What session replay shows
Session replay lets you watch a visitor's recorded journey through your website. It can show page navigation, clicks, scrolling, hesitation, device details, traffic source, and friction events.
Use replay when you need context that aggregate charts cannot show. A heatmap can show where many visitors clicked, but a replay can show what happened before and after one visitor clicked.
When to use session replay
Session replay is useful for:
- investigating rage clicks and dead clicks
- understanding abandoned forms or checkout flows
- reviewing mobile usability issues
- watching how visitors move through a funnel
- validating whether a page redesign improved the experience
- finding confusing copy, hidden buttons, or broken interactions
Start with sessions that have friction events or high friction scores. These sessions are more likely to show a problem worth fixing.
How to read a replay
When watching a replay, look for:
- repeated clicks on the same element
- clicks on elements that are not clickable
- long pauses before important actions
- fast back-and-forth navigation
- form fields where visitors hesitate
- scroll depth before key content
- errors or broken page states
Do not judge a page from one recording. Use replay to find patterns, then confirm those patterns with heatmaps, friction reports, forms, funnels, and more sessions.
Use filters
Use filters to narrow the session list by:
- date range
- device
- browser
- operating system
- country or region
- traffic source
- visitor type
- friction event type
- friction score
For example, filter to mobile sessions with submit failures to focus on visitors who struggled with a form on a phone.
Connect replay with other reports
Session replay works best when combined with other UserTrail reports:
- Open replay from Friction to understand a frustration event.
- Open replay from Funnels to understand a drop-off step.
- Compare replay with Heatmaps to see whether individual behavior matches aggregate behavior.
- Use Forms to identify problem fields, then watch related recordings.
Privacy and masking
Before relying on session replay, confirm private data is masked. Fields such as passwords, payment details, personal information, and sensitive account content should not be visible in recordings.
If you see sensitive content in a recording, update masking rules and review your installation before collecting more sessions.
Session replay checklist
- Start with sessions that have friction.
- Watch the full journey before deciding the cause.
- Compare several sessions before making a change.
- Check mobile and desktop separately.
- Confirm private data is masked.
- Use replay findings to create a specific page or form fix.