Ux Audit

---
name: ux-audit
description: "Use when auditing screens against Nielsen's heuristics and mobile UX best practices within the StyleSeed Toss design language context."
category: design-ui-ux
risk: safe
source: community
source_repo: bitjaru/styleseed
source_type: community
date_added: "2026-04-08"
author: bitjaru
tags: [ux, audit, usability, mobile, styleseed]
tools: [claude, cursor, codex, gemini]
---

# UX Audit

## Overview

Part of [StyleSeed](https://github.com/bitjaru/styleseed), this skill audits usability rather than just visuals. It uses Nielsen's 10 heuristics plus modern mobile UX expectations to find issues in navigation, feedback, recovery, hierarchy, and cognitive load.

## When to Use
- Use when a screen feels awkward even though the code and styling seem correct
- Use when evaluating a flow before or after implementation
- Use when reviewing a mobile-first product for usability regressions
- Use when you want findings framed as user experience problems with remediation

## Audit Framework

Review the target against:
- visibility of system status
- match between system and real-world language
- user control and freedom
- consistency and standards
- error prevention
- recognition rather than recall
- flexibility and efficiency
- aesthetic and minimalist design
- recovery from errors
- help, onboarding, and empty-state guidance

Add mobile-specific checks for reachability, touch ergonomics, input burden, and thumb-friendly action placement.

## Output

Return:
1. A prioritized issue list
2. The heuristic violated by each issue
3. Why the issue matters to real users
4. Specific remediation suggestions for the page, component, or flow

## Best Practices

- Judge the experience from the user's point of view, not the implementer's
- Separate high-severity flow blockers from minor polish issues
- Include recovery and state-management guidance, not only layout comments
- Tie recommendations back to concrete UI changes

## Additional Resources

- [StyleSeed repository](https://github.com/bitjaru/styleseed)
- [Source skill](https://github.com/bitjaru/styleseed/blob/main/seeds/toss/.claude/skills/ux-audit/SKILL.md)

## Limitations
- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
- Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
- Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.


## Core Process
1. Define the core tasks and user goals for the flow being audited.
2. Step through the flow evaluating against Nielsen's heuristics.
3. Test edge cases, error states, and empty states specifically.
4. Document actionable findings and prioritize remediation.

## Common Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|---|
| The screen looks modern, so the UX must be good. | Aesthetics do not equal usability; heuristic evaluation is required. |
| I'll only audit the happy path. | Most UX failures occur in error states, edge cases, and empty states. |
| Users will figure out this complex navigation. | If navigation requires effort to 'figure out', the UX has failed. |

## Red Flags
- Missing feedback for user actions (system status visibility).
- Lack of clear undo/cancel options for critical actions.
- Inconsistent terminology used across different screens.

## Verification
- [ ] Audit covers all relevant Nielsen's heuristics.
- [ ] Error states and edge cases are explicitly tested.
- [ ] A concrete list of actionable UX improvements is generated.