10 Website Problems UXHeat Found (Real Case Studies)
Theory is nice. Results are better.
These are real UX problems UXHeat discovered on real websites (anonymized to protect customer data). For each case, you'll see:
- What UXHeat detected — the AI-generated insight
- Why it mattered — the conversion impact
- What they changed — the fix implemented
- The result — measurable improvement
These aren't cherry-picked wins. They're representative of the kinds of issues UXHeat catches daily across different industries and site types.
Case 1: The Invisible CTA Button
Site type: SaaS landing page Traffic: ~2,000 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"Primary CTA button receives only 2.1% click rate despite being in the hero section. Scroll heatmap shows 78% of mobile users scroll past the button without stopping. The button's color (blue) matches your header, reducing visual prominence."
Why It Mattered
The main goal of the landing page — getting users to click "Start Free Trial" — was failing on mobile. Almost 8 out of 10 mobile visitors scrolled right past it without registering the button existed.
What They Changed
- Changed CTA button color from blue (#3B82F6) to orange (#F97316) for contrast
- Added a subtle pulsing animation on initial load
- Increased button size on mobile by 20%
The Result
- CTA click rate: 2.1% → 5.8% (+176%)
- Mobile trial signups: +89% month-over-month
- Time to implement: 30 minutes
Case 2: The Confusing Pricing Toggle
Site type: SaaS pricing page Traffic: ~800 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"Your monthly/annual toggle is clicked 340 times daily, but 47% of users click it 3+ times in rapid succession. This 'toggle rage' pattern indicates confusion about the current state. After toggling, 23% of users leave the page within 10 seconds."
Why It Mattered
Users couldn't tell which pricing option (monthly vs. annual) was currently selected. The confusion was causing them to leave without signing up.
What They Changed
- Added clear visual differentiation (filled background for selected option)
- Added a checkmark icon to the selected option
- Changed toggle labels from "Monthly | Annual" to "Pay Monthly | Save 20% Annual"
The Result
- Toggle rage clicks: 47% → 8% (-83%)
- Pricing page bounce rate: -31%
- Annual plan selection: +44% (more users confidently choosing annual)
Case 3: The Phantom Link
Site type: E-commerce product listing Traffic: ~5,000 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"Users are clicking product titles 890 times daily, expecting to navigate to product pages. The titles are styled like links (blue, underlined on hover) but are not clickable. 34% of users who click abandon within 5 seconds."
Why It Mattered
Product titles looked clickable but weren't. Users were clicking, nothing happened, and they assumed the site was broken.
What They Changed
Made product titles clickable links to product detail pages. Simple code change:
<!-- Before -->
<h3 class="product-title">Product Name</h3>
<!-- After -->
<a href="/product/product-name" class="product-title">Product Name</a>
The Result
- Dead clicks on titles: 890/day → 0
- Product page visits from listing: +28%
- Overall site engagement time: +15%
Case 4: The Form Field From Hell
Site type: B2B lead generation Traffic: ~1,200 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"The 'Company Size' dropdown field shows rage click patterns in 18% of form attempts. Average interaction time for this field is 12 seconds (vs. 2 seconds for other dropdowns). Users appear to struggle finding their option in the list."
Why It Mattered
One dropdown field was single-handedly killing form completion rates. Users were spending 6x longer on this field than any other.
What They Changed
- Reduced dropdown options from 15 ranges to 5 simplified ranges
- Added placeholder text: "Select your team size"
- Reordered options to put most common choices first
Before: 1, 2-5, 6-10, 11-25, 26-50, 51-100, 101-200, 201-500, 501-1000, 1001-2500, 2501-5000, 5001-10000, 10001+
After: 1-10, 11-50, 51-200, 201-1000, 1000+
The Result
- Field completion time: 12 seconds → 3 seconds (-75%)
- Form completion rate: +23%
- Rage clicks on field: 18% → 2% (-89%)
Case 5: The Missing Mobile Navigation
Site type: Content/blog site Traffic: ~15,000 visitors/day (60% mobile)
What UXHeat Detected
"Mobile users tap the hamburger menu icon 1,200 times daily, but 31% tap the icon 2-4 times before the menu opens. The menu has a 400ms animation delay that makes users think their tap didn't register."
Why It Mattered
Mobile navigation — one of the most fundamental interactions — was frustrating users. A third of mobile visitors had to tap multiple times just to access the menu.
What They Changed
- Added instant visual feedback on tap (color change before animation)
- Reduced menu animation duration from 400ms to 200ms
- Added touch haptic feedback on supported devices
The Result
- Multi-tap rate: 31% → 4% (-87%)
- Mobile pages per session: +18%
- Mobile bounce rate: -12%
Case 6: The Abandoned Checkout Step
Site type: E-commerce (fashion) Traffic: ~8,000 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"Checkout Step 2 (Shipping Address) has a 38% abandonment rate. Scroll depth shows 67% of users never see the 'Continue' button, which is below the fold on most screen sizes. Users who do scroll past the button often scroll back up, suggesting they missed it."
Why It Mattered
Users were entering their shipping information, then leaving because they couldn't find how to proceed.
