User Acceptance Testing Checklist – 6 Factors to Consider

You are working on software. But how do you ensure your users will be able to use it? User acceptance testing may hold the answer for you.

This blog post will cover everything from the basics of UAT to the User Acceptance Testing Checklist, and, most importantly, we will share some tips and tricks with you.

What is User Acceptance Testing?

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is a form of testing where the end-user or client conducts the testing to evaluate whether the software system meets their requirements and is suitable for production.

During UAT, the team brings in real users to test the software in a real-world environment, essentially making it the final step in the testing process before releasing the product to the public.

This helps to identify any bugs or issues that may have been missed during previous testing phases. The goal is to ensure the product meets the user’s needs and expectations and functions adequately without major issues.

So, in a nutshell, UAT helps to ensure that the software is ready for prime time!

Examples of User Acceptance Testing

Is UAT often called the “final frontier” of testing? Yes, of course.

Here are a few examples of User Acceptance Testing in real-world scenarios:

1. E-Commerce Website: During the final stage of e-commerce website development, the testing team identifies some people from the target user group, the people who are likely to use the application. These users will then use the website according to the information provided to them. The testing team then would notice their behavior and record any issues they encounter.
2. Banking Software: Let us consider the scenario where IBBC is a bank that aims to enhance its current application. To ensure a thorough analysis of use cases, the bank will extend invitations to occasional and regular banking software users. After sharing the requirements with these users, they will conduct thorough tests of the application by executing the necessary workflows while closely monitoring their behavior. Any feedback regarding usability and user-friendliness will be duly recorded and implemented.
3. Educational Apps: For educational apps, the intended audience includes students. In the case of an app designed for college students, the target users would be college students. Similarly, if the app is created for school-going students, the target audience would be school-going students. The testers will invite the identified users, provide them with the necessary specifications, and request them to participate in the testing process.

UAT helps ensure the product meets the stakeholders’ and end-users needs. As they play a critical role in finding bugs and improvement areas, they can make a product more reliable and high-quality.

Alpha Testing

The development team conducts alpha testing within a company or organization before releasing the product to a broader audience. A simple example of alpha testing can be:

A company’s team of software developers develops a new software application.

Once the application has undergone several stages of development, the testers conduct alpha testing. This is done on the application before releasing it to others.

1. The testers install the alpha version of the application on their own devices and begin testing.


2. They do testing in various ways, trying to break the application by using it in abnormal patterns.


3. This aims to identify potential issues and bugs within the application, ensuring it meets the required standards and is error-free.


4. During alpha testing, testers monitor system resource usage, load times, and other performance parameters. This ensures the application is responsive and user-friendly.

Once the alpha testing is complete, the development team gets the feedback and bug reports. The team works on fixing the issues and improving the application.

They may update the design, functionality, and performance based on their findings. They also check other app elements before proceeding to the beta testing phase.

Beta Testing

Beta testing is a type of testing in which a launching company or organization releases a product to a limited number of users. They do this before the software’s final release to gather feedback and make necessary improvements.

A simple example of beta testing can be:

A game company is developing a new mobile game. For beta testing, the company looks for a handful of people likely to purchase this mobile game.

1. After the developers and testers have completed various testing and development stages, they release the game’s beta version to the group of selected users.


2. The game developers grant the selected users access to the game’s beta version and assign them the task of playing and testing it over a specific period.


3. During this time, the selected users report any bugs, glitches, or issues they find while using the app.


4. The selected users also provide suggestions for improvements and feedback on the gameplay, graphics, sound effects, user interface, and other aspects of the game.

The developer team then analyses the feedback and bug reports and fixes the issues. The team makes the necessary improvements before releasing the game’s final version to the public. Beta testing helps companies ensure that the final product will be of high quality, free of bugs and other issues, and well received by the users.

Benefits of User Acceptance Testing

Here are some of the key advantages of UAT:

1. Fewer Bugs: UAT helps identify potential errors, issues, and bugs that your target users are likely to face and that you might have missed. Ultimately reducing the likelihood of these problems arising post-release.
2. Improved Documentation: As part of UAT, documentation covers all testing scenarios. This documentation can help ensure business and technical requirements have been met, and it helps with knowledge transfer.
3. Better Understanding of User Needs: UAT involves end-users, which enables the development team to understand user needs and preferences that support creating a product or service design that meets users’ expectations.
4. Increased Customer Satisfaction: UAT fosters better quality and improved products, reducing the risk of issues discovered by customers.
5. Time and Resource Efficient: Major problems can be avoided by identifying and addressing UAT issues, saving time and resources for rework, or resolving post-release issues.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Checklist

Here is a checklist for User Acceptance Testing that includes some of the essential elements to consider while conducting UAT:

Initiating the User Acceptance Testing project

Initiating the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) project is a big deal.

First, involve all the essential peeps like developers, testers, project managers, and end users. Your test cases need to be super thorough and cover all possible scenarios.

Once your test cases are ready, review them by stakeholders to ensure they’re accurate and complete.

Planning the User Acceptance Testing

Make a UAT plan with clear goals and tasks, like setting up the test environment, creating test cases, and deciding on a timeline. This plan will help guide the whole testing process.

