Catch usability issues before they cost real users
Launching without a UX audit is like setting sail with unseen leaks. A comprehensive checklist uncovers friction—from broken flows to accessibility gaps—so you can fix them before customers notice. Let’s walk through 15 key areas every designer should test.
The Quick Take
Before launch, run through controls, content, accessibility, consistency, analytics, and real-world testing to ensure smooth, accessible, and delightful user experiences.
1. Navigation Clarity
Can users find what they need within two clicks? Check labels, grouping, and menu structures for clarity and discoverability.
2. Onboarding Flow
Is your onboarding meaningful and concise? Test that users understand value quickly, and inspect funnels for drop-off triggers.
3. Content Readability
Run copy through readability metrics, check line-length and hierarchy. Make sure microcopy is helpful and context-sensitive.
4. Form Usability
Test form labels, validation feedback, autofill support, input types, and error messaging. Forms should guide—never frustrate.
5. Button and Call‑to‑Action Testing
Ensure buttons are visible, distinct, and phrased clearly. Test hovering states, loading states, and focus indicators.
6. Mobile Responsiveness
Check breakpoints, touch targets, and layout shifts. Run audits on real devices—both iOS and Android—to catch quirks early.
7. Accessibility Standards
Verify color contrast, screen reader labels (ARIA), keyboard navigation, and semantic structure to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
8. Performance and Loading Speed
Audit page load times (use Lighthouse, WebPageTest). Monitor core web vitals—First Contentful Paint, Total Blocking Time, and Cumulative Layout Shift.
9. Link and Redirect Validation
Scan broken links and verify correct redirects. Ensure external links open in new tabs and include descriptive text.
10. Image Optimization
Confirm responsive image sizes, alt tags for accessibility, and next-gen formats (like WebP) for optimized delivery.
11. Analytics and Event Tracking
Check that analytics tools are correctly tagged and firing. Validate event naming, funnel tracking, and data capture for key user actions.
12. Error Handling and Messaging
Trigger error flows intentionally—like 404s, server failures, and invalid inputs. Ensure messaging is clear, user-friendly, and actionable.
13. Consistency in UI Patterns
Audit component usage and spacing. Look for duplicate patterns, mismatched icons, or inconsistent behavior across similar elements.
14. Real‑User Testing
Conduct moderated or unmoderated tests with target users. Watch their context, behavior, and emotion flow through core tasks.
15. Post‑Launch Monitoring
Set up dashboards for performance, user behavior, crash reports, and feedback loops to catch issues that surface after launch.
Tools That Can Help
- Lighthouse – Auditing tool for performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices.
- WebPageTest – In-depth page speed and rendering analysis across devices.
- Core Web Vitals – Google’s real-time performance metrics for production pages.
- WAVE – Quick visual accessibility checker with alt text and structure reporting.
- UserTesting – On-demand remote user sessions covering real tasks and audiences.
Pro Tip: Test early, iterate often
Start UX audits during wireframes or early prototypes—don’t wait for final development. Catching issues early saves time and effort post-launch.
FAQs
How often should I run a UX audit?
At key milestones: before launch, after major feature releases, and quarterly to monitor evolving usability or performance issues.
Who should conduct the audit?
Cross-functional teams—UX designers, developers, QA, and accessibility specialists—bring diverse perspectives and catch different issues.
Can I automate parts of the audit?
Yes. Tools like Lighthouse and WAVE can automate performance and accessibility checks. But real-user testing and context audits still need humans.
Glossary
- Navigation clarity – Ensuring menu labels, structure, and hierarchy allow quick findability within two clicks.
- Onboarding flow – Guided introduction designed to orient new users to value and interactions early on.
- Content readability – Measurement of how easily text can be understood, based on line-length, hierarchy, and tone.
- Form usability – Evaluation of form design, validation feedback, autofill, and error messaging.
- Button and CTA – Ensuring action buttons are visible, distinct, and clearly labeled.
- Mobile responsiveness – Ensuring UI elements adapt and touch targets remain usable across devices.
- Accessibility standards – Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure content is usable by people with disabilities.
- Performance and loading speed – Metrics and tools to measure page load, rendering and interaction responsiveness.
- Link validation – Checking for broken links, correct redirects, and proper behavior in new tabs.
- Image optimization – Techniques for responsive sizing, alt tagging, and next-gen formats for fast load.
- Analytics tracking – Ensuring key events and user paths are captured accurately for analysis.
- Error handling – Clear, helpful messaging for system, form, or page errors.
- UI consistency – Consistent component use, spacing, and interaction patterns across a product.
- Real user testing – Moderated or unmoderated testing sessions with target users executing real tasks.
- Post-launch monitoring – Continuous review of performance, behavior, and feedback after release.