What They Changed
- Moved "Continue to Payment" button above the fold
- Added a floating button that stays visible during scroll
- Added "Step 2 of 3" progress indicator
The Result
- Step 2 abandonment: 38% → 19% (-50%)
- Overall checkout completion: +24%
- Time on Step 2: -35% (faster completion)
Case 7: The Misleading Progress Bar
Site type: Online course platform Traffic: ~3,000 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"Users click on the progress bar 450 times daily, expecting it to be interactive (skip to section). The progress bar is purely visual but styled like a clickable element. 28% of users who click the progress bar click it 3+ times."
Why It Mattered
Users expected the progress bar to function like a video scrubber — click to jump to a section. When it didn't work, they got frustrated.
What They Changed
Two options were considered:
- Make the progress bar interactive (more work)
- Restyle it to not look clickable (less work)
They chose option 1 — making the progress bar a functional navigation element.
The Result
- Dead clicks: 450/day → 0 (now they're functional clicks)
- Lesson completion rate: +15% (easier navigation)
- User satisfaction scores: +22%
Case 8: The Speed Trap
Site type: SaaS demo request page Traffic: ~600 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"The 'Schedule Demo' button shows a click-to-response delay of 2.3 seconds. During this time, 34% of users click the button again (thinking it didn't register). 12% click 4+ times. No loading indicator is present."
Why It Mattered
The demo scheduling integration was slow to load, and users had no feedback that anything was happening. They thought the button was broken.
What They Changed
- Added immediate loading spinner on button click
- Changed button text to "Loading..." during processing
- Disabled button after click to prevent double-submission
The Result
- Multi-click rate: 34% → 3% (-91%)
- Successful demo bookings: +18% (fewer abandoned attempts)
- Support tickets about "broken button": -95%
Case 9: The Scroll Cliff
Site type: B2B services homepage Traffic: ~2,500 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"Scroll depth drops 47% between sections 2 and 3 (from 'Features' to 'Pricing'). The transition between sections has a large blank space (280px on desktop) that may signal 'end of content' to users."
Why It Mattered
Almost half of engaged users stopped scrolling before reaching pricing information — a critical section for conversion.
What They Changed
- Reduced section gap from 280px to 80px
- Added a visual "scroll indicator" arrow
- Added a subtle background color change to differentiate sections
The Result
- Scroll to pricing section: 53% → 78% (+47%)
- Pricing page navigation: +35%
- Contact form submissions: +28%
Case 10: The Trust Deficit
Site type: Health supplement e-commerce Traffic: ~4,000 visitors/day
What UXHeat Detected
"The 'Add to Cart' button on product pages receives high hover engagement (68% of visitors hover over it) but low click rate (4.2%). Scroll patterns show users looking for reviews/testimonials that don't exist on the page. Trust signals may be insufficient."
Why It Mattered
Users were interested in buying (evidenced by hovering over the purchase button) but weren't pulling the trigger. They were scrolling around looking for social proof that wasn't there.
What They Changed
- Added review count and star rating next to product title
- Added "Verified Buyer" testimonial carousel below product description
- Added trust badges (FDA registered, 30-day guarantee) near the Add to Cart button
The Result
- Add to Cart click rate: 4.2% → 7.8% (+86%)
- Overall conversion rate: +62%
- Average order value: +12% (buyers more confident)
Patterns Across All Cases
Looking at these 10 cases, several patterns emerge:
Pattern 1: Feedback Failures
5 of 10 issues involved missing or delayed feedback. Users click something, nothing visible happens, they assume it's broken. Always provide instant visual feedback for interactions.
Pattern 2: False Affordances
3 of 10 issues involved elements that looked interactive but weren't. If it looks clickable, it should be clickable.
Pattern 3: Mobile Neglect
4 of 10 issues affected mobile users disproportionately. Test every change on mobile, not just desktop.
Pattern 4: Below-the-Fold Blindness
3 of 10 issues involved important elements users never scrolled to see. Critical CTAs belong above the fold, especially on mobile.
Pattern 5: Quick Fixes, Big Wins
8 of 10 fixes took less than 2 hours to implement. UX improvements don't require redesigns — they require attention to detail.
How UXHeat Catches These Issues
Traditional heatmap tools would show you clicks and scrolls. You'd have to:
- Notice the pattern yourself
- Hypothesize why it's happening
- Prioritize it among other issues
- Figure out what to fix
UXHeat automates steps 1-3. The AI:
- Detects rage clicks, dead clicks, and abandonment patterns
- Interprets why users are struggling
- Scores issues by conversion impact
- Suggests specific fixes
You still make the final call on what to implement. But the analysis work is done for you.
Find Issues Like These on Your Site
The sites in these case studies aren't unusual. Every website has UX friction — the question is whether you're aware of it.
UXHeat's AI analyzes your user behavior and surfaces issues like these automatically. No analytics expertise required. No hours of watching recordings. Just actionable recommendations ranked by impact.
Start Free — Find Your UX Issues
Learn more: How UXHeat AI Insights Work, UXHeat vs Hotjar, or How to Set Up UXHeat in Under 1 Minute.