A UX audit is an essential step in evaluating how users interact with a website or app, identifying friction points, and finding opportunities to improve conversions, engagement, and overall usability. But not all audits are the same—what you focus on depends on your experience level. Whether you’re a business owner, a developer, or a UX designer, this guide will help you structure an effective UX audit based on your skill set and goals.
1. UX Audits for Business Owners: Finding the Biggest Issues
If you’re a business owner or someone with limited UX experience, your goal should be to spot major usability issues that impact conversions and user satisfaction. You don’t need deep technical knowledge—just a structured approach to reviewing key areas.
Where to Start:
- Navigation & Clarity – Is it easy to find important pages? Do users understand what each section is for?
- Calls to Action (CTAs) – Are buttons clear and compelling? Are they positioned where users naturally look for them?
- Mobile Usability – Does the site work well on mobile devices? Are buttons and text large enough to tap and read?
- Loading Speed & Performance – Slow-loading pages can frustrate users. Check with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
- Accessibility Basics – Can visually impaired users navigate your site? Do images have alt text? Is contrast sufficient?
Simple Audit Steps:
- Navigate your site as if you were a first-time visitor. Write down anything confusing.
- Try completing a key action (signing up, making a purchase, booking a demo). Is anything frustrating?
- Ask someone unfamiliar with your site to try a task and note their struggles.
- Use free tools like Google Lighthouse to identify basic UX and performance issues.
2. UX Audits for Developers: Enhancing Functionality & Performance
If you’re a developer, your audit should focus on usability issues that impact functionality, efficiency, and performance. You have access to the backend, so you can investigate more deeply.
Where to Start:
- Interaction Consistency – Do buttons, forms, and modals behave consistently?
- Performance & Loading Times – Are there unnecessary scripts slowing down the site?
- Form Usability & Validation – Are error messages helpful? Can users recover from mistakes easily?
- Mobile & Cross-Browser Compatibility – Does the experience stay smooth across different devices and browsers?
- Accessibility Compliance – Are keyboard navigation and screen reader support properly implemented?
Technical Audit Steps:
- Run performance tests (Lighthouse, WebPageTest) and optimise assets.
- Check for broken links, 404s, and unnecessary redirects.
- Test form submissions and error handling.
- Ensure ARIA attributes and semantic HTML are used for accessibility.
- Review JavaScript performance to eliminate unnecessary reflows and event listeners.
3. UX Audits for UX Designers: Deep Dive into User Behaviour
As a UX designer, your audit should focus on deeper usability patterns, interaction design, and behavioural insights. You’re not just identifying problems—you’re interpreting user behaviour and proposing improvements.
Where to Start:
- User Journey Mapping – Are users following the expected paths? Where do they drop off?
- Microinteractions & Feedback – Are animations, hover states, and confirmations guiding users effectively?
- Information Hierarchy & Readability – Is content structured in a way that helps users process information quickly?
- Conversion Optimisation – Are CTA placements and messaging aligning with user intent?
- Heuristic Evaluation – Are common UX principles (e.g., visibility, affordance, feedback) applied correctly?
Advanced Audit Steps:
- Use heatmaps and session recordings to see real user behaviour.
- Conduct usability tests with real users to uncover hidden friction points.
- Analyse conversion funnels to spot where users abandon the process.
- Apply heuristic evaluation frameworks (like Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics).
- Cross-check findings with accessibility and performance insights for a holistic view.
A UX audit should be structured based on your expertise and goals. Business owners should focus on quick wins and major friction points. Developers should refine performance and technical usability. UX designers should deep dive into user behaviour and design consistency.
Whichever level you’re at, an effective UX audit helps create a smoother, more enjoyable experience for your users—and that translates into better engagement and conversions.
