Movement Tracking

Pro Plan

Movement tracking reveals where visitors move their mouse - often indicating where they're looking and what catches their attention.

What Is Movement Tracking?

Movement heatmaps show:

Aspect	Description
Mouse paths	Where cursors travel
Hover points	Where users pause
Attention areas	High movement zones
Reading patterns	Text scanning behavior

Why Mouse Movement Matters

Research shows correlation:

• Mouse follows eyes ~84% of the time
• Hover indicates interest
• Movement patterns reveal reading
• Pauses suggest consideration

Movement Heatmap View

Accessing Movement Data

1. Go to Analytics → Heatmaps
2. Select "Movement" tab
3. Choose page
4. View movement overlay

Visual Display

Color	Movement Density
Red	Very high movement
Orange	High movement
Yellow	Medium movement
Green	Low movement
Blue	Minimal movement
None	No movement tracked

Types of Movement Data

Move Heatmap

Aggregate of all mouse movement:

• Shows paths traveled
• Highlights common routes
• Reveals attention hotspots

Hover Map

Where users paused cursor:

• Indicates reading/interest
• Shows consideration points
• Highlights engaging content

Attention Map

Scale Plan

Combines movement and time:

• Weighted by duration
• Darker = more attention
• Quality over quantity

Interpreting Patterns

Reading Patterns

Common patterns observed:

Pattern	Description	Indicates
F-pattern	Top-left emphasis	Scanning content
Z-pattern	Diagonal sweep	Quick overview
Gutenberg	Gravity to bottom-right	Action-oriented
Spotted	Random clusters	Looking for specific info

Good Patterns

Signs of engagement:

• Movement follows content flow
• Hovers on CTAs
• Path leads to conversions

Problem Patterns

Signs of issues:

• Aimless wandering
• Avoiding key areas
• Sudden exit movements

Movement vs Clicks

Comparing Data

Movement	Clicks
Shows interest	Shows action
Reading indicator	Engagement indicator
Pre-decision	Decision moment
Passive	Active

Using Together

Best insights come from both:

• Movement shows attention
• Clicks confirm intent
• Discrepancy = friction

Hover Analysis

Time-Based Hover

See hover duration:

• Quick hover: Scanning
• Medium hover: Reading
• Long hover: Considering

Element Hovers

Scale Plan

Track hovers by element:

Element	Hovers	Avg Duration
Product image	2,340	2.3s
Price	1,890	1.8s
Reviews	1,234	3.2s
Buy button	987	0.9s

Tooltip Triggers

If hover shows tooltips:

• Track tooltip engagement
• See if users wait for them
• Optimize delay timing

Desktop vs Mobile

Desktop Movement

Mouse tracking works well:

• Natural cursor movement
• Correlates with attention
• Rich data available

Mobile Considerations

Touch devices differ:

• No continuous movement
• Tap and scroll only
• Less hover data

Mobile Alternative

For mobile, focus on:

• Tap locations
• Scroll patterns
• Content visibility

Filtering Movement Data

Time Range

Select period:

• Last 7 days
• Last 30 days
• Custom range

Device Type

Filter by device:

• Desktop only (best for movement)
• Compare devices

Visitor Segments

Scale Plan

Segment movement data:

• New visitors
• Returning visitors
• Converted visitors
• By traffic source

Movement in Sessions

Session Playback

Watch individual movement:

• Mouse trail visible
• Speed indicated by trail
• Pauses highlighted

Movement Speed

Trail appearance changes:

• Fast movement: Thin, straight
• Slow movement: Thick, curved
• Pauses: Concentrated dots

Use Cases

Content Optimization

Movement reveals:

• What catches attention first
• What gets skipped
• Reading order
• Interest areas

Navigation Testing

Check menu usage:

• Do users find navigation?
• Which items get attention?
• Is layout intuitive?

Form Optimization

Understand form interaction:

• Field approach patterns
• Hesitation points
• Error correlation

Image Engagement

See image attention:

• Which images attract
• Face/feature focus
• Product detail viewing

Best Practices

Sufficient Data

For reliable movement heatmaps:

• 500+ sessions recommended
• More for granular insights
• Less for quick trends

Combine Sources

Always pair movement with:

• Click data
• Scroll data
• Session recordings

Regular Review

Check movement patterns:

• After design changes
• Before major updates
• Monthly reviews

Limitations

Accuracy Factors

Movement tracking limitations:

Factor	Impact
Screen size	Different movement paths
Mouse sensitivity	Varies by user
Trackpad vs mouse	Different behaviors
Touch devices	Limited data

Not Eye Tracking

Important distinction:

• Movement correlates with gaze
• But isn't identical
• Consider actual eye tracking for critical pages

Exporting Data

Heatmap Image

Export visual:

• PNG format
• Full page
• Include overlay

Raw Data

Scale Plan

Export coordinates:

• CSV format
• x, y, duration
• Timestamp data

Advanced Analysis

Conversion Correlation

Scale Plan

Compare converters vs non-converters:

• Movement differences
• Attention differences
• Path differences

A/B Test Integration

During A/B tests:

• Track movement by variant
• Identify behavior changes
• Beyond just conversions

Next Steps

• Filter sessions effectively
• Learn heatmap best practices
• Click heatmaps