What is session replay?
Session replay is technology that reconstructs real user sessions — clicks, scrolls, navigation, interface changes — into watchable recordings. Rather than filming the screen, it captures interaction events and DOM changes and replays them, letting teams watch exactly how users moved through the product and where they got stuck.
What it's actually for
Replay answers the question aggregates can't: *why*. A funnel names the step where users drop; five replays of users hitting that step show the cause — the mis-aimed click, the rage-clicked validator, the menu nobody found. It's equally potent for bug context (watching the session that produced the error report) and for verifying that guides behave as designed on real traffic.
The discipline of watching
Replays are anecdotes; funnels are the census. The productive pattern is aggregate-first: let the numbers flag the location, then watch a handful of sessions there — playlists that auto-collect matching sessions (URL, duration, identified users) keep this efficient. Watching randomly generates vivid, unrepresentative convictions.
Privacy, non-negotiably
- Masking by default — passwords, emails, and sensitive inputs never leave the browser; developers can mark any element as masked.
- Sampling and retention — record a percentage of sessions, delete after a set window; most diagnosis needs recent sessions, not archives.
- Deletion on request — one-click removal of any user's sessions is table stakes for privacy requests.
- Purpose limitation — replay exists to fix experiences, not monitor individuals; access should reflect that.
Wakeline ships replay with these defaults built in, tied to the same user identities as its guides and funnels.
See the concepts running live.
Wakeline puts the whole vocabulary to work — tours, checklists, targeting, funnels — no-code on your app, free for 1,000 monthly active users.