landing to exit.
What Session Recordings Reveal
Confusion points: Users repeatedly clicking the same area, scrolling up and down, or pausing for long periods often indicate confusion.
Form struggles: Watch users fill out forms. See where they hesitate, make errors, or abandon.
Navigation patterns: How do users find products? Do they use search, categories, or browse randomly?
Rage clicks: Rapid repeated clicks on an element usually signal frustration. Something isn't working as expected.
Dead clicks: Clicks on non-interactive elements suggest users expect them to be clickable.
Best Practices for Review
Filter strategically: Don't watch random sessions. Filter by:
- Users who abandoned checkout
- Sessions with rage clicks
- Visitors who viewed many products but didn't buy
- Error encounters
Watch mobile separately: Mobile behavior differs significantly from desktop. Review device types separately.
Note patterns, not incidents: One user's behavior might be unique. Look for patterns across multiple sessions.
Set time limits: Watching sessions is time-consuming. Set a weekly time budget and focus on high-value filters.
Limitations
Time-intensive: Reviewing recordings takes significant time. It's not scalable for high-traffic sites.
Selection bias: Which sessions you choose to watch affects conclusions. Use filters and randomization.
No audio or emotions: You see behavior but not user thoughts or emotions. Consider pairing with surveys.
Privacy considerations: Ensure recordings comply with privacy regulations. Mask sensitive inputs.
