5 Best Practices for Effective User Acceptance Testing

User acceptance testing is a testing method that verifies whether a software application or product meets business requirements. End-users will play the role of testers, who will take the responsibility to test the product end-to-end in a real-time environment.

This will help the teams to know how great a product is from a user’s experience (UX) perspective. This testing method will give clarity as to what more can be done to enhance the quality, functionality and performance of a product before it is going to be released. In this article, you will get to know the five best practices for effective user acceptance testing.

Following are the five best practices for effective user acceptance testing:

1. The target audience needs to be identified: Understanding and identifying the target audience is an important step. It is crucial to select potential and actual users for UAT.

The user test should not be participated by the development team. User feedback that is obtained can help in seeing the potential errors and creating future improvements.

In order to generate optimal results, the information related to user feedback should be specific and clear. UAT checklist can be used so that the data can be systematically organized.

2. Creating a test plan: A test plan is basically a guide or an instruction manual. The scope of testing (what will and will not be tested) and the objectives of testing (what are you planning to validate and/or verify) are properly described. The detailed schedule of the activities that need to be performed should be taken into consideration.

3. Detailed test cases need to be developed: A test case specifies the expected results, work procedure and the condition that needs to be verified by a tester.

In order to ascertain if an application or one of its features is working as desired or planned, a basic documentation in the form of a test case is needed. A methodical plan is required so that it acts as a guide for those involved in understanding the testing process.

If the tests are done in person, printing the guide is recommended so that the process is made easier. Detailed test cases need to be developed so that there is clarity about the process.

The specifics need to be taken into consideration in order to analyze the expected results and the buttons that need to be clicked upon. Negative test cases can also be included in order to ascertain what happens if a user does something unexpected and hence the best-case scenario can be reviewed.

4. Bug communication standards need to be developed: When an error appears, it needs to be dealt with tactfully. When a bug has been reported, recording of specific information should be done as much as possible, so that the problem can be easily recreated at a later point in time and thus solve accordingly.

In order to send bug data, screencasts or screenshots can be used. This will in turn help the developer in solving their queries.

5. Acceptance criteria should be well-defined: After the product is properly developed, it is necessary to have clear and well-defined acceptance criteria for the purpose of making a decision pertaining to product approval.

Following are a few key tips in creating an effective acceptance criterion:

• Acceptance criteria should be testable

• Almost everyone should understand the acceptance criteria

• Criteria should be simple and clear

• User perspective should be provided by acceptance criteria.

Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing UAT for your specific project, then do get connected with a top-notch software testing services company that will provide you with a viable testing strategy that is in line with your project specific requirements.

About the author: I am a technical content writer focused on writing technology specific articles. I strive to provide well-researched information on the leading market savvy technologies.