Resources/Heatmaps/Heatmaps overview

Heatmaps overview

What heatmaps show and how Spectry collects the data behind them.

Heatmaps visualise aggregated interaction data on a page — where people click, how their mouse moves, and how far they scroll. They turn thousands of sessions into a single picture so you can spot what's working and what's ignored.

Click heatmap example

The three heatmap types

  • Clicks — where visitors click (and tap).
  • Moves — mouse-movement density, a rough proxy for attention.
  • Scrolls — how far down the page visitors reach.

How data is captured

The SDK records interactions using element selectors and percentage-based coordinates (not fixed pixels), so heatmaps stay accurate across screen sizes and responsive layouts. Each interaction also carries the visitor's device, browser, OS and country — which is what makes the filters described below possible.

Heatmap collection requires the heatmaps consent category. Visitors who have not granted it contribute nothing.

Friction overlays

On click heatmaps you can overlay rage click hotspots (frustrated repeated clicking) and dead click hotspots (clicks on things that don't respond) to find usability problems fast. See Interpreting heatmaps.

Heatmaps are aggregate, replays are individual

A heatmap tells you what happens across everyone. When you need to know why, jump into session replay and watch the individual sessions behind a hotspot.

Next: create your first heatmap.

Put this to work on your own site.

Heatmaps, session replays, funnels and experiments in one platform. Set it up in minutes, no credit card needed, and early-access members earn exclusive rewards.