A UX audit is a structured review of a live product against a fixed checklist, ending in a ranked list of what to fix first. It is not a redesign, and it is not a usability test with users in a room. It is the fastest way to find the problems that are costing you sign-ups and second visits right now, using the product as it is today.

This is the checklist we use. It follows the path a new user actually walks: landing, understanding the offer, signing up, the first session, and coming back. Each point is a question you can ask of your own product this afternoon.

1. Landing and understanding

  • First-screen clarity. Can a visitor say what the product does, and for whom, within five seconds? Read only what is visible without scrolling. If the answer needs the second screen, the first one is decoration.
  • One primary action. Is there a single most-visible next step? Two equal buttons split attention; three end it.
  • Trust signals where doubts appear. Pricing, security, support and who is behind the product, placed next to the moment a visitor hesitates, not in a footer.

2. Signing up

  • Sign-up friction. Count the steps and the fields between a visitor and the first useful thing the product does. Then ask which of them could be asked later, after value has been shown.
  • Form design. Do errors say what went wrong and how to fix it, next to the field? Does the form keep what was typed when something fails?
  • Navigation. Do labels match the words users would use? Can they get back from anywhere without the browser’s back button?

3. The first session

  • Empty states. What does the product look like before there is any data? An empty dashboard with no guidance is where most trials end.
  • Loading and feedback. Does every action confirm that it happened? Silence after a click reads as failure.
  • Consistency. Do the same things look and behave the same everywhere? Every inconsistency is a small tax on attention.

4. On a phone

  • Mobile layout. Can the same task be done with one thumb on a small screen? Test the real flow, not the homepage.
  • Tap targets and spacing. Controls big enough to hit and far enough apart to hit the right one.
  • Readability. Type size, line length and contrast where people actually read: settings, tables, receipts, not just headlines.

5. Coming back

  • Performance basics. Slow screens and heavy pages cost attention on every visit, and they cost more on mobile networks.
  • Accessibility basics. Keyboard access, visible focus, labelled controls, and colour that is never the only signal. These are usability fixes for everyone, not a separate audience.
  • Retention hooks. What brings a user back on day two, and is it visible on day one? If the product’s value only shows after a week of data, day one has to promise it.

How findings are ranked

By how many users hit the problem and how much it costs when they do. A sign-up form that fails on a phone outranks a misaligned icon every time, however much the icon annoys the designer. The output is a short list, in order, with a screenshot and a suggested fix for each item, so the top three can be fixed in a week.

What an audit cannot tell you

An audit finds friction; it does not prove which fix moves the number. That takes a change and a measurement. It also cannot see motivation: a product with a weak offer will audit clean and still lose users. Treat the audit as the fastest first step, not the last one.

If you want this checklist run on your product, we do the first 15-point audit free: send us the link and you get the ranked findings within one working day.