What Is User Acceptance Testing? UAT Meaning Explained

Website Development
What Is User Acceptance Testing? UAT Meaning Explained
Last Updated: July 18, 2024

User acceptance testing (UAT) is a crucial phase in the development of digital products. It ensures the final product meets the requirements and expectations of the end users. Effective UAT can significantly reduce the time spent on fixing issues.

In our guide, our experts explain the basics of UAT, its purpose, and who performs it. We’ll also cover the essential steps for conducting UAT and introduce a bug-tracking tool that is particularly useful for web developers and designers.

User Acceptance Testing Purpose

The purpose of UAT is to determine if the software product works as intended and meets client expectations. This phase helps identify any remaining issues that may have been overlooked during earlier testing stages. It also validates implemented changes and assesses whether the development team has met the business requirements.

During UAT, actual end users test the software to identify issues and gaps between its performance and their expectations that may have been previously missed. Involving real users guarantees the software is intuitive and aligns with real-world scenarios and user needs. It also reduces the risk of defects after launch, which helps improve overall user satisfaction.

Ultimately, UAT provides a final validation step before the product is released to ensure it’s ready for operational use.

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When Is UAT Necessary?

UAT is necessary once software development is complete and it requires validation to confirm it meets user requirements and business goals. This phase is essential before transitioning to production or launch.

UAT Prerequisites 

Several prerequisites must be in place to perform effective UAT. These prerequisites help create a structured and reliable testing environment that allows end users to evaluate the product thoroughly.

Let’s discuss each of them in detail:

1. Developed Software With Completed Tests

Before initiating UAT, the software must be fully developed and have passed all prior testing phases. This includes unit tests, integration tests, and system tests.

Ensuring the software is stable and free of major bugs is crucial. Only then can the focus shift to user-centric validation where real-world usage scenarios are simulated.

2. Clear Requirements and Acceptance Criteria

For UAT to be meaningful, there must be clear business requirements and acceptance criteria. These guidelines define what success looks like and set the standards for evaluation. Having detailed requirements ensures that the software testing aligns with business goals. It also helps testers understand the expected functionality and performance.

3. Real-World Test Data in UAT Environment

The UAT environment should closely mimic the production environment to provide accurate results. This includes using test data that resembles real-world scenarios.

Such data helps simulate the actual user interactions and system behaviors. A dedicated UAT environment also ensures that testing doesn’t interfere with ongoing development or live operations.

4. Defined UAT Plan With Test Cases

A well-defined UAT plan and comprehensive test cases are essential for structured testing. The plan outlines the scope, objectives, and schedule of the testing process.

Test cases provide step-by-step procedures for testers to follow, which ensure thorough coverage of all functionalities. Experienced software testing companies follow this organized approach to identify any discrepancies for improvement before the final launch.

How To Perform User Acceptance Testing in 5 Steps

Although each UAT differs depending on the tested product type and niche, there are some obligatory stages it should adhere to.

Following the best practices below is the key to successful user acceptance testing from start to finish.

  1. Gather Necessary Data
  2. Define the Scope of UAT
  3. Develop the UAT Design
  4. Execute User Acceptance Testing
  5. Evaluate Product vs Business Objective 

1. Gather Necessary Data

The first step to a solid UAT is collecting the information needed to create a comprehensive, all-encompassing test. To gather this data, relevant stakeholders should answer these questions:

  • Which processes need to be tested?
  • What are the guidelines for identifying test data?
  • What are the intended results of the changes that were made to the system?
  • Which individuals are responsible for testing?

Remember that the UAT process requires collaboration between functional leads, integration managers, and relevant business process owners.

2. Define the Scope of UAT

Defining the scope of UAT is crucial for its success. It sets the boundaries for what will be tested, ensuring all necessary aspects are covered without wasting time on irrelevant areas. Start by identifying the key functionalities that need to be tested. These functionalities form the backbone of your testing scope. You can then determine user roles and establish clear objectives for the testing phase.

Carefully defining the UAT scope helps lay a solid foundation for successful testing. Doing so will ultimately lead to a product that meets user expectations. 

3. Develop the UAT Design

Once the scope is identified, the next step is to develop the UAT design. This involves mapping and allocating various test steps to different end-users, as well as setting a timeline for the test.

The UAT design serves as a blueprint for the following step — the actual testing — and is there to provide guidelines and ensure an uninterrupted testing phase. 

4. Execute User Acceptance Testing

Once the UAT process is clearly defined and all steps are established, your team can begin testing and addressing any bugs and defects. The end goal of this step is to decide whether to launch the product or not.

A perfect balance between testers and developers is essential for this step to be a success. Documentation, progress reporting, and defect management are particularly vital during UAT execution. 

5. Evaluate Product vs Business Objective

After the user acceptance testing is completed and all the bugs have been identified and resolved, the next phase is to sign off on the UAT and go live with your product. The product deployment should be approved if it meets the business requirements delivered to you by the client. 

UAT Checklist Template  

To guide you, we’ll share a user acceptance testing template and a complete UAT checklist that will facilitate the testing process and make it as simple as possible.

A UAT checklist contains the following:

1. Testing Scope, Objectives and Requirements 

The first UAT stage is answering important questions about the goals you aim to achieve with testing, its scope, and requirements:

  • What are testing objectives?
  • What insights will UAT provide us?
  • How will we measure results at the end of the testing process?
  • What precisely are we testing?
  • What pain points do we aim to solve with this UAT?

2. Testing Team 

The second step is defining the testing project team members and their specific responsibilities. This ensures every team member knows their role and what is expected from them. By clearly outlining team members and their duties, you can avoid confusion, improve communication, ensure comprehensive testing coverage, and allow efficient use of resources.  

