User Acceptance testing is an important – yet often overlooked – step in every software development project.
The principle of UAT is simple: It allows you to verify if a solution/software/application works for the end user by testing it.
Yet its implementation in real-life software development teams and processes is something a lot of companies struggle with.
In this article, we will guide you through a practical user acceptance testing example, illustrated by testing a Trello feature.
Towards the end of the article, you will discover our collection of helpful templates designed to facilitate your next steps in a seamless manner.
These templates are designed to assist you in taking actionable steps during your User Acceptance Testing (UAT) process.
Whether you’re looking to streamline your workflow, enhance communication, or ensure comprehensive testing, our templates are here to guide you in achieving your UAT goals effectively and efficiently.
UAT tests usually have the goal to check if the client’s needs are met with the developed solution. Usually, this is done by checking the contract between the customer and the supplier.
Therefore, User Acceptance Tests are necessarily undertaken at the end of the software development or software development life cycle.
This means that the developed software (e.g. web app or mobile app) must be largely feature-complete.
While the project team defines a UAT plan right at the beginning of a project (usually during the requirement definition), it executes the UAT test cases after development.
(source: sfsu.edu)
Before we can delve into user acceptance testing examples, it is important to understand the difference between a multitude of UAT scenarios.
The first key difference in any UAT test plan is between validation and verification:
Basically, the system testing phase is verification while acceptance testing is validation.
In a UAT plan, a test scenario is a prescribed collection of test procedures or scripts that are conducted in a predetermined order to complete a significant functional process.
The test scenario is based on your workflow procedures and is performed by multiple test team members and can take a few days to complete.
Depending on what you are evaluating, there can be different UAT test scripts that may require a variety of UAT templates.
UAT scenarios template is a data and information collection tool that allows testers to accumulate feedback so they can improve their end product.
Some of the UAT tool plan examples are given below.
When a developer wants to test a particular aspect of their product or software, a single-purpose UAT template is the best option.
It outlines the test and its description along with the criteria and different parameters.
When there is a multitude of aspects to evaluate and assess, it is a much better idea to rely on a template that provides the option to prioritize different testing criteria.
This allows developers to address critical issues first and then focus on trivial bugs and fixes.
As the name suggests, developers use this UAT template when they want to involve users or customers in the testing process.
This enables them to engage the target audience and collect relevant data when it comes to addressing customer-oriented issues.
When a tester or developer is looking to evaluate a wide range of applications, it is a good idea to rely on a user acceptance testing template that’s Excel based.
This provides them with flexibility and enables them to accumulate data regarding their product.
While the name is self-explanatory, a detailed UAT scenario template allows developers to include all types of information including test description, expected results, specs, and any relevant attachments.
Testers use these templates to collect feedback for different systems such as desktop and mobile.
Writing effective test scripts is essential for successful user acceptance testing (UAT). Prior to writing UAT scripts, it is important to develop detailed user stories along with user acceptance criteria first.
These steps will provide the basic information you need to write effective scripts.
If you want UAT scripts to be user-oriented, it is important to make them the central part of the conversation.
Define real-world use cases (stories) across different user roles during the development process.
In Agile software development, user stories are simplified versions of the objectives that highlight how a particular feature is valuable to the end user.
Since user stories only form a part of the entire puzzle, you will also need to develop acceptance criteria to write effective UAT scripts.
There should be a set of brief acceptance criteria for each story. On one hand, stories highlight the requirements of a feature while on the other, acceptance criteria outline the conditions that need to be met for that feature to be classified as satisfactory.
In the Agile development framework, developers often use a scenario-oriented approach to create acceptance criteria which use GIVEN > WHEN > THEN format.
Once you have developed user stories and corresponding user acceptance testing templates and criteria, you are in a position to write effective UAT scripts.
The scripts should be written by involving the users who ensure that each script covers all the necessary requirements.
This also means that the required steps are also followed to test every condition. It is highly recommended that UAT scripts are reviewed by business users to avoid any bugs and errors.
