--- title: "A UX audit that changes the product - not just the button colour" url: "https://wzor.biz/en/blog/audyt-ux-jak-go-robic-dobrze/" description: "What a UX audit is, how to plan it and how to read the report. Concrete methods, a 40-point checklist to download and examples from our projects." lang: "en" --- [UX audit](https://wzor.biz/en/blog/category/ux-audit/) · Audit # A UX audit that changes the product \- not just the button colour A good UX audit isn't a list of minor fixes. It shows where the product is losing money, why the user gets lost and which three changes will move the metrics. We show how we do it - and what to avoid when you order one from someone else. [![](https://wzor.biz/_astro/katarzyna-adamczuk.BgcDb3aF_1P9k5v.webp) Katarzyna Adamczuk President, Business Analyst](https://wzor.biz/en/team-and-partners/katarzyna-adamczuk/) Published 22 April 2026 Updated 12 May 2026 12 min read ![UX audit - how to do it well](https://wzor.biz/_astro/co-to-jest-audyt-ux.Csm1Ngp9_1XIY5B.webp) **A UX audit is not pointing out minor things** like _“the button colour is wrong”_ - with no context, no numbers, no priorities. An audit that works combines heuristics, session recordings, analytics and conversations with the team - and ends with three things worth doing this quarter. We’ve been running UX audits for six years, for startups, banks and software houses. We’ve met every version of this service - from 25-page documents that end up in the “to read someday” folder, to 3-week processes that genuinely change the product roadmap. This article describes what, in our view, works - and what’s worth avoiding when you order an audit from someone else. ## What a UX audit is (and what it isn’t) A UX audit is **an expert analysis of a digital product** in terms of the user experience and business goals. The auditor (or team) reviews the interface, the flows, the copy, the analytics data and session recordings - and points out which elements make it harder for the user to achieve their goal or directly cost the company money. The most important thing most audits don’t do: a good audit doesn’t end with a list of 87 observed problems. It ends with a **prioritised map of changes** tied to the product’s KPIs and the cost of implementation. The best recommendations are the ones the dev/PM team can take and drop into the backlog on Monday morning. **The definition we use at Wzór.** UX audit = an analysis of the product from the perspective of the user and business goals, ending with a document the team can implement without further consultations. ## What to avoid - in the audit and in the auditor The word “audit” has become a little blurred in UX. Every designer with a week’s experience offers audits - because it’s the easiest way to land a first client. Some audits are excellent. Most are okay. Some are a waste of time on both sides. ### The “button colour” trap The most common mistake of a weak audit: stopping at the visual layer. “Contrast too low”, “button too small”, “don’t use yellow on white”. That isn’t a UX audit - it’s a **CSS code review**. Business value: zero, until someone shows how that button affects conversion. #### Weak recommendations - "The button colour should be more contrasting." - "No icons in the menu - add some." - "Nielsen's heuristic no. 5 isn't met." - "The hero should have a bigger header." #### Good recommendations - "41% drop-off at step 3 of onboarding - remove the tax-ID field, it's not required at this stage." - "7 of 8 tested users couldn't find the billing panel." - "The contact form takes 4 minutes - cut it to 90 sec (tested)." - "The hero claim describes a feature, not an outcome - based on 9 interviews." ### An audit with no business goal The second common mistake: a “general” audit. You order an audit, you get 70 observations, you don’t know what to do. An audit should always begin with the question - **what exactly do we want to improve**: conversion, retention, support cost, onboarding time, NPS? Without that question, an audit is just a designer’s opinion. ## Four methods we combine in a single audit A heuristic audit is only the starting point. A full UX audit combines a minimum of four data sources - because each one shows a different truth. 1. **Heuristic audit.** Nielsen’s 10 heuristics + our internal list of 40 points. Fast. A good baseline, a weak diagnosis of individual paths. 2. **Data analysis.** Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Hotjar, FullStory. Funnels, drop-off, heatmaps, recordings. Shows where it hurts - not why. 3. **User testing.** 5–8 moderated sessions. Shows _why_ it hurts. Without this, an audit is just a hypothesis. 4. **Internal interviews.** With the product manager, support, sales. Support often knows more about the product than design - because they get daily calls about what doesn’t work. 90 + audits in 6 years 14 industries served 3 wks average turnaround 38 % average KPI improvement after rollout Four methods, not one. A heuristic audit without session recordings easily falls into the trap of the designer’s opinion. Recordings without heuristics - into numerical chaos. They have to be combined. > An audit without numbers is an opinion. An audit without a conversation with the user is a hypothesis. Only together is it an audit. ## What our process looks like - step by step A standard UX audit at Wzór takes 3 weeks. Shorter tends to be superficial, longer - over-engineered. Here’s what happens each week: ### Week 1 - Reconnaissance A kick-off with you and your team. We define **3 KPIs** we’ll measure. We get access to analytics, session-recording tools and the production environment. We start the heuristic review and recruiting 6 users for testing. ### Week 2 - Exploration Moderated user testing (60 min each). Data analysis - funnels, retention, session recordings. Interviews with the product manager and support. A picture builds up: where it really hurts, and where we only think it does. ### Week 3 - Synthesis and document Prioritising problems (an impact × effort matrix). Writing the report. A walkthrough session with the team - we explain every recommendation, answer questions and agree who takes what into the backlog. ## What you’ll find in the audit report The report is 30–80 pages, depending on the scale. The structure is always the same - because that’s the easiest way to read it and refer to it. 1. **Executive summary (2 pages).