Bug Blog

The importance of user experience testing has grown in direct proportion to the complexity of what is being tested. There was a time when software UAT didn’t even exist because software did not exist. There was no such thing when Charles Babbage started work on his “difference engine” way back in the early 1800s.

User acceptance testing is vital because, ultimately, the quality of any software is determined by the user. This is why it is important to develop realistic and useful test cases. These cases should be based on both careful interviews with users of the system and monitoring of the environment in which the application will be used.

Ideally, UAT testing should provide the opportunity to uncover any remaining bugs, and to test usability directly in the operational environment. These tests should generate a confident certainty that the software will function as designed when it goes live. However, this isn't always the case.

User testing has evolved over the years. The earliest seed of UX testing was planted by Frederick Taylor with the 1911 publication of his landmark Principles of Scientific Management.

Software testing can be a stressful and demanding job, and it’s very easy for that stress to carry over into our relations with our fellow workers. Also, the desire to get ahead can sometimes backfire when people on the same team end up in competition with each other.

Although important strides have been made, there are still five common defects that often show up in website bug testing. These are poor user interface, login credential failure and email deliverability as well as finding critical functions and clumsy or unworkable checkout process.

Customer interest and successful conversion depends on how easy it is to move through your site. A well designed customer journey is vital if you want to increase your conversion rate.

The importance of user testing cannot be overestimated. Ultimately, it is the end user who will determine the quality of an application or the usability of a website, and opinions are critical in this age of rapid and unfettered mass communication. A poor user interface may lead to complaints that go viral and a poorly designed website reflects badly on the organisation it represents.

The new digital landscape has changed how business is done. Whether contracting with suppliers or working with other businesses, the keyword is no longer competition, but coordination. Part of the reason is that digital technology is driving prices down, especially in IT. This means that value is sometimes decoupled from cost.

Autonomous vehicles, like so many other forms of digital technology, has convenience as a big selling point. Things have changed and they are about to change again.

User Acceptance testing is the final stage in quality assurance and quality is no longer simply, “Does it work?” Usability has become a part of functionality. While function and regression tests validate functional specifications, User Acceptance Testing validates both the quality of the interface and the suitability of the application for its intended purpose.

Remote user acceptance testing is where testers access a website or application from a remote location. This has certain advantages. For example, testers can “play the customer”, accessing a website using different browsers and/or operating systems to reveal how a website may act on different platforms, say Android as opposed to Windows.