3. Testing Milestones and Deliverables 

The third step in UAT involves five stages that lead to successful testing execution:

  • Design and testing process: Share designs and wireframes to ensure the entire testing team understands their responsibilities. Then, specify the testing schedule and method.
  • Staging environment: Specify the needs for the staging user acceptance environment, which should be as similar to production as possible.
  • Training: Develop a comprehensive training program for testers that covers system functionalities and testing protocols. Make sure they’re well-equipped to identify and report issues effectively.
  • UAT execution: Plan the entire UAT process to the smallest details, from onboarding to testers' reports and data analysis.
  • Reporting and data analysis: Complete analysis of each test case — discover the issues that testers encountered and potential areas for improvement.  

4. Environmental Requirements 

Environmental requirements include software and hardware requirements:

  • Software requirements: List all additional software you need to download and install for UAT purposes.
  • Hardware requirement: If the software encounters hardware compatibility issues, list the essential and recommended specifications. This allows the QA team to confirm that the testers' computers meet the necessary requirements to run the software.  

5. Features Being Tested 

Identifying and listing the features you’ll be testing is crucial, especially when dealing with multiple features simultaneously. Without this list, the testing team could become distracted, potentially losing valuable testing time or data. Here’s how to do it:

  • Name each feature you’re going to test.
  • Provide a detailed explanation of the features' pass and fail criteria.
  • Create clear, concise, step-by-step instructions on how to test each feature.
  • Define the features testing teams should ignore during functional testing so they don't get distracted, primarily if they’re testing many functionalities at once.
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Conduct UAT Quickly and Accurately Using BugHerd

Teams who perform UAT can benefit from a bug-tracking tool like BugHerd to make sure there are no process delays and further errors along the way.

BugHerd is an all-in-one visual feedback tool and bug-tracking system for collecting, organizing, and managing website feedback that acts as a digital form of sticky notes for tracking bugs on a webpage.

The tool allows users to leave their feedback on website development directly on a webpage that is in the works or already live. BugHerd can contain test data like a screenshot, OS, CSS selector data, browser info, and others so that technically-savvy personnel can seamlessly resolve issues.

BugHerd operates on the following principles:

  • It pins feedback to the website
  • The feedback can include video, screenshots, browser and OS info, screen resolution, CSS selector, etc.
  • Feedback with bugs is sent to a centralized, Kanban-style board where team members can collaborate remotely and track and manage everything until the bug is resolved
  • BugHerd is a tool suitable for anyone involved in the website development and QA process, as well as clients in UAT.

Benefits of a Visual Feedback Tool and Bug Tracking System

This type of tool benefits all businesses, no matter the vertical, industry, size of their target audience, or the company itself. An intuitive and easy-to-use tool like BugHerd allows businesses to:

  • Remove extensive email or spreadsheet back-and-forth and save time on UAT and QA for new website builds
  • Save time on coordinating and managing feedback
  • Store all feedback in one central location so that no feedback falls through the crack
  • Enable other team members to view feedback on the website
  • Get instant reports on website bugs and issues

In terms of who can use the tool, BugHerd can provide numerous benefits for:

  • Web Developers
  • Web Designers
  • Project Managers
  • QA Testers
  • SaaS Product teams

The Cost of Using a Bug Tracking Tool

Bug tracking tools usually come on a monthly subscription basis. The average range is $10 to $50. The costs will depend on the features and the registered number of users.

BugHerd offers pricing plans ranging from $39 per month (for up to five users) to $229 per month (for up to 50 users) for monthly subscriptions. Additionally, the software also provides a customizable plan option, allowing companies to tailor their set of features. Pricing for custom plans is determined based on agreed-upon features and requirements.

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BugHerd also offers a free, 14-day trial period with no credit card info needed upfront.

User Acceptance Testing Takeaways

The UAT process ensures the final product meets the client's requirements and satisfies end-user needs. UAT also verifies that the software or program delivers value and usability to its intended audience.

As the final stage of the software testing process, UAT involves actual users testing the software in real-life scenarios to ensure it performs according to the set specifications. It is the final verification step before the product is released. If the product works as intended during real-world condition simulations, teams can assume that it will also function properly upon launch.

The five essential steps for performing UAT are:

  • Collecting necessary product data
  • Defining the testing scope
  • Developing the UAT design
  • Conducting user acceptance testing
  • Evaluating product VS business objectives

UAT FAQs

1. What are the 4 types of user acceptance testing?  

The four types of user acceptance testing are:

  • Alpha Testing & Beta Testing: Alpha testing is an internal process of identifying apparent flaws. Beta testing is an external pilot test of a product before it enters commercial production.
  • Contract Acceptance Testing: This ensures that manufacturers, vendors, or suppliers contracted for a project adhere to the product's standards.
  • Regulation Acceptance Testing: This is a type of UAT performed on software that must comply with specific regulatory standards, such as healthcare or finance industry software.
  • Operational Acceptance testing: This is used to verify software or a product's operational readiness before its release.

2. What is the difference between QA and UAT? 

There are three critical differences between Quality Assurance (QA) and User Acceptance Testing (UAT): the stage of the software development process they take place in, the testing's primary goal, and the testing participants.

Here are their differences in detail:

  • QA is usually performed on the test data throughout the software development life cycle, while UAT takes place at the end of the development cycle.
  • QA's goal is to discover issues in the early stages of the development process so they can be improved, while UAT validates that the software meets end users' needs and is ready for deployment.
  • QA is typically carried out by a development team or a special QA team, while a representative group of end users performs UAT.

3. Are UAT and acceptance testing the same?

The user acceptance testing process and acceptance testing are related but aren’t the same thing. Acceptance testing verifies that a system or application meets specified requirements and is ready for deployment. Meanwhile, user acceptance testing is focused on ensuring the software or application is acceptable to end users or customers.

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