UX Audit Template for User Research

Research by Nielsen and Molich found that 3-5 evaluators independently reviewing the same interface catch roughly 75% of usability issues. A single evaluator catches 35%. If resources are limited, one thorough audit is still valuable. If possible, have 2-3 people audit independently, then merge findings and compare severity ratings.

A heuristic audit is an expert review against established principles. It is fast, cheap, and does not require recruiting participants. [Usability testing](/templates/usability-test-report-template) observes real users attempting real tasks. It catches issues that experts miss (e.g., confusing mental models, unexpected workflows). The best approach is to run a heuristic audit first to catch obvious issues, then validate with usability testing.

One flow at a time. A whole-product audit produces hundreds of shallow findings that no team can act on. Pick the highest-traffic or highest-pain flow first. Spend 2-4 hours on it. Share findings. Fix the top issues. Then move to the next flow. Use [product metrics](/glossary/aarrr-pirate-metrics) to identify which flows have the most friction.

Log them but do not prioritize them over major or catastrophic issues. Cosmetic findings (severity 1) are best grouped into a "UX polish" ticket for a future sprint when the team has spare capacity. They matter for perceived quality but do not block user workflows.

Yes, but supplement it with platform-specific checks for iOS Human Interface Guidelines and Android Material Design patterns. The [mobile app design checklist](/templates) covers platform-specific requirements that Nielsen's heuristics do not address. ---