What Is User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Meaning, Definition

Why do people say “UAT testing”? The T in UAT already stands for testing, so “UAT testing” is redundant, like “ATM machine” or “PIN number”. People say it anyway because UAT has become the name of a project phase, so “UAT testing” reads as “the testing we do in the UAT phase”. Both mean the same thing: user acceptance testing, where real users check that software does the job it was built for before release.

Why invest in it? UAT catches the gap between what was built and what users needed before that gap reaches production, where it costs far more to fix.

New to collecting user input? Start with our guide to customer feedback.

What Is A Good User Acceptance Testing Definition?

User Acceptance Testing (UAT), also called end-user or application testing, is when the intended audience validates software in real-world conditions. It’s a key phase in the software development cycle.

UAT is usually the last phase before the software or website is released to the client or distributed.

Meaning of UAT testing

UAT testing means people from the target audience use the software while the team records and fixes the defects they find.

UAT is the closest thing to the real world before release. Users work with the software and find out whether everything works as it should, including features that were miscommunicated or never communicated at all.

DevelopMentor puts it most succinctly when they describe user acceptance testing (UAT) as:

The goal of User Acceptance Testing is to assess if the system can support day-to-day business and user scenarios and ensure the system is sufficient and correct for business usage.

What’s the Purpose of UAT?

The purpose of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is to validate and ensure that a software application meets the specific needs and requirements of its intended users before its official release, ensuring a high level of functionality, usability, and alignment with real-world scenarios.

UAT serves as the final quality check, helping to identify and address any issues or improvements necessary to achieve user satisfaction.

Whilst UAT – User Acceptance Testing –  is essential, typically, it’s not able to be undertaken until the application is largely feature-complete. Guru99 lists 10 prerequisites, which must be met before UAT can begin. These are:

1. Business Requirements must be available
2. Application code must be fully developed
3. Ensure you complete Unit Testing, Integration Testing & System Testing
4. No Show stoppers, or High or Medium defects in the System Integration Test Phase
5. Only Cosmetic errors are acceptable before UAT
6. Complete Regression Testing with no major defects
7. Ensure you fix and test all the defects reports
8. Complete traceability matrix for all testing
9. UAT Environment must be ready
10. Sign off mail or communication from System Testing Team that the system is ready for UAT execution

As we were saying, User Acceptance Testing, also known as UAT (or UAT testing), in a nutshell, is:

A process of verifying that a solution works for the user.

Here’s an example of how this can be done through screen recordings with Usersnap (click on the image):

And the keyword here is “user”.

That matters because they’re the people who will use the software every day. Software quality has many sides.

There’s unit testing, functional testing, integration testing, and system and testing phases, amongst many others. As part of these processes, we regularly ask questions such as:

• Does the application crash?
• Do all the functions accept the correct inputs and give the correct outputs?
• Does the application consume only the minimum amount of resources?
• What’s the load time of the application?

These checks are valid and essential, but they mean little if the application doesn’t do what the end user expects. So UAT also asks:

• Can the user use the software?
• Is it really what they asked for?
• Do they have trouble using it?
• Does it behave exactly as anticipated?

Recommended Reading:

• 6 Tips For a Successful User Acceptance Testing Plan
• 4 reasons why you should integrate visual communication into your workflow

Who should be involved in User Acceptance Testing (UAT)?

The most important peer group to include in the UAT team and testing process are “real” end-users of your software.

Include every role and stakeholder group, which means that people from each group should be selected to join the UAT team.

How You Can Start With Actual Software Users Test Scenarios

With the groundwork covered, here’s how to start.

Normally, UAT consists of four steps but it can vary, based on whether the application is going to satisfy a single customer, or whether it should be off-the-shelf software, available for purchase by anyone.

Firstly, the criteria to consider for the software to be “working” needs to be assembled. These are likely to be collated from the system requirements, integration tests, and user stories.

Next, a set of UAT test cases must be created. Centric defines a UAT test case as:

A set of test steps, execution conditions and expected results developed for a particular objective, such as to exercise a particular program path or to verify compliance with a specific requirement

Each case covers a specific usage scenario of the software. It is normally a set of actions that the user can carry out and be able to verify if the software is working perfectly well.

With these in place, users run the UAT test cases and the results are recorded. Did the tests pass, or did they find defects? Any bugs are fixed and re-tested.

