What is User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and How to Perform It Well

The importance of User Acceptance Testing and quality assurance in developing a digital product cannot be overstated. High-performing product teams with well-defined testing criteria spend 22% less time fixing issues.

This is crucial since an average app or website loses 95% of its users within 90 days. Thus, making a good first impression counts — starting with a program that works as intended for the user.

In this article, we will look at the UAT meaning, its purpose and parties responsible for performing UAT.

We will also discuss the essential steps for performing UAT testing and a specific bug tracking tool, particularly useful for web developers and web designers.

Table of Contents

• What is UAT Testing?
• The Purpose of UAT
• When is UAT Testing Necessary?
• UAT Prerequisites
• How to Perform User Acceptance Testing in Five Steps
• How To Conduct UAT Quickly and Accurately
• DesignRush Exclusive Deal: UAT Testing Tool
• Takeaways on UAT Testing

What is UAT Testing?

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is a kind of testing that the end-user or a client performs to verify the quality of the software, a website or a system before moving into the production or launch phase.

UAT is performed at the final stage of development and testing after functional, integrational and system tests are complete.

The Purpose of User Acceptance Testing

UAT is implemented to determine if the software does what it was developed to do and if it meets the client’s expectations. UAT also validates changes that were made and evaluates if the development team adhered to the business’s requirements.

User Acceptance Testing does not perform aesthetic or spelling trials – it is carried out in a separate UAT environment with a production-like data setup.

Experts that monitor the technical side of a website or software development shape the UAT cycles and help interpret the results.

However, UAT is performed by the business users that know what the end product should look like, what functionalities it should contain and how it should behave in daily practice.

When is User Acceptance Testing Necessary?

Developers and testers validate the end product by comparing it to the functional specification document provided by the client. They interpret these requirements to develop and then test the product.

Although the software product is developed and finalized according to client specifications, some business requirements and processes may only be known to end-users or can be misinterpreted and badly communicated.

UAT testing is important because it validates if all business requirements are fulfilled before the product is released to the target audience and market. User acceptance testing helps businesses avoid big losses caused by post-launch issues.

User Acceptance Testing Prerequisites

Before any proper UAT can begin, the testing team in charge must meet these eight prerequisites:

• Create a Business Requirement document
• Develop the application/website code and wireframe
• Complete Unit Testing, Integration Testing & System Testing
• Complete Regression Testing with no big defects
• Populate all the defects reports
• Complete traceability matrix for all testing
• Prepare UAT environment
• Sign off mail or communication from System Testing Team that the system is ready for UAT execution

These necessary conditions must be met before UAT testing commences to ensure its success and full compliance with the original requirements. Following this step in the UAT process also ensures the end-users get the best version of the end product after the launch.

How to Perform User Acceptance Testing in Five Steps

Although the intricacies of each user acceptance testing will differ based on the tested product type and niche, there are some obligatory stages that each UAT process should adhere to.

Following the best practices below is the key to successful user acceptance testing from start to finish.

1. Gather Necessary Data

The first step to a solid UAT is collecting the information needed to create a comprehensive, all-encompassing test.

To gather this data, relevant stakeholders should answer these questions:

• Which processes need to be tested?
• What are the guidelines for identifying test data?
• What are the intended results of the changes that were made to the system?
• Which individuals are responsible for testing?

Bear in mind that the UAT process requires a lot of collaboration between different functional leads, integration managers and relevant business process owners.

2. Define the Scope of UAT

Not all website, app, software or system processes need testing. Some of them you can skip, so do not begin your user acceptance testing before defining the scope of the test.

If you do not determine which part of the system needs testing, it may become very difficult for the testing team to decide on aspects critical for the test’s success.

3. Develop the UAT Design

After identifying the scope, a team should develop the UAT design which consists of mapping and allocating various test steps to different end-users, as well as setting a timeline for the test.

This will serve as a blueprint for the following step – the actual testing – and is there to provide guidelines and ensure an uninterrupted test phase.

4. Execute User Acceptance Testing

Once the UAT process is clearly defined and all steps are established, your team can begin testing and addressing any bugs and defects. The end goal of this step is to decide whether to launch the product or not.

A perfect balance between testers and developers is essential for this step to be a success. Documentation, progress reporting and defect management are particularly vital during UAT execution.

5. Evaluate Product VS Business Objective

After the user acceptance testing is completed and all the bugs have been identified and resolved, the next phase is to sign off on UAT and go live with your product. The product deployment should be approved if it meets the business requirements delivered to you by the client.

