UX audit: a usability review that shows what to fix first

The short answer: a UX audit is a structured review of your website, web app or app in which we find where users get stuck and rank the fixes by impact. You get a report with concrete findings and proposed solutions, and the price is fixed in a written proposal within 24 hours.

AA
WCAG level in the accessibility check
24
Hours to a fixed price in writing
2016
Designing and building since

Many clients get in touch because something feels wrong without being able to name it: customers call instead of using the portal, the form gets abandoned halfway, or staff have built their own spreadsheets next to the system. A UX audit turns that feeling into a list of concrete problems, why they occur and what it takes to fix them. It is one of the most direct tools in our UX/UI design work, because it starts from what you already have.

What do we review in a UX audit?

  • Heuristics: we assess the solution against established usability principles, such as visible status, recognition over recall and errors that are easy to recover from
  • Core flows: we walk through the tasks that matter most to you, step by step, such as booking, sign-up, payment or search
  • Accessibility: contrast, text sizes, keyboard navigation, screen readers and form errors, measured against WCAG level AA
  • Conversion: where users drop off, what creates doubt, and whether the main call to action is obvious
  • Content and language: headings, button labels and error messages that say what users expect
  • Mobile: whether the solution actually works with one thumb on a small screen

Accessibility is no longer just good manners. Danish public bodies are covered by web accessibility legislation, and under the European Accessibility Act many private services, such as online shops and banking, now face requirements too. An audit shows where you stand before someone else points it out.

We also look at your analytics if you have them. Where do users drop off? Which pages are left fastest? What do people search for without finding it? The numbers show where the problem is, and the review shows why. Together they give you a ranking of fixes you can defend to management.

What do you get from a UX audit?

The deliverables. Everything is written so both management and developers can use it.

DeliverableWhat it containsWho uses it
Prioritised findingsEvery issue with a screenshot, severity and recommended fixProduct owner and developers
Flow mapsThe key tasks mapped out with friction points markedManagement and design
Accessibility checkConcrete WCAG AA failures and how to fix themDevelopers and compliance
Solution sketchesWireframes of the most important fixesDesign and development
Walkthrough meetingWe present the findings and answer questions, in Copenhagen or onlineThe whole team

How does a UX audit work, and how long does it take?

1

Day 1: Kick-off

We agree goals, audiences and the flows that matter most. You give access and any analytics.

2

Days 2–4: Review

Heuristic evaluation, flow walkthroughs, accessibility checks on mobile and desktop.

3

Days 5–6: Prioritising

Findings are collected, rated by severity and effort, and the top ones get solution sketches.

4

Day 7: Presentation

We walk you through the report and agree the next steps.

A typical run for a well-scoped product. Larger platforms take longer.

How much does a UX audit cost?

The price depends on how many flows and platforms need reviewing, and whether user tests are included. We write it as a fixed price in the proposal within 24 hours of your brief, so you know exactly what you get. As a reference, usability inspections and audits typically cost 24.000–40.000 kr at a fixed price in the Danish market. If the audit leads to a new build, the fixes can be delivered in our fixed packages, starting at EUR 2,500 plus EUR 85 a month. See them on pricing.

When should an audit be combined with user tests?

An audit alone is enough

  • You need a quick, prioritised list
  • The problems show in the data, such as drop-off in a form
  • Accessibility has to be documented

Add user tests

  • Users are specialists, such as nurses or technicians
  • You disagree internally about what the problem is
  • A big redesign decision is on the table
An audit finds the known problems. Tests find the ones nobody predicted.

When users have expertise we do not, their behaviour settles the question. Then we add interviews and tests from our user research. At LEGO we built the Service Portal around the employee with usability tests, journey mapping and workshops. With Systematic we worked on UX/UI for AULA, the school platform used by half of Denmark, where parents, teachers and pupils have very different needs inside the same product.

Once the findings are in, the next step is often to test the fixes before any code is written. We do that with a clickable prototype. If the problems run deeper than individual screens, it may be time for a redesign.

Selected work

Built by us, in production today

Toys · LEGO, Billund

The LEGO Service Portal, built around the employee.

Public sector · Systematic, Aarhus

AULA: one platform for half of Denmark.

What our clients say

We have worked with Ceptiv on several of our digital offerings, and they have become a natural part of the team. They move fast, turning ideas into new designs and clickable prototypes quickly, so we can test with customers early instead of debating on paper.
Szabolcs Nagy · Lead Global Product Manager, GrundfosRead the case

FAQ

FAQ: UX audits

What is the difference between a UX audit and a user test?
In a UX audit, we review the solution using experience and established principles as the yardstick. In a user test, we watch real users complete tasks and note where they get stuck. The audit is faster and catches many known problems. The test reveals the unexpected ones. The best results often come from combining the two.
What does a UX audit cost with you?
The price depends on scope: the number of flows, platforms and whether user tests are included. We write it as a fixed price in a written proposal within 24 hours. As a reference, usability audits typically cost 24.000–40.000 kr at a fixed price in the Danish market. You do not pay for hours but for the agreed deliverable.
Can you audit a product someone else built?
Yes, that is actually the most common case. We need access to the product, ideally a test login with realistic data, and your analytics if you have them. We assess what users experience, regardless of who wrote the code. The report is written so your current supplier can use it directly.
Do you check accessibility too?
Yes. We review contrast, text sizes, keyboard navigation, focus, screen readers and form errors against WCAG level AA. Findings are marked with severity and a concrete fix, so developers can resolve them. For public services and many private ones, accessibility is a legal requirement, and a documented review is a good first step towards an accessibility statement.
How long does a UX audit take?
For a well-scoped website or web app, typically around a week of work from kick-off to presentation. Larger platforms with many user types, or projects with user tests, take longer because participants need recruiting and sessions need scheduling. The timeline is in the proposal, so you can plan when your team should be ready to act on the findings.
Can you also fix the problems afterwards?
Yes. We design and develop in-house, so findings can go straight into a prototype or a new version. If the product is built in React or Next.js, we can often fix it in the existing code. If it runs on WordPress or a page builder, we usually recommend a new build in our fixed packages, because we do not build on those platforms.

Tell us what you need built

You get a written fixed-price proposal within 24 hours. No sales calls required.

Dennis Nielsen

Dennis Nielsen

Head of Operations, Ceptiv

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