Usability.ie is the UX research and testing practice from the team behind digitaldesign.ie. We run usability testing, website UX audits, heuristic audits, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility audits, user research and conversion-blocking UX reviews for teams that need evidence before changing forms, journeys, service pages or checkout flows — and hand off to digitaldesign.ie when the work needs to flow into design and build.
Ireland-based · UX testing · Website UX audits · Scoped accessibility evaluations
Most Irish teams arrive with one of three problems: users are not converting, a redesign needs evidence before money is spent, or accessibility/compliance risk has become urgent. The fastest route is not a generic UX workshop. It is the right diagnostic: a website UX audit for obvious friction, usability testing when you need real-user proof, or a focused conversion-blocking UX review when analytics show drop-off but not the cause. The first brief call is used to choose the smallest service that answers the decision in front of you.
A heuristic audit gives you a ranked list of the interface, content and trust problems that block users. It is the quickest way to turn vague complaints like "the site doesn't work" into a fix list your designer or developer can actually execute, including CTA hierarchy, form friction, mobile layout, proof gaps and handoff notes.
Scope a UX auditModerated testing shows what visitors do when they meet your forms, navigation, pricing, checkout or booking flow. The session clips are useful when a team needs evidence, not another opinion, and when stakeholder debate has stalled a service-page or product-flow decision.
View usability testingIf traffic is present but enquiries, bookings or sales are weak, the issue is often conversion-blocking UX: confusing CTAs, form friction, missing reassurance, mobile layout failure, unclear pricing expectations or an unclear next step.
Read the diagnosis guideIreland's European Accessibility Act rules have applied since 28 June 2025 to a defined set of products and consumer services, including e-commerce, consumer banking, electronic communications, passenger transport and e-books. They do not automatically cover every business website. We can evaluate an agreed website or app scope against an agreed WCAG version and document the barriers found; legal scope and compliance decisions should be confirmed against the Irish regulations and the guidance of the relevant regulator.
We agree the pages, journeys, browsers, assistive technologies and WCAG version before evaluation. Automated checks support, but do not replace, manual keyboard, zoom and assistive-technology review.
Accessibility evaluationsWhere the audit surfaces design or development changes, our sister studio digitaldesign.ie handles the implementation. End-to-end remediation under one engagement, no agency-juggling.
Visit digitaldesign.ieThe report records the evaluated scope, method, findings, limitations and remediation status. Where an in-scope service needs public accessibility information, the content should be prepared against Schedule 3 of the Irish regulations and reviewed by the organisation responsible for the service.
Read the EAA guideFive core engagements. Each one delivered by an Irish-based UX practitioner. Where the work flows into design or build, the handoff to digitaldesign.ie is seamless — we share files, kit, and project management.
Evaluation against an agreed WCAG version and level, with the pages, journeys, technologies and limitations recorded. Findings are prioritised and mapped to the relevant success criteria without presenting the work as legal certification.
Service detailsAn experienced reviewer follows the agreed journeys, records usability problems, explains the evidence and prioritises practical fixes. It is a focused way to diagnose visible friction before choosing research, redesign or experimentation.
Service detailsModerated tasks with participants recruited for the audience and research question. The study design, participant groups and number of rounds follow the decisions the client needs to make rather than a universal sample-size rule.
Service detailsStakeholder interviews, customer interviews, surveys, persona work. Used at the start of a redesign or when a product isn't converting and you don't yet know why.
Service detailsFor sites with traffic but weak conversion. We identify the friction points, propose specific changes, A/B test where the volume supports it, and report back on lift.
Service detailsThe combined engagement: usability.ie audits and researches; digitaldesign.ie redesigns and rebuilds. One contact, one bill, one timeline. Best for sites that need a real overhaul rather than a tweak.
How the partnership worksLong-form articles on the questions Irish businesses ask before commissioning UX work.
What Ireland's rules cover, the service-provider exemption for microenterprises, which regulator handles each sector, and what evidence to prepare before remediation.
Read the guideBoth are useful. They surface different things. Doing them in the wrong order wastes budget. Here's how to sequence them for an Irish small-business site.
Read the comparisonCommon UX mistakes on Irish small-business sites that hurt conversion without ever showing up in analytics — and the fixes that surface measurable lift within a sprint.
Read the patternsOur principal practitioners have worked across Irish e-commerce, financial services, public-sector portals and retail websites. The same team operates digitaldesign.ie for design and build, and contributes to the themarketingpod.ie editorial journal on Irish digital marketing.