# About the Usability Lab category **URL:** \ **Category:** Usability Lab\ **Created:** [October 9, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://we.opentech.fund/t/about-the-usability-lab-category/1348 "2018-10-09T16:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/we.opentech.fund/dan/32/514_2.png) [@dan](https://we.opentech.fund/u/dan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://we.opentech.fund/t/about-the-usability-lab-category/1348/1 "2018-10-09T16:23:53Z")
The [Usability Lab](https://www.opentech.fund/labs/usability-lab/) aims to increase user safety and promote practical internet freedom by working with developers and technologists to improve the usability of open ­source circumvention and digital security tools. Through its service providers, the Usability Lab provides the following services as an in-kind resource to OTF-funded projects and other internet freedom technologies: - **Secure Usability Audits** , which will analyze and identify any pitfalls that might make it difficult for users under threat to use your tool. - **Secure Usability and User Experience (UX) Consultations** , to connect tools with Usability and UX experts to help address a specific gap in expertise, or to work on solving the hard and specific challenges facing digital security tools. - **Secure Usability Testing** , which is similar to a Usability Audit, but limited in scope to a particular area or aspect of the tool. - **User Research and User Studies** , to help tools better understand the needs of their users, and how to articulate those needs in the design of their tools. - Assistance in secure **UX Design** , to help projects to design their tool in a manner that puts their user’s needs, usability, and security first. - Assistance developing secure usable **Style Guides** , which outline user interface and graphical elements, rules and guidelines to ensure a cohesive and consistent user experience across different aspects of a tool.