User Acceptance Testing Design

Next, you must create test cases based on user stories or use cases from the requirements document.

User Acceptance Testing Execution

The UAT Execution process involves testing the system or application by actual users to determine whether it meets their requirements and expectations. We analyze and evaluate the results and make necessary changes before the final release.

The UAT Execution process is essential in ensuring the product is user-friendly, meets the requirements, and satisfies the client’s needs.

User Acceptance Testing Release Decisions

Before releasing the software, the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) process must be completed. The team will examine the UAT results and make release decisions to ensure the software meets end-user requirements. They should evaluate feedback, identify issues or flaws, and remedy them before launching the software.

The successful completion of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) can indicate the software’s readiness for launch; however, it is essential to consider other elements, such as technical and financial viability. Making decisions based on data is imperative to guarantee that the software meets end-users’ demands and achieves success within the market.

Post-User Acceptance Testing Actions

Post-User Acceptance Testing Actions refer to the steps taken after successfully testing a software application. These actions involve analyzing the testing results, identifying any issues or bugs found, and fixing them before the final implementation of the software. Post-testing involves collecting and incorporating user feedback into the software design to improve user experience.

Automate your Acceptance Tests

Once the needed changes are incorporated into the product, the next step is to automate the acceptance tests. For automating these tests, you need to choose the tool that would be right for you and would let you grow your test automation suite further.

Testsigma is a tool for automating acceptance tests and allows you to scale your test automation efforts when needed. Some features that make it ideal for the automation of acceptance tests are:

i. It’s a no-code test automation tool; thus, writing your tests is like writing them in simple English. You don’t need to be an expert in coding here.

ii. You begin your test automation in minutes.

iii. Testsigma lets you automate your tests for web, mobile, desktop, and APIs from the same place.

iv. The test cases are very easy to edit too. Testsigma is also available as open source and free.

Start automating your acceptance test with Testsigma Open Source.

User Acceptance Testing Best Practices

Know the users who will ultimately be using the software

It is essential to know what the users want and need to make sure the software does what they’re looking for and works for them.

Prepare the User Acceptance Testing plan well in advance

The UAT plan should be communicated clearly to all team members and stakeholders to ensure everyone is on the same page. A well-planned UAT process leads to a higher-quality product and increased customer satisfaction.

Well-structured User Acceptance Testing management system

1. The system should have Clear Objectives aligned with the project goals and requirements.


2. A complete test plan outlining the testing approach, test cases, and expected results should be developed.


3. The testing environment should be set up to mimic the production environment as closely as possible.


4. Sufficient test data should be available to ensure that all scenarios are covered.


5. The testing process should be well-organized and executed promptly.


6. A system for tracking and managing defects should be in place to ensure that issues are resolved promptly.


7. Regular reports should be generated to give stakeholders visibility into the testing progress and results.

Create Scenarios based on business requirements

To create scenarios, it is crucial to clearly understand the business requirements and the system’s intended purpose. This involves collaborating with stakeholders, including business analysts, developers, and end-users, to identify the critical features and functionalities that must be tested.

Once the requirements are established, scenarios can be developed that simulate real-world scenarios and test the system’s ability to handle various situations. This guarantees the system meets the desired outcomes and provides a seamless user experience.

Clearly define acceptance criteria

By doing so, all stakeholders involved in the project will have a clear understanding of what is expected and can work towards achieving those goals. Therefore, it is essential to take the time to carefully define and communicate the acceptance criteria to all parties involved.

One simple example of acceptance criteria for a software product could be:

1. The login screen should verify user credentials and grant access to authenticated users.

2. The app should allow users to securely create accounts and store their details.

3. Users should be able to purchase products from the app and receive a confirmation email with the order details.

4. The app should display accurate product information, including descriptions, prices, and availability. 5. Users should be able to leave product reviews and ratings.

6. The app should be accessible on both Android and iOS devices.

7. The app should be available in multiple languages.

8. The app should load within 3 seconds of opening it.

9. The app should not crash or freeze during use. 10. The app should provide technical support to users with issues or questions.

These acceptance criteria outline the functionalities and features that the software must have to meet the stakeholders’ requirements (in this case, the users).

Summary

Ultimately, UAT is an essential step that ensures the product offered to the end-users is high quality, meets their expectations, and is accepted as a valuable addition to their work or lifestyle. A UAT checklist outlines all the steps and procedures to complete the UAT process successfully.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the steps in UAT testing?

The steps in UAT typically involve

• Identifying User Acceptance Criteria,
• Crafting test cases or scripts,
• Preparing testing data and environment,
• Executing tests with real users/stakeholders
• Reporting defects, and
• Retesting until issues are resolved.

What is UAT testing in agile?

The process of UAT in agile will be similar to what is done in waterfall methodology, just that the same process will have to repeat every sprint. And here, advanced planning, preparation, and quick execution of UAT will be crucial.

What kind of testing is done in UAT?

In UAT, various kinds of testing are performed to validate the functionality, usability, accessibility, compatibility, and performance of the system or application under real-life scenarios.