Scroll maps and session recordings are powerful tools that provide valuable insights into how users interact with your landing pages. By implementing these tools and analysing the data they provide, you can identify areas for improvement and optimise your website's user experience. In this exercise, we will guide you through the process of setting up scroll maps and session recordings using Hotjar and analysing the data to enhance your landing pages.
Goal
The goal of this exercise is to help you understand the benefits of using scroll maps and session recordings, learn how to set them up in Hotjar, and utilise the data to identify actionable insights for improving your landing pages' user experience.
Instructions
1. Sign up for a Hotjar account:
- Visit the Hotjar website (www.hotjar.com) and sign up for a free account.
- Complete the registration process and log in to your Hotjar account.
2. Install the Hotjar tracking code:
- Follow Hotjar's documentation and instructions to install the Hotjar tracking code on your website. This code allows Hotjar to capture user behaviour data.
- Make sure the tracking code is correctly implemented on all the relevant pages where you want to track user interactions.
3. Set up scroll maps:
- In your Hotjar dashboard, navigate to the "Heatmaps & Recordings" section.
- Click on "Scroll Maps" and select "Create New Scroll Map."
- Specify the target page or URL for which you want to create a scroll map.
- Customize the scroll depth percentage to define when a user's scroll is considered significant (e.g., 25%, 50%, 75%).
- Save the scroll map and wait for Hotjar to collect data over a sufficient period.
4. Configure session recordings:
- In the "Heatmaps & Recordings" section of your Hotjar dashboard, click on "Recordings."
- Create a new recording by specifying the target page or URL where you want to record user sessions.
- Customize additional settings such as recording filters, playback speed, and privacy options according to your needs.
- Save the recording settings and let Hotjar capture user sessions over a specific time period.
5. Analyze the data:
- After collecting sufficient data, return to the "Scroll Maps" and "Recordings" sections of your Hotjar dashboard.
- Review the scroll maps to understand how users interact with your landing pages. Identify areas where users tend to scroll less or lose interest.
- Analyse session recordings to observe user behaviour, interactions, and pain points during their website visits.
- Take note of any common issues, patterns, or opportunities for improvement.
6. Identify areas for improvement:
- Based on the insights gained from the scroll maps and session recordings, compile a list of specific areas or elements on your landing pages that need improvement or optimisation.
- Consider factors such as content visibility, user engagement, call-to-action placement, and overall user flow.
- Prioritise the identified areas based on their impact and feasibility for improvement.
7. Develop an optimization plan:
- Using the areas for improvement identified in the previous step, create an optimization plan that outlines specific actions, changes, or experiments you will undertake to enhance the user experience on your landing pages.
- Define clear goals and metrics to measure the success of each optimization effort.
- Assign responsibilities and timelines to team members involved in implementing the plan.
8. Implement and iterate:
- Execute the planned optimization efforts on your landing pages.
- Monitor the impact of the changes by revisiting scroll maps and session recordings after implementing the optimizations.
- Iterate and refine your approach based on the results and user feedback.
Conclusion: Scroll maps and session recordings are invaluable tools for gaining insights into user behaviour and improving the user experience on your landing pages. By setting up these tools using Hotjar and analysing the data they provide, you can identify areas for improvement, optimise your website's performance, and ultimately enhance user satisfaction and conversion rates.