Click Stream Definition

Click Stream — data that helps improve users interaction with a website or mobile application by recording their information of navigations. This term is widely used in UX design as one of the most efficient tools for reporting, analytics, and tracking.

You may hear of this term as a “roadmap” which is rational and is helpful when it comes to tracking how users perceive your website.

Talking in terms of Click Stream we can say that it’s essential when you want to learn if the user lands on the first page or choose another one, what they click, how long it takes to browse web pages, and more information.

This process is complex and you can implement various tools to automate it, using comprehensive data to improve your UX, identify trouble spots, fire on all cylinders etc.

Why Click Stream data is essential for UX optimization

Click stream data acts as a very clear and accurate representation of the actual user behavior, thus allowing the respective teams to not only discard their assumptions but also to make their design choices based on the real interaction patterns rather than their gut feelings.

For the UX designers and product managers, it sheds light on the users’ journey through the site, the places they are confused, and the features that have caught their attention, which simplifies the task of improving the layout, flow, and content hierarchy.

When seen from an analytics standpoint, click stream insights point out the places where users get frustrated, for example, the pages with a high drop-off rate or the calls to action that are not effective, thus making it possible to improve those areas so that the increase in conversion and engagement is the result of the changes made.

In the case of a highly competitive digital world, developing teams’ capabilities through click stream analysis means that they are working to their full potential and are able to provide excellent user experience which is the result of data-driven iteration instead of trial and error.