RobotReplay launches… it’s a session recorder

Update: Dave Johnson from RR replied to my question on Mashable (but not here, hmm!) about whether the pages are saved. It appears they are not saved currently. I would suggest they make that very clear on the home page and signup page. Otherwise, most of these tests would be invalid. I am ok with getting the product out but you must let the customers know where the product is currently so there are no unexpected items that popup. Here is Dave's reply: Hey Allen, we are currently not saving the page with the session but we will be doing something like that in the near future to avoid the problem with page changes. We are just getting our feet wet with this now and will be rapidly improving the service.  

This past week was a big one for "recorders". TapeFailure came out first, followed by ClickTale, now we have RobotReplay. In speaking with the PR person for RobotReplay, the big difference is that the recorded sessions on RR are in Ajax and Javscript not flash based videos. So you watch the session using the live site similar to the way CrazyEgg works for heatmaps. They claim this reduces overhead and the need to create and store movies. I only wonder what happens if you change your site minute by minute – how does it store the pages to make sure you are always viewing the right session with the right page.

Here are a couple quotes from their official press release:

"For web developers, designers and community managers, it's hard to be effective if you have to guess at how visitors are using your site," said Andre Charland, Nitobi co-founder. "Instead of putting a group of target users in a room and watching them navigate a site, website publishers can use RobotReplay to test users in their 'natural environment', as though you're looking over their shoulder. You can find out where they get bored or give up and then adjust your website accordingly."

"Imagine being able to sit next to your customers as they used your app. The feedback is second to none. It's like being Big Brother, but for good!" said Chris Messina, designer, user experience specialist and co-founder of Internet consultancy Citizen Agency.

Maybe Chris has not played with the other tools as well or perhaps they just asked him for a quote on this app.  

Setting up the code is easy with all 3 services. Just drop one line of Javascript and you are done. The signup process for RobotReplay was simple as well. Nitobi calls this emerging techology 'cinelytics' because the movie-style playback helps compliment the numbers generated by web analytics tools like Google Analytics, StatCounter or ClickTracks. In addition to playing back web sessions, RobotReplay filters data and provides reports that help users determine which sessions to watch and how to draw conclusions from the recorded data.

These new tools are really increasing the potential for initial testing. And as I typically note with all of these tools, they are not a 1-1 replacement for actual testing but can provide the initial rounds at a better price and much quicker than using any lab. I am excited to see where all of these tools move to as each one tries to get a leg up on the next. Where were these tools for the Clinique International site of 1996! :)