Session Replay: Capturing and Using User Sessions
What the exam tests
Session Replay records user sessions so teams can watch real behavior. Know how replays attach to events and user IDs, how to search and filter replays (by event, property, rage clicks, errors), and privacy controls: masking of text and inputs, and exclusion rules. Understand the relationship between replays, funnels, and cohorts - replays are diagnostic, complementing aggregate analytics.
Key mechanics
- Replays link to the session and the user, so you can jump from a funnel drop-off to the exact session.
- Privacy: mask sensitive text/inputs; configure what is captured.
- Filtering: find sessions by event sequence, dead/rage clicks, or errors.
Traps to watch
- Assuming replays capture everything by default - masking and sampling affect what is stored.
- Treating a handful of watched replays as statistically representative; replays explain why, not how often.
- Forgetting that replay requires the SDK snippet and correct identity to associate sessions.
Rule of thumb
Use analytics to find where users struggle, replays to understand why. Worked example: a funnel shows drop-off at payment; filter replays to sessions containing payment_error, watch several to spot a confusing field, then validate the fix with aggregate metrics rather than replay count alone.
Heatmaps: Visualizing On-Page Interaction
What the exam tests
Heatmaps visualize where users click, tap, and scroll on a page. Know heatmap types: click/tap maps, scroll maps, and attention/element views. Understand that heatmaps require page-level instrumentation and that they show aggregate interaction density, not individual journeys. Relate heatmaps to events: a click heatmap reflects tracked clicks on elements.
Key mechanics
- Click maps highlight frequently clicked regions; scroll maps show how far users reach.
- Heatmaps aggregate across many sessions, revealing layout and UX issues.
- They pair with session replay and funnels for a full picture.
Traps to watch
- Assuming heatmaps track every click regardless of instrumentation - untracked elements may not appear.
- Treating heatmap intensity as conversion data; it shows interaction, not outcomes.
- Forgetting that dynamic content or responsive layouts can shift element positions.
- Confusing scroll depth with engagement quality.
Rule of thumb
Heatmaps show where attention goes; pair them with events to learn what it means. Worked example: a scroll map shows most users never reach the footer CTA; a click map confirms low interaction there. Combine with a funnel to check whether footer exposure correlates with conversion before redesigning.
Guides and Surveys: In-Product Feedback and Messaging
What the exam tests
Guides and Surveys let you show in-product messages and collect feedback. Know guides (targeted messages, tooltips, modals, onboarding) and surveys (structured questions, NPS, CSAT). Understand targeting by user properties, cohorts, and events, plus triggering rules (on event, on page, after delay) and frequency/throttling to avoid over-messaging.
Key mechanics
- Targeting decides who sees a guide; triggers decide when.
- Survey responses become data you can analyze alongside events.
- Throttling and eligibility rules prevent fatigue and duplicate displays.
Traps to watch
- Confusing targeting (audience) with triggering (timing).
- Forgetting that a user must match eligibility and fire the trigger to see a guide.
- Ignoring throttling, causing users to see the same survey repeatedly.
- Assuming survey data is separate - responses integrate with analytics for segmentation.
Rule of thumb
Audience = targeting; moment = trigger; both must align. Worked example: to survey churned-risk users, target the cohort "low engagement," trigger the survey after settings_viewed, and throttle to once per 30 days so responses stay meaningful and users aren't spammed.