Glossary
Heatmaps
What are Heatmaps?
Heatmaps use color to show where activity is concentrated. In website and product research, they can show patterns in clicks, cursor movements, scrolling, or measured eye movements.
Types of heatmaps
- Click heatmaps show where people clicked.
- Cursor heatmaps show where the pointer moved or paused. The pointer is not a direct measure of gaze.
- Scroll heatmaps show how far down a page visits reached. Reaching a section does not mean reading it.
- Eye-tracking heatmaps summarize measured gaze fixations, such as their number or duration.
These maps combine observations into a single picture. That makes a pattern easier to see, but can hide differences between tasks and users. A map of people looking for a price can look different from one of people reading product details.
A heatmap example
Suppose a scroll map shows that few visits reach the bottom of a landing page, where the main action button sits. That gives the team a reason to test another placement. It does not tell them how much conversion will change, or whether visitors who stopped earlier wanted to take that action at all.
Why heatmaps matter
A heatmap can challenge a designer's assumptions about what users encounter and interact with. But the colors do not explain the behavior. Combine the map with usability testing or other observations to investigate why the pattern exists. First check what the map actually measures.