The next big thing is the one that makes the last big thing usable.
Blake Ross – Co-Founder, Mozilla Firefox
If we want users to like our software, we should design it to behave like a likeable person: respectful, generous and helpful.
Alan Cooper – Software Designer
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) scripts or test cases are typically written by Quality Assurance (QA) professionals, test analysts, or testing teams in collaboration with business analysts, developers, and end-users.
The goal is to create comprehensive scenarios that mimic real-world usage and cover various aspects of the software to ensure its functionality, usability, and alignment with user expectations.
Key contributors to UAT script and test case creation include:
The collaborative effort of these stakeholders ensures that UAT scripts comprehensively cover various scenarios, ensuring that the software is thoroughly tested before release.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) represents a pivotal phase in the software development lifecycle, where real-world users validate the software to ensure it meets their functional requirements and business needs.
Unlike other testing phases, UAT focuses on the end-user’s experience, ensuring that the software is ready for deployment in a live environment. A meticulously crafted UAT test plan is indispensable for this process, as it provides a roadmap for executing the tests systematically and efficiently.
The creation of a UAT test plan involves several critical steps. Firstly, the plan must clearly define the scope and objectives of the testing process.
This includes specifying which features or functionalities are to be tested and identifying the key stakeholders involved. Next, the plan should outline the acceptance criteria, detailing what constitutes a successful test outcome. This is often supported by using a UAT test plan template, which standardizes the documentation process and ensures consistency across different testing scenarios.
Several types of templates, such as UAT test plan template Word and UAT test plan template Excel, are available to cater to varying documentation styles and preferences. These templates typically include sections for listing the test cases, test steps, preconditions, expected results, and post-conditions. Using these structured formats helps in organizing the testing process and facilitates clear communication among team members. It also aids in tracking progress and documenting any issues or bugs that need to be addressed. Incorporating user acceptance testing templates tailored to specific projects can enhance the effectiveness of the UAT process, ensuring all critical functionalities are thoroughly tested and verified.
For those new to UAT or looking to refine their approach, reviewing sample UAT test plans can be highly beneficial. These samples provide a concrete example of how to structure the test plan, define test cases, and set acceptance criteria. They also highlight best practices, such as involving end-users early in the process to gather feedback and adjust the testing plan accordingly. Exploring a range of UAT test plan examples allows teams to draw from proven methodologies and customize their plans to fit their unique project needs.
Your UAT plan template should include a high-level UAT plan which is fundamentally a master test plan that outlines why the testing is required for a large project.
The high-level UAT plan can include other UAT test plans across different levels featuring different objectives.
Having a UAT test plan template can help your development and testing team to ensure they are on the right track.
As the name suggests, detailed UAT planning is all about getting into the nitty-gritty of the software being developed.
You can have cause and effect test templates that can help you collect data and make the right decisions at the right time instead of heading forward in the wrong direction.
This approach entails plans for both system and UAT testing in parallel. The purpose of having a test plan is to determine the approach, resources, scope, and schedule of UAT integration testing and activities.
Let’s assume we got hired by Atlassian to do a UAT test in Trello (yay!). Their development team approached us to check if the developed archiving feature for Trello cards actually works for the user.
Testing the functionality of such a simple feature sounds easy, right? However, we want to follow a proper UAT test setup here.
So how do we do that? Let’s follow the procces using the example of template provided by San Francisco State University.
First of all, we need to define the UAT scope of our particular test case.
As we are in charge to test the newly developed Archive feature of Trello cards, we define the list of features that we want to test, and the ones that are not being tested.
As seen below, this test case example focuses on Desktop tests only, while mobile tests are not included in this UAT test case.
After the definition of our UAT scope, we need to be aware of the assumptions and constraints of the test.
These assumptions and constraints include timing and available resources, as well as test documentation processes.
For our test case example of testing Trello’s archiving feature on desktop, constraints could be the operating system to be used and specific browser versions.