** The 10 most important findings, the impact on KPIs, the top 3 recommendations. For the board. 2. **Context and methodology.** What we studied, how, on what sample. So the report is verifiable. 3. **A prioritised map of problems.** Each problem has: a description, evidence (a screenshot or recording), the impact on KPIs, the cost of implementation, a priority (P0–P3). 4. **Concrete recommendations.** Not “improve”, but “change X to Y, here’s a wireframe or an example from Stripe / Notion”. 5. **Implementation roadmap.** What’s for the next sprint, what’s for the quarter, what comes after. 6. **Appendices.** Session recordings, interview transcripts, raw test data. **A myth worth dismantling:** an audit report doesn’t have to be a 100-page PDF. Our best audits are 35 pages with an accompanying board of tickets in the project tracker. Page count is no measure of value. ## Examples from our projects Two examples of audits that translated into measurable results. The full case studies are further on, in the “Related projects” section - here’s the short version. ### Fonia - SaaS onboarding The audit found 4 bottlenecks in the onboarding of new users. After implementing 3 of them (we left the fourth for later - it required backend changes) drop-off fell by **38%**. Time: 5 weeks of audit + implementation. ### Swish - B2B product page An audit of the landing page, pricing and demo form. Six concrete changes, each with a hypothesis and a way to measure it. After rollout: **+38% CTR** on the demo form, +21% conversion on pricing. ## When to order a UX audit (and when to skip it) A UX audit isn’t a universal cure. Sometimes it’s the best investment of the quarter, sometimes a waste of money. Here’s when it makes sense: - **The conversion funnel is collapsing** and analytics don’t point to a single clear cause. - **NPS or retention are dropping** for no clear reason - the product seems to work. - **You’re planning a redesign** and want a baseline so you know what’s worth changing. - **You’re entering a new industry** (e.g. a regulated one - fintech, healthtech) and need an outside eye. - **Support is melting down** under the weight of the same questions - that’s a UX signal. And when it doesn’t make sense: - The product is at the stage of its first 100 users - more conversations with customers first, the audit later. - The team has no time to implement the recommendations within 3 months. A “drawer” audit doesn’t pay off. - You’re looking for confirmation of your own hypothesis. An audit may overturn it - be ready. Share this article LinkedIn Facebook X Send by email Copy link [#ux-audit](https://wzor.biz/en/blog/?tag=ux%20audit) [#research](https://wzor.biz/en/blog/?tag=research) [#conversion](https://wzor.biz/en/blog/?tag=conversion) [#heuristics](https://wzor.biz/en/blog/?tag=heuristics) [#b2b](https://wzor.biz/en/blog/?tag=b2b) [#e-commerce](https://wzor.biz/en/blog/?tag=e-commerce) ![](https://wzor.biz/_astro/katarzyna-adamczuk.BgcDb3aF_Z1g6ntc.webp) About the author ## [Katarzyna Adamczuk](https://wzor.biz/en/team-and-partners/katarzyna-adamczuk/) President, Business Analyst Co-founder and President of the UX agency Wzór. Business analyst - she leads interface projects for mobile, desktop and e-commerce applications, from business analysis, research and information architecture to polished UI. [Book a consultation](https://wzor.biz/en/free-consultation/) Related services ## How we can help [All services →](https://wzor.biz/en/services/) - [ Service ### UX Audit A UX/UI audit of an existing product - a website, web app, mobile app, e-commerce or SaaS. We analyse it heuristically, present findings and concrete recommendations ordered by their impact priority. See service ](https://wzor.biz/en/services/audyty-ux/) - [ Service ### UX Research UX user research: in-depth interviews, usability testing, eye-tracking, card sorting, surveys and competitive analysis. We deliver the data you base better product decisions on. See service ](https://wzor.biz/en/services/badania-uzytkownikow/) Frequently asked ## FAQ How long does a UX audit take and how much does it cost? A standard UX audit at Wzór takes from 2 to 5 weeks - depending on the scale of the product and the depth of research (a heuristic audit alone vs. an audit + user testing). An audit falls within our general price range - from PLN 10,000 to PLN 300,000 and above for the largest rollouts. The final amount still needs a quote: it depends on the scale of the product and the depth of the research. After the first consultation we come back with an estimate matched to the scope. How is a UX audit different from usability testing? A UX audit is an analysis carried out by experts based on heuristics, data and their own experience. Usability testing is research with real users - we observe how they use the product. In a good audit we combine both methods. Heuristics give quick pointers on 'what to improve' - testing verifies whether our hypotheses are true and how many users actually don't get it. Do we need to have a production product already? No. We also audit prototypes and Figma designs - this is often the most cost-effective moment, because changes in a wireframe cost tens of times less than in code. A prototype audit is shorter (2–3 weeks) and focuses on information architecture, flows and content - analytics and session recordings are, of course, unavailable. What do we get at the end of the audit? A PDF report (30–80 pages) with prioritised issues, a document of recommendations in the form of tickets for the dev/design team, a presentation for the board (the 10 most important issues) and a recording of the report walkthrough session with Q&A. Optionally: Figma wireframes with proposed changes and dev-ready components in a design system. Does a UX audit make sense for a small startup? Yes, but in a trimmed-down form. Small MVPs don't need an 80-page report - 1–2 days of workshops + a short document with 5–10 priorities is enough. We offer this service too. 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