Help

Freebird user guide

What is Freebird?

Freebird is a browser extension that helps you conduct UX audits on any website or static image. It allows you to:

  • Annotate live websites and uploaded images with issues, bugs, and strengths
  • Capture screenshots automatically
  • Organise findings into projects
  • Export professional PDF reports for stakeholders

Perfect for product teams conducting UX reviews, QA testing, accessibility audits, and competitive analysis.

Getting started

Installation

  1. Open the Chrome Web Store
  2. Search for “Freebird: UX audit, streamlined”
  3. Click “Add to Chrome”
  4. Confirm the installation

Opening the extension

Once installed, you'll see the Freebird icon (an owl) in your Chrome toolbar. Click it to open the side panel.

Understanding projects

Projects help you organise your audit findings. Think of them as containers for all your annotations about a specific website, page, or image.

Creating your first project

  1. Click the Dashboard icon at the top of the side panel
  2. Click “Create New Project”
  3. Choose the project type: Website or Image
  4. For a website project, fill in the Name and URL. For an image project, fill in the Name and upload your image files (PNG, JPG, GIF, or WEBP, up to 10 MB each)
  5. Click “Create Project”

Tip: Create separate projects for different pages or images you're auditing.

Activating a project

To start auditing, you need to activate a project:

  1. Go to the Dashboard
  2. Find your project in the list
  3. Click “Activate Project”

Creating annotations

Annotations are notes you create while auditing a website or image. There are three types:

  • Issue 🟡 - UX problems that need fixing
  • Strength 🟢 - Things the website does well
  • Bug 🔴 - Technical bugs or broken functionality

How to create an annotation

  1. Click the “+ New Note” button in the side panel
  2. Choose your annotation type (Issue, Strength, or Bug)
  3. Click on the element or area you want to annotate
  4. Fill in the details (description, severity, solution, etc.)
  5. Click “Save Annotation”

Exporting reports

Once you've finished your audit, export your findings as a PDF report:

  1. Go to the Dashboard
  2. Find your project
  3. Click “View PDF”
  4. Click “Download PDF”

The PDF includes all annotations, screenshots, and suggestions for improvements - formatted professionally for presentations.

Summary: Getting started in 5 minutes

  1. Create a project in the Dashboard (choose Website or Image)
  2. Activate the project
  3. Open any website you want to audit, or view your uploaded image
  4. Click “+ New Note” and choose Issue, Strength, or Bug
  5. Click on the element or area you want to annotate
  6. Fill in the details and save
  7. Export your PDF when you're done

That's it! You're ready to conduct professional UX audits with Freebird. 🦉

For the complete guide with troubleshooting, tips, and best practices, visit: designowls.net/freebird