In addition, we must also clearly state the defined assumptions, such as how our test environment looks like, or how a tester should handle the error reporting.
As UAT is a very crucial part of the whole software testing and development cycle, we must look at potential UAT risks while planning, executing, and analyzing our UAT test case.
In our example we could face some of the following risks during UAT:
Participants of a UAT team can vary from project to project. The entire UAT team will be responsible for coordinating the preparation alpha testing of all test cases and their execution.
Our UAT team will ensure …
The entry criteria ensure that everything is in place that allows the conduction of a user acceptance test. In order to start a UAT test for archiving feature of Trello, the following main entry and exit criteria must be available:
While all previous steps aim to ensure a well-executable test case, it’s now time to describe the actual test case itself to be successfully conducted by the UAT testers.
As User Acceptance Tests aim to verify if the business objectives and user requirements are met, a test case procedure could look like this:
Expected result:
In order to execute a test case, testers follow the described test cases step by step. Ideally, the tester can successfully execute the test.
However, one important part of UAT testing is to report unexpected behaviors of the software, or even real bugs.
Here’s the UAT example of Trello demonstrated with Usersnap:
A flexible UAT tool like Usersnap can support testers to report both standard UAT scenarios and unexpected issues.
It’s easy to capture and understand bugs with Usersnap’s visual feedback widget that works on any website.
Testers do not need to leave the site or page to document the UAT result. And there’s an annotation toolbar to illustrate the issue for easy and more accurate communication.
After successfully completing the UAT test cases, every tester must provide their test results.
A well-documented UAT test case enables the product or project team to conclude the next steps and define the next actions depending on the test results.
Last, but not least, both the service owner and project manager, need to sign the conducted test cases.
After sign-off, the tested feature is good to go and available for production.
Just like any system testing, result-driven UAT governance ensures that the quality is maintained throughout the project with well-defined entry and exit criteria and QA parameters.
This often includes end-to-end UAT validation to make sure critical business processes, stability, integration, data flow, and other technical functions are operational.
All in all, we’ve shown you all the relevant steps for conducting a UAT test case.
You can find the Word template document fully conducted UAT test case example for Trello here (and as a PDF version here).
From identifying the UAT scope and risks to describing and executing the particular test cases, such a user acceptance testing example shows you the necessary, practical unit testing tasks.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is a critical phase in software development, ensuring your product meets user needs and expectations.
To facilitate a smooth UAT process, here are some essential UAT documents, along with examples and templates, to guide you:
These documents serve as invaluable tools to streamline your UAT process, enhance collaboration among team members, and ensure that your software meets user expectations.
Feel free to use the provided examples and templates to tailor the documents to your specific project needs.
Remember, a well-structured UAT process contributes to a successful software release and delighted end-users.
At Usersnap, we provide essential resources to optimize your user acceptance testing process (UAT). Our toolkit includes convenient templates for streamlined processes:
Integrate Usersnap’s templates into your UAT workflow for improved efficiency and precise communication, ensuring a successful testing process.
In order to start with User Acceptance Testing, I’d love to recommend our very own User Acceptance Testing solution from Usersnap. Used by small to large companies, like Canva, WPEngine, Instacart, Microsoft, Hawaiian Airlines, and others, it helps you manage your UAT efforts.
Our platform empowers you to effectively manage the entire UAT process, from capturing feedback to collaboration and tracking.
Say goodbye to cumbersome manual methods and welcome an innovative approach that fosters efficiency, organization, and actionable insights.
Get started with Usersnap and deliver what users want. Collect your first 20 feedback items for free, upgrade to continue acting on the insights.
The Usersnap not only simplifies UAT execution but also encourages a more productive and fruitful experience, ensuring that your software or application aligns seamlessly with user expectations and business requirements.
As you embark on your UAT journey, Usersnap is your steadfast partner, enabling you to take control of UAT like never before and achieve successful software releases that resonate with your audience.
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