Finally, once everything works, complete a formal sign-off with your client or the team they’ve assembled. They confirm that what they received works as expected and meets their criteria.

What are the Legitimate Prerequisites for User Acceptance Testing?

Put simply, UAT is the final stage of software testing, where you check whether the product is fit for the purpose it was built for.

Because UAT is a validation activity, it has a few prerequisites:

• Access to business requirements
• A fully developed software code base
• Completed unit, integration, and system testing
• There should be no high or medium defects or showstoppers in integration testing
• Regression testing shouldn’t lead to any major bugs
• Every reported bug and defect should be addressed and tested prior to UAT
• Completed traceability matrix for all types of testing
• UAT environment should be ready

What are the Qualities of a Good User Acceptance Tester?

The user acceptance testing process is a detail-oriented task. Whether you are performing it manually or relying on UAT software, a UAT tester needs to have a keen eye for every detail.

UAT process is also referred to as end-user testing which means that you need to think and act like a person who has never used the software or app. The tester should be a critical and analytical thinker with the ability to identify and process different types of data.

Apart from that, it is always good to have a basic understanding of the business along with the right UAT Tools to perform the job.

UAT process and planning

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is the phase where end users test the software to confirm it meets their needs and is ready for production. It checks that the system works correctly, is easy to use and meets the specified requirements.

Here’s an overview of the UAT process and planning:

UAT Process

The UAT process tests a software application from the end user’s point of view, checking functionality, usability and fit with real-world scenarios.

During the UAT phase, users or designated stakeholders engage in testing the software to validate whether it meets their requirements and expectations.

Issues, discrepancies and improvements are handled before launch, so the product team knows the software is ready to ship.

UAT Process Phases

• Requirements analysis and test planning
  • Identify and involve key stakeholders, such as end-users and business representatives.
  • Understand the scope and objectives of UAT, including the criteria for success.
  • Create or review the UAT test plan, which outlines the testing strategy, scope, schedule, resources, and exit criteria.
• Test case design
  • Develop UAT test cases based on real-world scenarios that end-users will encounter.
  • Test cases should cover both functional and non-functional aspects of the application.
• Test environment setup
  • Prepare the UAT environment with the necessary hardware, software, and data.
  • Ensure that the environment closely mimics the production environment.
• Test execution
  • End-users perform the defined test cases according to the test plan.
  • Users verify that the application works as expected, meets business requirements, and aligns with user needs.
• Defect reporting and management
  • If any issues or defects are identified, end-users report them with detailed information.
  • The development team reviews and addresses these defects, releasing fixes as needed.
  • Defects are retested by end-users to confirm resolution.
• Regression testing
  • Conduct regression testing to ensure that fixes or changes haven’t introduced new issues.
  • Retest previously validated functionality to ensure it remains unaffected.
• Sign-off and exit criteria
  • Stakeholders evaluate whether the application meets the defined acceptance criteria.
  • If the application passes UAT, stakeholders provide sign-off for production release.
• Documentation
  • Document UAT results, including test cases, defects, resolutions, and any additional feedback.
  • Maintain UAT documentation for reference and auditing purposes.

UAT Planning Steps

• Stakeholder engagement
  • Identify and involve key stakeholders from different departments, including end-users, business analysts, project managers, and developers.
  • Define their roles and responsibilities in the UAT process.
• Test scope and objectives
  • Clearly define the scope of UAT, including which features or functions will be tested and any specific scenarios to be covered.
• Test environment setup
  • Ensure that the UAT environment is representative of the production environment and contains realistic data.
• Test case design
  • Develop comprehensive test cases that reflect real-world usage scenarios and business processes.
  • Ensure that test cases cover both positive and negative test scenarios.
• Test data preparation
  • Prepare relevant and realistic test data that reflects different user scenarios.
• Communication and training
  • Communicate the UAT plan and schedule to all stakeholders involved.
  • Provide training or guidance to end-users on how to perform UAT effectively.
• Defect tracking and reporting
  • Set up a clear process for defect reporting, including the format, severity, and steps to reproduce.
  • Determine how defects will be tracked and monitored throughout the UAT cycle.
• Exit criteria and sign-off
  • Define the criteria that must be met for UAT to be considered successful.
  • Specify who has the authority to provide sign-off for production release based on UAT results.
• Schedule and timeline
  • Establish a realistic UAT timeline that allows sufficient time for testing, defect resolution, and retesting.
• Feedback and Iteration:
  • Plan for feedback collection and incorporate iterative testing cycles as needed based on UAT results.

