HeatMap: A Simple Overview in 2021

Introduction

What is a Heatmap? Have you ever wondered how some websites are there where we spend many hours, and then there are somewhere we close it immediately just by viewing it? So it becomes necessary to design it properly. There must be someone who designs or decides how the webpage should look alike. But what should be the basis of decision-making? It should be based on what the users like to see. And to answer that how they get to know about it, here comes in the picture, the Heatmap. 

In this article let us look at:

1. What Is Heat Map?
2. What Does a Heat Map Show?
3. How Does a Heat Map Work?
4. Other Heat Map Types
5. When Should You Use a Heat Map?
6. What You Can Learn From a Heat Map?

1. WHAT IS HEAT MAP?

Just like many other forms of representing data, like presenting data in tabular form using rows and columns, or pie diagrams and many more, the heatmap tool is also a form of data analyzing software, in which data is represented using colours. 

It differentiates the various sections in the web page with heatmap colours based on the views, clicks, etc., received in that particular area. In a nutshell, which is the most attractive area for the site visitors. 

2. WHAT DOES A HEAT MAP SHOW?

A heatmap assists in visualizing the differentiation using the warm-cool colour spectrum. Like, the most visited or attractive area will get highlighted with a warm, bright orange colour, and on the other hand, the least visited, where the visitors pay the least attention, will be in a cool blue colour.

These heatmap visualizations talk about the interests of visitors and help the web page developers to decide that where should they keep the crucial content on the webpage. 

3. HOW DOES A HEAT MAP WORK?

The working of the heat map can be illustrated by the way Crazy Egg makes it done. The overall process, in simpler words, can be understood as firstly the data is collected from the web page then after some processing on it, the results of it can be visible on the same webpage. 

Now to elaborate further, let’s understand how do they do it. Initially, the HTML of the webpage is loaded and sent to the servers. Then they delineate all the elements on the webpage wherever the site visitor can visit by positioning each element in a particular manner and form. Due to this, a map is created of all the elements.

Further, they now track the activities of the users. They track the activity of every individual user simply by allotting them a unique code. Activity data of every single action done by that particular individual on the web page is tracked and recorded. For say which tab is visited, where he had clicked on the webpage and many more. All the data of every user is recorded for the heatmap use. 

And then, all the results are combined, and a consolidated result is then presented using colours on the web page. Where the most attractive section of the webpage is highlighted according to the results of the recorded activity data.

In this way, the heatmap analysis tool creates hotspots, where an area gets brightened as more clicks are received by that particular area.

4. OTHER HEAT MAP TYPES  

There are some other heatmap alternatives also to get data and track the actions taken by a user on the webpage. These are namely: –

• Scroll map– It shows that till where a user scrolls the webpage. 
• Confetti report- it shows every individual click on the webpage. 
• Overlay and list reports– it shows the clicks received by a particular area, section, or element in percentage.

5. WHEN SHOULD YOU USE A HEAT MAP?

These Heatmapping tool should be used regularly to ensure the availability of required data whenever heatmap analytics needs so that necessary actions and decisions can be taken upon them.

In general, it shall be considered in making the following decisions: –

• Website Redesign
• A/B Testing
• Content Marketing
• UX and Usability Testing 
• Conversion Funnel

6. WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM A HEAT MAP?

There are numerous things that we can figure out just by looking at heatmaps, like what things attract the user to click on them or what are the distractions on the webpage which divert the user from the main content. 

Moreover, to know whether the options made available for them on the webpage are easily accessible by them or not and how the navigating system is working. 

Also, it makes easier the decision making regarding the posting of content, as we get to know about where should we place our core content, which area of the webpage is most viewed by the users and what should be the way of interacting with the particular class of users based on gender, age or any other category. 

CONCLUSION

To sum up, we can say that the heat map reveals the activities done by the user on the webpage. This indicates the user’s behaviour based on which necessary decisions are taken.

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