How To Conduct UAT Quickly and Accurately

Teams who perform UAT can benefit from bug tracking software to make sure there are no process delays and further errors along the way.

Take BugHerd, for example. This all-in-one visual feedback tool and bug tracking system for collecting, organizing and managing website feedback acts as a digital form of sticky notes for tracking bugs on a webpage.

The tool allows users to leave their feedback on website development directly on a webpage that is in the works or already live. BugHerd can contain data like a screenshot, OS, CSS selector data, browser info and others so that technically-savvy personnel can resolve issues without looking for clarifications from less savvy individuals.

The principles of how BugHerd works are:

• It pins feedback to the website
• The feedback can include
  • Video
  • Screenshot
  • Browser and OS info
  • Screen resolution
  • CSS selector
  • And more
• Feedback with bugs is sent to a centralized, Kanban-style board where team members can collaborate remotely and track and manage everything until the bug is resolved
• BugHerd is a tool suitable for anyone involved in the website development and QA process, as well as clients in UAT.

In terms of who can use the tool, BugHerd can provide numerous benefits for:

• Web Developers
• Web Designers
• Project Managers
• QA Testers
• SaaS Product teams

The Benefits of a Visual Feedback Tool and Bug Tracking System

This type of tool benefits all businesses, no matter the vertical, industry, size of their target audience or, indeed, the size of the company itself.

An intuitive and easy-to-use tool like BugHerd allows businesses to:

• Remove extensive email or spreadsheet back-and-forth and save time on UAT and QA for new website builds
• Save time on coordinating and managing feedback
• Store all feedback in one central location so that no feedback falls through the crack
• Enable other team members to view feedback on the website
• Get instant reports on website bugs and issues

The Cost of Using a Bug Tracking Tool

Bug tracking tools usually come on a monthly subscription basis. The average range is $10 to $50. The costs will depend on the features and the registered number of users.

BugHerd pricing range goes from $39 per month (with access for five users) to $229 per month (up to 50 users) for monthly users.

The software also provides an option of a custom plan. Companies can personalize their BugHerd set of features and the pricing is agreed accordingly.

DesignRush Exclusive Deal: UAT Testing Tool

BugHerd also offers a free, 14-day trial period with no credit card info needed upfront.

Takeaways on User Acceptance Testing

User acceptance testing is about the client requirements and the end-user entity. Its purpose is to make sure that the final product meets the standards and requirements outlined by the client. UAT testing is also done to ensure the software or program provides value and good usability to the target audience who will use the product.

UAT is the last stage of the software testing process during which actual users put the software to a trial to ensure it handles tasks in real-life scenarios, according to the set specifications.

It is the final verification step before the product is released. If the product works as intended during real-world condition simulations, teams can assume that it will also work properly once launched.

The five essential steps for performing UAT are:

• Collect necessary product data
• Define the testing scope
• Develop the UAT design
• Conduct user acceptance testing
• Evaluate product VS business objective

Best Practices:

Following points needs to be considered to make UAT Success:

• Prepare UAT plan early in the project life cycle
• Prepare Checklist before the UAT starts
• Conduct Pre-UAT session during System Testing phase itself
• Set the expectation and define the scope of UAT clearly
• Test End to End business flow and avoid system tests
• Test the system or application with real-world scenarios and data
• Think as an Unknown user to the system
• Perform Usability Testing
• Conduct Feedback session and meeting before moving to production

User Acceptance Testing Tools

There are several tools in the market used for User acceptance testing and some are listed for reference:

Fitness tool: It is a java tool used as a testing engine. It is easy to create tests and record results in a table. Users of the tool enter the formatted input and tests are created automatically. The tests are then executed and the output is returned back to the user.

Watir : It is toolkit used to automate browser-based tests during User acceptance testing. Ruby is the programming language used for inter-process communication between ruby and Internet Explorer.

Some Example Guidelines of UAT

• Most of the times in regular software developing scenarios, UAT is carried out in the QA environment. If there is no staging or UAT environment
• UAT is classified into Beta and Alpha testing but it is not so important when software is developed for a service based industry
• UAT makes more sense when the customer is involved to a greater extent

Conclusion:

• In Software Engineering, Full form of UAT is User Acceptance Testing.
• UAT is one of the many flavors of testing that has emerged over last twenty-five years.
• With UAT, the client can be sure “What to expect” from the product rather than assuming.
• The benefit of UAT is that there will be no surprises when the product is released to the market.

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