What is User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

29 Dec

User Acceptance Testing: A Simple – but complete – Guide

If you happen to work in software QA or development, you might have certainly heard the term “User Acceptance Testing sessions” multiple times nearing the end of any project. This step in QA is one of the most essential practices to give confidence to operational teams and business owners and confirm product release.

We believe that software testing can only be sealed through real-life usage tests. This activity is labeled in the software testing stages as User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Q-Pros have invested lots of effort into crafting an excellent methodology to conduct healthy UAT sessions and make sure that the software is more than ready to handle end-users.

This article hopes to be a clear guide to UAT and how to perform an effective user acceptance session. To start, let us define UAT –

What is User Acceptance Testing (UAT)?

User Acceptance Testing is the final seal of approval required before releasing an application out to the public. By definition – hence its name- UAT’s objective is to get user acceptance by testing all aspects of the application, making sure it is fit for business demands.

UAT sessions are done to measure the level of satisfaction a user has while using the application in real-time under real scenarios. It involves mimicking how an application might be used by future users/customers.

User Acceptance Testing is the final stage of testing to make use of all the application’s potential to confirm that it is ready to be released.

How we perform UAT

UAT sessions are conducted by a group of first-hand users, this group of users could consist of customers who are more likely to use the product or the client that this software is directed to (if the software is manufactured specifically for an organization).

When conducting a UAT session, all parties involved document their feedback, preferably in the presence of the developing team and beta testers in charge of ensuring quality standards.

The role of the QA teams in UAT sessions

The QA team has major involvement in the User Acceptance Testing. The QA team must be ready to assist users on how to use the application and oversee taking notes, including on several issues that might not be visible to the users, meaning things that are of QA concern rather than simple functionality.

The QA team will then take part in presenting the results to clients, and it is the clients’ job to decide whether the results are in alliance with expectations.

The key objectives of UAT

To make certain the software is performing based on basic business requirements.
To confirm Ease-of-use. We need to make sure that the system is usable by end-users.
Make sure the application is aligned with legal measures.

At the end of UAT, a report is drafted, this report includes valuable results. Then, meetings are arranged to determine whether the application is ready for release or not based on UAT deliverables.

Agile and DevOps methods in UAT

UAT sessions require an elevated level of cooperation between multiple levels of involvement, including end-users. To plan a solid UAT session, team management methodology plays a huge role. The DevOps approach emphasizes a steady relationship between both developers and operational managers. This coexistence is made feasible using the agile methodology of project management. Agile is heavily adopted in QA techniques in general as it has been proved to save time and maintain structure.

As mentioned before, UAT sessions involve multiple parties, from developers, the QA team, and end-users. At the end of every UAT, feedback is collected and worked upon, and then when needed, other UAT sessions will be conducted.

UAT (Alpha/Beta Testing)

UAT is split into two classifications (Alpha & Beta) depending on the nature of the output being tested.

Alpha testing involves testing the application in the development environment.

Beta testing is carried out in the production phase when the application is ready for release.

Summary

User Acceptance is all-important for Quality Assurance. Understanding how your software works in a real-life environment before releasing it to one is an obvious step. Involving end-users will guarantee honesty and generate honest feedback. UAT is most beneficial when each step is documented and studied thoroughly.

Based on the data generated, the developers, QA team, and clients can choose to make changes to enhance all aspects of the application based on the desired quality and business requirements.

To learn more about quality assurance practices and frameworks, learn more about us and request one of our many testing services that are crafted based on requirements, business demands and standards.