UX audit

An ergonomic audit is an expert evaluation of an interface carried out without involving users. One or more experts analyse the interface against established criteria (Nielsen's heuristics, Bastien and Scapin's criteria, WCAG rules) to identify usability problems, breaks in consistency and obstacles to navigation. It produces a list of recommendations ranked by severity level.

The ergonomic audit is carried out by experts without involving real users. It is quick to set up and inexpensive, but it remains an expert projection of what users might feel. The user test, on the other hand, directly confronts real users with the interface on real tasks. The two methods are complementary: the audit identifies obvious problems, the test reveals unexpected uses.

The two most widely used frameworks in France are Nielsen's heuristics (10 general principles) and Bastien and Scapin's criteria (18 more granular criteria). You can also rely on WCAG rules for accessibility, Opquast criteria for web quality, or sector-specific frameworks depending on the type of interface evaluated. The choice depends on the context and the objectives of the audit.

It depends on the size of the interface and the level of detail expected. For a medium-sized web application, an audit by a single expert generally takes between 2 and 5 days. If several experts evaluate independently (which improves coverage), a consolidation phase must be added. The deliverable includes a report with the problems identified, their severity and correction recommendations.

The audit is particularly relevant on an existing product you want to improve, before launching a redesign, or to quickly frame the problems of an interface without a budget for lengthy user tests. It is also useful to prepare a user test: you can focus the test scenarios on the areas identified as problematic during the audit.