Session Replays Are Broken: Here’s How to Fix Them

Most teams are just wasting their time watching session replays.

Why? Because not all session replays are equally valuable, and many don’t uncover the real insights you need.

After 15 years of experience, here’s how to find insights that can transform your product:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗮:

Too many teams pick random sessions, watch them from start to finish, and hope for meaningful insights.

It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack.

The fix? Start with trigger moments — specific user behaviors that reveal critical insights.

➔ The last session before a user churns.
➔ The journey that ended in a support ticket.
➔ The user who refreshed the page multiple times in frustration.

Select five sessions with these triggers using powerful tools like LogRocket.

Focusing on a few key sessions will reveal patterns without overwhelming you with data.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲

Think of it like peeling back layers: each pass reveals more details.

𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝟭: Watch at double speed to capture the overall flow of the session.

➔ Identify key moments based on time spent and notable actions.
➔ Bookmark moments to explore in the next passes.

𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝟮: Slow down to normal speed, focusing on cursor movement and pauses.

➔ Observe cursor behavior for signs of hesitation or confusion.
➔ Watch for pauses or retracing steps as indicators of friction.

𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝟯: Zoom in on the bookmarked moments at half speed.

➔ Catch subtle signals of frustration, like extended hovering or near-miss clicks.
➔ These small moments often hold the key to understanding user pain points.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 + 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

Metrics show the “what,” session replays help explain the “why.”

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮

Gather essential metrics before diving into sessions.

➔ Focus on conversion rates, time on page, bounce rates, and support ticket volume.
➔ Look for spikes, unusual trends, or issues tied to specific devices.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮

Organize sessions based on success and failure metrics:

➔ 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀: Top 10% of conversions, fastest completions, smoothest navigation.
➔ 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀: Bottom 10% of conversions, abandonment points, error encounters.

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲

Make session replays a regular part of your team’s workflow and follow these principles:

➔ Focus on one critical flow at first, then expand.

➔ Keep it routine. Fifteen minutes of focused sessions beats hours of unfocused watching.

➔ Keep rotating the responsibiliy and document everything.

Want to go deeper and get more out of your session replays without wasting time? Check out the deep dive.