UX hotspots

A UX hotspot is a popular part of a website or app where lots of people focus. It can be a button many people click, a section where people spend time, or something interesting that grabs attention. Designers and developers carefully study these hotspots to learn what users like. They analyze the data from these areas to understand which parts of the website or app users enjoy the most. With this knowledge, they can make these hotspots even better. Improvements might mean:

• making buttons easier to use
• adding more interesting features to sections where people spend the most time
• making interactive features more fun and easy to use

By doing this, designers create a website or app that people find easy to use and enjoyable. UX is an increasingly important business consideration – and for good reason:

• The ROI of UX design is 9,900%. In other words, every $1 invested results in a return of $100.
• Websites should intuitively know what users want, according to Gen Z.

Where are UX hotspots typically found?

Finding and improving UX hotspots is crucial for enhancing the user experience. Here are the places where UX hotspots are typically found:

High interaction areas

• Buttons and links that users click or tap a lot.
• Spots where users hover their mouse or focus their attention.

Navigation paths

• Menu items and bars that help users move around the site.
• Sub-menus and sidebar links that support the main navigation.

Conversion points

• Important buttons like “Buy Now,” “Sign Up,” or “Learn More.”
• Places where users complete transactions or sign up.

High-value content

• Articles, videos, and images that users spend a lot of time on.
• Quizzes, sliders, and other interactive parts that keep users engaged.

Feedback mechanisms

• Alerts when users make mistakes on forms.
• Notifications that show actions were successful.

User flow bottlenecks

• Pages where users often leave the site.
• Pages or elements that load slowly and may frustrate users.

UX hotspots vs. tooltips

It can be easy to believe UX hotspots and tooltips are the same. However, this isn’t the case.

• UX hotspots are areas on a site or app where people interact the most
• Tooltips provide extra information when users hover over or click on them

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

UX hotspots	Tooltips
Definition	Important parts of a website or app where users interact a lot.	Small pop-up boxes that give extra information when you hover or click on something.
Focus	Improving parts where users often click or tap.	Giving more details about a specific item.
Techniques	Found using user data, heatmaps, and tests.	Made with simple code that shows pop-ups on hover or click.
Goals	Make the website or app easier to use.	Help users understand an element better.
Examples of use	Buttons like “Buy Now” Menus and search bars Important forms and checkout pages	Explaining terms or technical words Giving tips on form fields (e.g., “Password must be 8 characters”) Explaining icons or buttons (e.g., settings gear icon)

Use cases for UX hotspots

Businesses must ensure that websites and apps are easy to use. When people find them fun and easy to use, they help businesses grow. Let’s check out three examples of when paying attention to these important spots really helps different kinds of businesses succeed, making them even more likely to do well.

eCommerce: Shoppers leave items in baskets

Scenario: Many users leave items in their cart without buying. Improvement method:

• Simplify the checkout process by using shorter forms and fewer steps.
• Highlight the “Place Order” button.

Result: More users complete their purchases, leading to higher sales.

Software: Users struggle to find and use key features

Scenario: Users have trouble finding and using key features. Improvement method:

• Improve the main menu by organizing it better.
• Add clear, easy-to-find buttons for important features.

Result: Users find it easier to use the software, leading to more satisfaction and more users staying.

News site: Readers don’t spend long reading articles

Scenario: The site wants users to spend more time reading articles. Improvement method: 

• Make popular articles and videos easy to find on the homepage.
• Organize sections for easy navigation.

Result: Users stay longer on the site, leading to more page views and higher ad revenue.

What are the advantages of improving UX hotspots?

Improving UX hotspots comes with many advantages for businesses. By focusing on these important areas in websites and apps, companies can make experiences more positive for users. This leads to boosted sales and cost savings. Let’s examine in more detail all the benefits of improving UX hotspots.

Better user experience

People enjoy using a site or app when it is easy to navigate.

Increased engagement

People who can easily explore a site or app in more depth will likely stay longer.

Higher conversion rates

Once people have explored a site or app and enjoyed it, the chance they will click a call-to-action button or fill out a form is higher.

Improved retention

People will keep coming back to a site or app they enjoy using.

Positive brand perception

A brand with a user-friendly site or app will look trustworthy and lead to positive opinions.

Competitive advantage

When a brand prioritizes user experience, it will have an advantage over competitors who don’t.

Reduced support costs

If a site or app has a clear design, people will spend less time asking for support, which saves the brand time and resources.

What are the challenges of improving UX hotspots?

Now, let’s explore the challenges of improving UX hotspots. By focusing on these important areas in websites and apps, businesses aim to make experiences better for users. However, this comes with its own set of difficulties, which are important to consider.

Identifying key hotspots

It can be difficult to determine which parts of the website or app are most important to users. This is why analyzing user behavior and getting feedback is vital.

Balancing design and functionality

Making website or app features easy to use while still looking good can be tough.

Technical constraints

Changing UX hotspots might need updates to the code or technical fixes, which takes time and resources.

Testing and iteration

It is important to continuously test and change features to ensure they work well for users and don’t introduce new problems.

User preferences and expectations

People have different tastes, so what works for one person might not work for someone else.

Mobile responsiveness

Making hotspots work well on phones and tablets can be challenging. Additional factors, such as various screen sizes and touch interactions, must be considered.

How can DAPs help with UX hotspots?

Digital adoption platforms, or DAPs, can help organizations to improve their UX hotspots. They can identify where hotspots exist and use the insights to help with user adoption. Using this information, they can improve the experience. Here’s a closer look at the benefits of using DAPs for UX hotspot analysis:

Onboarding assistance

The DAP can provide interactive tutorials. These help employees learn software’s important features and functions, such as CRMs. These tutorials focus on the most used UX hotspots, like adding contacts or making sales, so employees know how to use them well.

How can WalkMe help? WalkMe offers Smart Walk-Thrus, like having a helpful companion guide a user through a software system. The Smart Walk-Thru activates when users click on a button or fill out a form. It will guide the user with step-by-step instructions so they can immediately understand how to use a feature. Smart Walk-Thrus are built using insights the company will have about features or tools that users struggle with. For example, if there are UX hotspot bottlenecks, Smart Walk-Thrus will help overcome them. As a result, users can learn for themselves instead of resorting to support tickets.

Performance analytics

Digital adoption platforms can track how users interact with software. They can figure out the UX hotspots and where users are having difficulty. Using this information, the company can make data-driven decisions about how to improve the hotspots. DAP analytics are useful not only for improving digital adoption in-house but also for identifying bottlenecks in customer-facing tools. For example, if many customers abandon their shopping carts during the checkout process, the DAP can identify the hotspots that cause friction. The company can then make targeted improvements, such as simplifying the checkout flow or improving the placement of certain buttons.

How can WalkMe help? WalkMe has an analytics platform called WalkMe Insights. It offers real-time analytics so that companies can monitor engagement. There is also a feature called Funnels that allows people to track specific user flows. Users can then figure out which hotspots are leading to difficulties and overcome them with features such as Smart Walk-Thrus or SmartTips. Session Playback is also available, so that user sessions can be re-created. Digital Experience Analytics, or DXA, can be enabled in Insights. It captures all user interactions with HTML elements, such as clicks, key presses, and more.