Unlock your charity’s website potential: how a UX Audit can drive impact and conversions

Claudia joined SR in 2024 after working in the documentary film industry for nearly a decade. As a UX researcher she combines her experience in storytelling with her curiosity about the ways in which people interact with the world around them. She is passionate about creating digital products that are accessible, tell a story and offer a good user experience.

Claudia Marinaro, User Experience Researcher

Is your charity’s website performing at its best?

A well-designed and optimised website can make a huge difference to your charity’s impact. Whether your goal is to increase donations, encourage volunteer sign-ups, boost research paper downloads, or raise awareness, your website is key to help drive those conversions. But is your charity website helping you achieve your goals? If you’re not sure, it might be time for a UX Audit.

At Studio Republic, our comprehensive UX Audit offers an in-depth, data-driven analysis that can unlock your website’s full potential. We focus on what really matters to your users and how your site can better serve them, delivering measurable improvements that align with your organisation’s goals.

Take our quick quiz to find out if your website could benefit from a UX Audit.

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What is a UX audit?

Our UX audits assess the effectiveness and performance of your website by examining how users interact with it. We use a variety of research methods to uncover what’s working and what isn’t—what delights users and what frustrates them.

A good user experience is essential to a charity website’s success. A UX audit uncovers critical usability issues that may be hindering donations, volunteer sign-ups, and engagement. We look beyond minor details to focus on meaningful updates that will enhance the user journey, drive conversions, and ensure your website continues to perform in an evolving digital landscape.

Interested in learning more? Book a free 30-minute consultation with Harley, our UX Lead, to explore how a UX audit could benefit your website.

Why your website needs regular UX audits

It’s tempting to think that once a website is built and launched, the job is done. However, the digital world evolves quickly and user behaviour changes with it. What users expect from websites today is not what they expected even a year ago. So, we have to adapt to these changes to ensure we’re consistently meeting and existing user expectations.

At Studio Republic, we’ve seen first-hand how charity websites can become outdated, not just in design but also in navigation and structure. Over time, websites grow and change, and often the information architecture becomes cluttered and users can find it difficult to find what they’re looking for. This can lead to lower conversions and higher bounce rates, turning users away from your site and potentially redirecting their support to others.

That’s where UX audits come in. By regularly assessing how users engage with your site, we help you stay ahead of these changes, keeping your site relevant, easy to navigate, and conversion-focused.

Learn more about our UX audit process here.

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What do we do in a UX audit?

We take a structured, thorough approach to understanding your website’s current performance and how it can be improved. We use a proven process to ensure the audit collects valuable insights and knowledge to enhance your charity’s website. Here’s what to expect:

UX scoping workshop: before we start, we send a pre-scoping questionnaire. We then hold a two to four hour workshop to explore your organisation’s needs, goals, and vision. This workshop helps us align our audit with your strategic objectives.
Research & discovery: we use a combination of tests, surveys, and analytics to gather data on how users interact with your site. This helps identify their pain points, needs, and overall user experience.
Proto-persona creation: based on our research, we create proto-personas that represent key user groups. These personas help us understand your users’ behaviour and guide our design recommendations.
Heuristic evaluation: using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 principles of interaction design, we review your site for usability and accessibility issues, identifying areas for improvement.
Review of design and structure: we examine every aspect of your website’s user experience, from information architecture and page layout to accessibility and technical performance.
Report and recommendations: our findings are compiled into a detailed report with prioritised, data-driven recommendations for improvement. We also provide a roadmap for implementing these changes.
Handover: we share the findings with you, explain the report, and address any questions you may have.

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Real results for charities

Over the last year, we’ve conducted UX Audits for a variety of charities and non-profits, including VoiceAbility, We Mean Business Coalition (WMBC), Bliss, and Alcohol Change UK. These audits uncovered key issues that were holding their websites back, often things the organisations hadn’t even realised were affecting their users.

“I found Studio Republic’s work on our UX Audit extremely detailed, thorough and innovative. They took into consideration our needs, the charity landscape as well as our target audiences which is exactly what we needed. As a team, we’re excited to move the project forward and implement Studio Republic’s recommendations.”

Natalie Aminoff

Digital Marketing Manager, Alcohol Change UK

Stakeholders and designers who know their sites well often assume users will instinctively know how to navigate them. But the reality is different—users may experience your website in unexpected ways. This is why research-based insights are so valuable, helping to shape design recommendations that are truly user-centric.

What a UX audit can do for your charity

A study by the Nielsen Norman Group found that many charity websites struggle to communicate their message clearly and effectively. This offers a clear opportunity for improvement that can help your charity engage with more people and garner support. A UX audit can provide an important first step in making your website more inspiring and impactful.

Here’s how your charity can benefit from a UX audit:

Better understanding of users: by identifying user goals, needs, and pain points, we provide insights into how users interact with your website and how their behaviour aligns with your expectations.
Enhanced user experience: by addressing usability issues and improving navigation, we help transform your site into an intuitive, engaging platform that keeps users coming back.
Data-Driven decision making: our research empowers you to make informed decisions that align with your digital strategy and help grow your relationship with your users.
Boosting conversion rates: whether your goal is more donations, email sign-ups, or enhanced awareness, improving the user experience and simplifying user journeys will lead to higher conversions.
Competitive advantage: staying on top of UX trends and best practices will set your charity apart and demonstrate your commitment to providing the best possible online experience.
Aligning with business goals: our recommendations ensure your website evolves in line with your strategic objectives, helping you meet both short and long-term goals.
Sustainable growth: a user-centred approach ensures your website remains relevant as user needs and technologies change, without the need for expensive redesigns.
Improved SEO: site performance affects search rankings and a UX audit will highlight areas for improvement that can help boost your site’s SEO, helping more users to discover your charity.

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Ready to unlock your charity website’s potential?

If you think your charity’s website might benefit from a UX audit, why not book a free 30-minute consultation with Harley, our UX Lead? In the call, Harley will listen to your organisation’s needs and suggest the best course of action. Or, if you’re still not sure, take our quick UX Audit quiz to see if this is the right step for you!