Hotspots | UserGuiding

Surface the right info at the right moment
without interrupting anyone

Place pulsating beacons on any UI element. Users hover or click to see contextual tips,
feature announcements, or help content. No workflows blocked, no popups dismissed.

Always-on guidance that stays out of the way

Hotspots are static onboarding elements that sit on top of any page element, waiting for users to engage on their own terms. Unlike guides that take over the screen, hotspots present information on demand through a pulsating beacon and expandable tooltip. They never block interaction or force a linear flow.

Group multiple hotspots on a single page, target them to specific user segments, and control how often they appear. Build everything visually with the Chrome extension, no code needed. Track interaction data per hotspot through built-in reports with daily, weekly, or monthly breakdowns.

What you can do with
Hotspots

Place beacons on any UI element, group them on a page, target by segment, and track each hotspot's performance.

Announce and highlight features

Draw attention to new features with pulsating beacons placed directly on the relevant UI element
Re-surface underused features by adding hotspots to buttons or menu items users tend to skip
Use hotspot groups to highlight multiple features on the same page in one coordinated set
Set frequency controls so announcements appear once, always, or on a custom schedule

Provide contextual help without a knowledge base lookup

Add explanatory tooltips to complex fields, settings, or data points users ask about in support
Include rich content inside hotspot tooltips: text, images, GIFs, videos, and buttons
Insert countdown timers for time-sensitive promotions or trial deadlines
Add emojis and formatted text to keep tooltips scannable and on-brand

Personalize content with user attributes

Dynamically insert user attributes (name, company, role) into hotspot text using {{attribute}} syntax
Set fallback values for missing attributes so every user sees clean content
Personalize both text components and button labels within the same hotspot

Customize beacon appearance to match your brand

Set default beacon styles (color, size, shape) globally through the Themes tab in the Panel
Override defaults per individual hotspot for granular control via the Beacon tab in the extension
Adjust beacon z-index when hotspots overlap with other elements or fixed navigation
Apply custom fonts (including Google Fonts) through Theme settings

Target and control who sees what

Define target page URLs using Targeting rules so the same hotspot group appears across matching pages
Assign user segments to each hotspot group so only specific audiences (e.g new users, free plan, enterprise) see them
Set appearance frequency: show once per user, every session, or every time the page loads
Toggle hotspot groups between Active and Inactive status from the Panel without deleting anything

Track performance and iterate

View total interactions over time on a line chart with daily, weekly, or monthly intervals
Click any data point on the chart to see the list of individual users who interacted that day
Track button-level click data: total clicks, click percentage, and which users clicked
Export interaction data and user lists as CSV files for analysis in external tools

Frequently Asked Questions

Can UserGuiding’s hotspots be used to trigger interactive guides?

Yes, you can include a button or an anchor link inside your hotspot which can trigger a guide created with UserGuiding when clicked.

Do I need to know how to code to create a hotspot?

Although it is usually associated with front-end development, you can create a hotspot without being a developer, with the help of no-code product adoption tools such as UserGuiding.

What is a hotspot?

A hotspot is a small UX element built inside your product’s UI that expands when triggered by the interaction of the user to display information about certain features.

Surface the right info at the right moment
without interrupting anyone

Always-on guidance that stays out of the way

What you can do with
Hotspots

Announce and highlight features

Provide contextual help without a knowledge base lookup

Personalize content with user attributes

Customize beacon appearance to match your brand

Target and control who sees what

Track performance and iterate

1,000+ Teams Scaling Successfully with UserGuiding

Where UserGuiding meets your AI stack

AI Assistant

MCP Server

No-Code Analytics

Ask AI

Frequently Asked Questions

Can UserGuiding’s hotspots be used to trigger interactive guides?

Do I need to know how to code to create a hotspot?

What is a hotspot?

Surface the right info at the right momentwithout interrupting anyone

Always-on guidance that stays out of the way

What you can do with Hotspots

Announce and highlight features

Provide contextual help without a knowledge base lookup

Personalize content with user attributes

Customize beacon appearance to match your brand

Target and control who sees what

Track performance and iterate

1,000+ Teams Scaling Successfully with UserGuiding

Where UserGuiding meets your AI stack

AI Assistant

MCP Server

No-Code Analytics

Ask AI

Frequently Asked Questions

Can UserGuiding’s hotspots be used to trigger interactive guides?

Do I need to know how to code to create a hotspot?

What is a hotspot?

Surface the right info at the right moment
without interrupting anyone

What you can do with
Hotspots