This weeks lecture was all about UX audits which was something completely new to me. However after learning about it I sort of realized it is something I have wanted to do before, finding a really bad site/app and wanted to redesign it.
A UX Audit is reviewing a product and noting down what can be improved using numbers to note down faults in order of severity from 1 being the least important issue to fix (such as a cosmetic issue) or number 4 being a ‘Usability catastrophe’.
During the lecture it was noted how a good UX Audit will take time for example being 50 pages long. Inside a UX Audit would include -
Inside a UX product you should show the ‘fixed’ version of the faults you found, for example using wireframes and prototypes. This would be important to explain what you mean to the persons product you are reviewing. Especially with not everyone knowing the design industry as much as others it would be much better to show rather than tell.
All this was for my next project to create a UX audit myself which will be 5 pages long. At the moment I am unsure if I can pick and choose what I want to review but if I can choose I will choose the app for ‘Monopoly events’ which is used for all their conventions in the UK. This app is still getting updated as it is only recently released but there are some major improvements to make it easier to navigate and for the user to find the information they are searching for.
In the lecture it was mentioned that it is a great skill to have to be able to do a UX audit, as designing is one thing where improving an excising design is another. I actually think that I will fairly enjoy this project as I always find myself critiquing excising designs and layouts. I do think five pages for my project does sound quite little for examples in the class but when it comes to the project this will probably be a lot different.
Overall this lecture was very useful to me teaching me a new type of work in this design industry.