In the last article I briefly mentioned about design audit, so today I would like to dive deeper and tell you more about it and why you need to do it.

Usually, a design system project comes to the company when things get a little out of hand and the company is not sure where it all went wrong and what is the most important task to take first.
First of all, you need to calm down and assess the situation, think about your priorities and then actions that you gonna take to make it happen.

Let’s start from the beginning and define what is a design audit.
Accordingly to Adobe’s blog, a design audit is a quality assurance activity that’s goal is to review products and evaluate them from a user experience perspective to ensure it meets accessibility, user interface (UI) component continuity, and design unity requirements.

So, a design audit is a review of visual components used by the company. There could be a few reasons behind the audit, maybe it’s a rebranding plan or new management or simply the stakeholders would like to illuminate all the inconsistencies because of their rapid growth in the past. Anyway, the goal is to ensure that the brand of the company is translated consistently and uniformly across all channels and platforms.

The main focus of the audit is visual aspects but you should include other elements that are a part of the experience.
- You might ask questions like
- How is overall identity translated into the project?
- Are the designs, colour pallet and typography consistent throughout the product?
- Does the tone and communication of the product translate cohesively to our target audience?
- Why users don’t finish key user flows?
- Why do the team spend too much time creating simple new designs and flows?

You should conduct a design audit when visual style gets lost in so many different visual uniform elements. Usually, your users are the first indicators that something is wrong, they are not finishing key flows, and asking the same question at the support desk.

Benefits of a design audit

Conducting a design audit can be a great way to improve your website or product. Not only can it help you find and fix any user experience issues, but it can also strengthen your brand and give you a deeper understanding of it.
By limiting the number of button and form styles and fixing small inconsistencies, you can vastly improve the overall user experience.

A design audit can also help you gain insights into where inconsistencies appear and recognize areas where you can improve your branding in the future.

By considering your user research and target audience, you can adapt your brand image and communication based on solid data. Ultimately, improving your communication, value proposition, and user experience can lead to increased profits.

After completing a design audit, what are the next steps to take?

Concluding a design audit requires creating a detailed report that outlines the issues discovered and suggests solutions for fixing them. This report should include annotated slides that showcase the inconsistencies and areas for improvement. The report should be supported by the materials that were audited, such as artboards or design mockups.

After presenting the report to stakeholders, it’s time to come up with an action plan for addressing the identified issues. Depending on the severity of the inconsistencies, there are three potential options:

First, if there are only minor inconsistencies, the style guide can be updated to address the issues, and relevant teams should be informed about how to prevent future inconsistencies.

Second, if the inconsistencies are more substantial, a design system may need to be created or updated. This will ensure that all assets and requirements are readily available to every team and employee and that the visual language remains consistent across every channel.

Third, if the current visual language is in complete disarray and does not follow any guidelines or target audience insights, it may be necessary to consider redesigning the brand. This offers a fresh start and an opportunity to redefine values, and positioning, and start with a new design system that keeps communication consistent.

A design audit is an essential asset for keeping a brand on track and ensuring consistent communication. A strong brand is a valuable competitive advantage, so it’s crucial to conduct regular design audits to ensure that it retains its strong image, visual language, familiar aesthetics, and solid position in the market.

The audit helps to identify inconsistencies and areas for improvement, which can be addressed through updating the style guide, creating or updating the design system, or even redesigning the brand. Conducting a design audit can lead to improved user experience, strengthened brand image, and increased profits. Don’t forget to create a detailed report that outlines issues and solutions for fixing them after completing the design audit.

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