Session Recording.

Session recordings (also called session replays) are anonymised video-like playbacks of individual user sessions on a website. They capture mouse movements, clicks, scrolling, keyboard inputs, form interactions, and navigation path—showing exactly what each user did during their visit. Tools like Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, FullStory, and LogRocket provide session recording alongside heat maps.

What to Look for in Session Recordings

When reviewing session recordings, look for: rage clicks (repeated clicking on non-responsive elements—indicates frustration and broken expectations); dead clicks (clicking on non-interactive elements users expect to work); u-turns (navigating to a page and immediately going back—indicates mismatched expectations); form abandonment patterns (which fields cause users to leave); and navigation confusion (users visiting the same pages repeatedly or taking unexpected paths).

Privacy Considerations

Session recording tools must be configured to automatically mask sensitive form fields (passwords, credit card numbers, personal information) and comply with GDPR/CCPA requirements by only recording sessions from consenting users. Most enterprise tools include automatic PII masking and consent integration. Disclosing session recording in your privacy policy is a legal requirement in most jurisdictions.