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CHK-003Checkout · structureMedium

Clear step indicator showing progress through checkout

Clear step indicator showing progress through checkout.

Check my store for this rule →Cite this
Free · no card · runs all rules at once · judged on 40 stores · updated
88%of the audited stores we could judge fail this rule
5 pass0 partial35 failPublished audits · September 2026
Stores judged
40
of 40 published audits
Score weight
1.0pts
of the 100-point score
Page share
50%
of the score is the checkout

What earns each verdict

Same outcomes on every UXFix rule · how verdicts work
✓ Pass5

Progress indicator visible on every step.

~ Partial0

On some steps only.

✕ Fail35

No progress signal.

not assessable is recorded when the rule applied but the store could not be judged on it (bot protection, a region lock, a step we could not reach), and not applicable when the store has nothing for the rule to judge. Those stores are left out of every number on this page, never guessed. Why we do that
Why it matters

The checkout doesn't show which step the buyer is on or how many steps remain. It feels like an infinite form.

Not knowing how long a task will take is one of the strongest predictors of abandonment. A visible "Step 2 of 3" gives buyers the confidence to push through the next 30 seconds of typing.

That sentence is the one a failing store sees in its own UXFix report.How rules are weighted and scored →
40 audited stores, one dot each
35 fail
PassPartialFail

Every published UXFix audit this rule could be judged on, as of 23 Sep 2026. A count of real stores, not a simulation of yours.

How we test it

Scripted walk, fresh signed-out browser · the full walk
  1. 1Fresh browserSigned out, cookies cleared, desktop and mobile viewports, the store's live theme.
  2. 2Open a productA real, in-stock product page, found the way a shopper finds one.
  3. 3Add to cartDefault variant, quantity one, then the cart page itself.
  4. 4Walk the checkoutFrom the cart to the payment step. Nothing is ever bought.
  5. 5Judge this ruleAgainst the standard above, on what a shopper can see.
  6. 6Record the verdictPass, partial or fail, saved with the screenshot it was judged on.
What the agent looks for
Clear step indicator showing progress through checkout.
Confidence
The rulebook rates this check’s confidence High. When the agent is not sure, the rule is recorded as not assessable rather than guessed.
Not judged
0 of 40 published audits: the rule did not apply or could not be judged. Dropped, never guessed.

The numbers behind the rule

Published UXFix audits · more statistics
Published audits failing this rule
and 23 more, newest audit first.
Where this rule sits among 103 UX rules
Most-failed rank
#13
Score weight rank
#36
Fail rate
88%

Score weight: a fail costs 1.0 pts of of the 100-point score; a partial costs half that. Most-failed rank is among the 79 rules with enough published audits to report a rate.

The issue, on real stores

from each store's own published audit

9 of the stores that fail this rule, each shown on the screen it was judged on, with the problem area marked. The picture is the store's own capture on the date shown, and stores change.

26 more are in the list above, each with its own audit.

The fix

The same steps a failing store sees in its report

A pass means: Progress indicator visible on every step.

Severity
Medium
Score gain
+1.0pts
Page
Checkout

Score gain is roughly what a fail-to-pass change adds; rules that could not be judged are left out, which can move it a little. Re-run a free audit after the change ships to confirm the verdict moved.

Checklist for the pass
0 of 3

Tick each step as you ship it. The audit judges the live store, so re-run it once all of them are done.

Every store that fails this rule

The 35 audited stores that fail Clear step indicator showing progress through checkout, with each store's published score and the day it was audited.
#StoreScoreAuditedPublished audit
1Leathermanleatherman.com65Open audit
2Ooniooni.com64Open audit
3Archeryworldarcheryworld.co.uk52Open audit
4Bxbx.eu46Open audit
5Barnesandnoblebarnesandnoble.com61Open audit
6Arhausarhaus.com60Open audit
7Tupperwaretupperware.com60Open audit
8Caspercasper.com62Open audit
9Thebrickthebrick.com61Open audit
10Wpswingswpswings.com57Open audit
11Lavernelaverne.com60Open audit
12Benettonbenetton.com58Open audit
13Keenfootwearkeenfootwear.com56Open audit
14Verabradleyverabradley.com58Open audit
15Everlaneeverlane.com62Open audit
16Davidsbridaldavidsbridal.com58Open audit
17Tomstoms.com52Open audit
18Bodenboden.com64Open audit
19Eddiebauereddiebauer.com62Open audit
20Forever21forever21.com57Open audit
21Gymsharkgymshark.com57Open audit
22Reebokreebok.com58Open audit
23Reebokreebok.com57Open audit
24Fashionnovafashionnova.com56Open audit
25Kathmandukathmandu.com.au63Open audit
26Ladounladoun.com41Open audit
27Toysrustoysrus.com57Open audit
28Brewdogbrewdog.com56Open audit
29Zulilyzulily.com61Open audit
30Mejurimejuri.com65Open audit
31Fashionphilefashionphile.com63Open audit
32Timextimex.com54Open audit
33Citstorescitstores.com65Open audit
34Wpfactorywpfactory.com70Open audit
35Tentreetentree.com58Open audit

What our auditors say about this rule

A shopper who cannot see how much is left assumes it is more than it is.
Omar Dabbas, Co-founder, UXFix

Written by the person who audits this rule, and reviewed every quarter.

Keep going

All rules →
RuleCHK-001
Guest checkout offered as first-class option (no account wall)Checkout · Critical ›
RuleCHK-005
Ability to edit cart from within checkout without losing progressCheckout · Medium ›
RuleCHK-006
Account creation offered after order placement, not beforeCheckout · High ›
RuleCHK-007
Site logo/name does not link away from checkout (or warns first)Checkout · Medium ›
RuleCHK-008
Header/nav minimized during checkout to reduce exitsCheckout · Medium ›
RuleCHK-009
Total form fields 8 or fewer (industry average is 11.3)Checkout · High ›
RuleCHK-010
Single Full Name field (not first + last)Checkout · Medium ›
RuleCHK-011
Optional fields marked as optional (not required by default)Checkout · Medium ›
Cite this

«35 of 40 online stores audited by UXFix fail the rule "Clear step indicator showing progress through checkout" (CHK-003) as of September 2026. UXFix, uxfix.ai/audits/rules/checkout-progress-indicator»

Rule record · JSON
Dataset →
{
  "id": "CHK-003",
  "name": "Clear step indicator showing progress through checkout",
  "area": "checkout",
  "severity": "medium",
  "weight": 0.99,
  "published_audits": {
    "judged": 40,
    "pass": 5,
    "partial": 0,
    "fail": 35
  },
  "updated": "2026-09-23"
}
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