Hotjar markets their feedback application as a tool to improve Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). Hotjar supports CRO through what they call drivers, barriers, and hooks.
- Drivers: What drives users to the website?
- Barriers: What kind of barriers do users encounter that make them leave and/or not convert?
- Hooks: What benefits and/or experiences persuade users to convert?
Hotjar has 11 examples in how their customer feedback application drives CRO. I took relevant information and highlight them below.
Understanding Drivers

Why are you looking for [name] today?
Hotjar suggests using psychographic data in order to learn “what drives customers to your website”. Psychographics & Personas are marketing concepts that I learned last year when I had Kroger pay for my Marketing Certifications. Psychographics is a method used to describe human traits and has been around since WW1. As a method, psychographics is applied to a lot of studies (personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles). Psychographic profiles or “Personas” are created to conceptualize fictional characters, who is based off data and research to represent user types. By using Hotjar’s Customer Feedback, we can construct feedback questions to better understand our customers and their “customer journey” as an entry point. This data will support the marketing team.
Understanding Barriers
What, if anything, is stopping you from [action] today?
Hotjar recognizes that understanding what stops your customers from converting is highly important. By constructing open-ended questions we can determine how much effort a customer has to exert along their “customer journey”. Removing barriers will improve the user experience and Customer Effort Score (CES).

Understanding Hooks
What persuaded you to signup today?
This area is in contrast to barriers. Understanding why customers take action is an important aspect of the “customer journey”. Effective hooks will help increase conversion rates. This kind of data will support the business end.
As a first step maybe it makes sense to emulate the customer journey and see how to apply drivers, barriers, and hooks.