UAT is about more than defects. It checks that the software fits what users expect and what the business needs.

UAT vs. beta testing

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and beta testing are two distinct yet complementary phases in the software development lifecycle.

UAT core function

UAT focuses on ensuring that a software application meets the specific needs and requirements of its intended users.

During UAT, end-users or designated stakeholders actively engage with the software to validate its functionality, usability, and alignment with real scenarios.

This phase acts as a final validation step before the software’s official release, helping to identify and address any issues or improvements necessary to meet user expectations.

Beta testers are also needed

On the other hand, beta testing involves releasing a pre-release version of the software, known as a “beta” version, to a selected group of external users known as beta testers.

These beta testers explore the software in real-world conditions, providing valuable feedback on bugs, glitches, and user experience aspects.

It helps uncover issues that may have been missed during internal testing, allowing developers to make refinements and improvements based on user insights before the software’s full launch.

UAT confirms the software meets user requirements. Beta testing brings in external users to find the last issues before a full release.

Read more: 10 Inspiring Changelog Examples to Level Up Your Release Notes

User Acceptance Testing Framework

User Acceptance Tests go by other names in some organizations, such as alpha or beta testing. People also often ask how UAT differs from functional testing.

Therefore we decided to collect all our thoughts and knowledge on the different types of UAT in this article.

UA system testing phases next steps (where to find templates and examples)

Making UAT a standard part of your web projects means fewer issues later, which cuts development and maintenance work.

It’s one more process to manage, but lower overall cost and happier users more than make up for it.

We’ve set up a UAT testing template you can download. It covers preparing your team and the separate test environment, writing test cases, execution and evaluation.

We’ve also built an interactive UAT testing template form you can use on your project.

What’s Been Your UAT testing Experience So Far?

If your UAT process today means collecting emails and pasting them into a slide deck, there’s a faster way.

The same goes if you use Asana, Basecamp, Jira or another project tool, but testers still fill in the UAT form by hand. Here’s what helps.

First, make sure it’s easy for users to submit feedback.

Find a tool that works within your UAT and testing environment so that users do not need to jump back and forth to report an issue.

Usersnap is a product evidence platform. In user acceptance testing, it runs as a widget on your website or app, and users take screenshots or screen recordings whenever they see something wrong.

Because reporting takes seconds, users share problems and suggestions more often. Canva saw a 215% increase in feedback submissions after adding Usersnap to its product, which gave the team far more to work with on features and UX.

Second, don’t create a long questionnaire for your users. The purpose of UAT is to collect bugs and fulfill the requirements or expectations. You can leave the feedback field completely open-ended and let users tell you what they think. Our customers that are agencies have said 1-3 simple questions for every form are sufficient to understand what is missing and how important the issue is.

Lastly, make sure you act on the feedback of your testing results. It sounds obvious but what we’ve heard from many agencies or companies looking for a good UAT tool is that they have a hard time recreating issues, and therefore, can not fix it.

Usersnap captures user metadata when feedback is sent, including console log errors on plans that include it. Engineers get the context to start troubleshooting right away. Rachel Panush, VP of Operations at Executionists Agency, says:

Instead of waiting days to get the necessary information to recreate and resolve bugs, we can now instantly capture the specifications and solve any issues that come up within our projects.

Every report lands in one project, where the team triages it and sends it to Jira, Azure DevOps or another tracker. On Jira Cloud, statuses sync both ways. If you run UAT across several teams, the status chasing you’d otherwise do by hand happens there.

UAT is one stage where evidence comes from, not the whole picture. The same workspace also holds survey answers, in-app feedback and, with Channels (included from the Growth plan), support conversations and call transcripts. For enterprise releases, that matters twice. When the same issue keeps coming back across UAT rounds, the Hypothesis Generator drafts what might be causing it from the reports themselves (included on Professional plans and above, available as an add-on on Starter and Growth). And when someone asks why a release was signed off, you can point to each UAT report and what happened to it.

Run your next UAT round in Usersnap

Usersnap is a product evidence platform used by teams at Canva, WPEngine, Instacart, Microsoft and Hawaiian Airlines.

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