This privacy policy explains how Usability.ie ("we", "us", "our") collects and uses personal data. We're based in Ireland and we comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018.
What we collect
Things you give us directly:
- Name, email, company, service category, and message text via the contact form
- Information you share during a brief call or engagement (project details, current site, etc.)
Things collected automatically:
- Anonymised analytics via self-hosted Matomo (page views, referrer, approximate country, device type, browser). IP addresses are anonymised before storage.
- Standard server log data your browser sends.
We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any cross-site advertising trackers.
Why we collect it
| Data | Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Contact form submissions | Replying to your enquiry, scoping the engagement | Legitimate interest — you initiated contact |
| Engagement project files | Delivering the audit / research engagement | Contract — necessary for delivery |
| Anonymised analytics | Understanding how the site is used so we can improve it | Legitimate interest (no personal identifiers stored) |
How long we keep it
- Contact form messages: 24 months, then deleted
- Project deliverables (reports, recordings): 90 days post-engagement (recordings); 6 years (reports — for tax-record reasons)
- Analytics: 14 months rolling, then aggregated
Usability-test recordings — special note
Where an engagement involves recorded usability-test sessions, participants give explicit recording consent before the session, are told who will see the recording, and may withdraw at any time. Recordings are stored on encrypted Irish-hosted infrastructure for the duration above. We do not share recordings with third parties beyond the named client team.
Who sees it
Inside Usability.ie: the auditor / researcher running your engagement and the practice admin handling invoicing. Outside: nobody, unless we're legally required to share it. We don't sell, rent or trade personal data.
Your rights under GDPR
You can ask us to: show you what data we hold about you, correct anything that's wrong, delete your data, stop processing it, or export it in a portable format. Email hello@usability.ie and we'll respond within 30 days.
You also have the right to complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission: www.dataprotection.ie.
Cookies
See our cookie notice. Short version: Matomo first-party cookie for visit counting. No advertising cookies.
Changes
We update this page whenever we change how we handle data. The "Last updated" date at the top will change.
Questions
Email hello@usability.ie.