A design audit is a comprehensive review of existing design systems, products, or digital properties identifying inconsistencies, gaps, and improvement opportunities.
Audits provide baseline understanding. They guide design system development or redesigns.
Audit Scope
Audits examine:
Visual Consistency: Do designs follow consistent colour, typography, spacing?
Component Consistency: Are similar elements designed similarly?
Pattern Consistency: Are interactions and workflows consistent?
Accessibility: Are designs accessible?
Brand Alignment: Do designs align with brand guidelines?
User Experience: Do designs serve user needs?
Audit Process
Define Goals: What do we want to learn?
Collect Assets: Gather all designs, screenshots, patterns.
Analysis: Comparing designs identifying inconsistencies.
Documentation: Recording findings with examples.
Recommendations: Suggesting improvements.
Reporting: Communicating findings clearly.
Inventory
Audits start by inventorying components and patterns. What components exist? How many variations?
Excessive variations indicate inconsistency.
Comparison Matrix
Comparison matrices show how similar elements are designed. Identifying inconsistencies visually.
Accessibility Review
Audits assess accessibility. Do designs follow WCAG guidelines? Are images alt-texted? Is text readable?
User Experience Review
Reviewing user experience reveals usability issues. Testing with users identifies problems.
Brand Alignment
Comparing designs to brand guidelines. Are colours correct? Is typography correct? Do designs feel on-brand?
Technical Review
Understanding technical constraints. What is possible? What is not?
Findings Documentation
Findings should be clear with examples. Before/after comparisons showing inconsistencies.
Actionable Recommendations
Recommendations should be prioritised. Quick wins that improve consistency immediately. Larger efforts that require more investment.
Creating Design Systems
Audits often lead to design system creation. Systems document approved patterns preventing future inconsistencies.
Stakeholder Alignment
Sharing audit findings aligns stakeholders. Understanding inconsistencies motivates improvements.
PixelForce's Audit Approach
PixelForce conducts design audits identifying opportunities. Audits guide design system development.
Tools
Tools for capturing designs include screenshot libraries, design collaboration platforms, and custom tools.
Competitive Audits
Auditing competitors' designs reveals design trends and opportunities.
Quarterly Audits
Some organisations audit regularly. Quarterly audits track consistency as products evolve.
Design Debt
Audits reveal design debt - accumulated shortcuts and inconsistencies. Addressing design debt improves quality.
The Future
AI may identify inconsistencies automatically. However, human judgment about what matters most remains valuable.
Design audits provide valuable baselines. They reveal opportunities improving consistency and quality.