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Hannah Smalltree, Editorial Director
Usability testing revolves around human factors testing. This form of testing is sometimes referred to as HCI (human-computer interaction) or HFI (human-factor integration). A practical example that comes to mind would be a bar code scanner -- like the type of scanner you might encounter at the checkout counter of a store. The ergonomic factors of holding (weight and design) of the device as well as its practicality -- for instance, when I buy a case of bottled water at the market, the checkout person can pull the barcode scanner far enough that I don't have to lift the heavy case and they're comfortable walking around the register with the device so that they can scan the item. Testing a handheld device in its environment for its intended use would constitute an example of usability testing. Usability testing of desktop applications can take place as well but I think handheld devices are an easier example to illustrate.
User acceptance testing (UAT) is testing executed by users and is testing often used as a final checkpoint before signoff from a vendor. Let me use the same example of the handheld bar code scanner. Suppose a supermarket chain purchased bar code scanners from a hardware/software vendor. The supermarket executives might assemble a team of checkout personnel and have that very team test the device in a store or a mock store setting (in a home office).
Both of these forms of testing are centered on users but with a different focus. In the case of usability, hopefully this testing is executed as early as possible while user acceptance testing is often one of the last activities of a project.
This was first published in January 2008