Software testing fundamentals: User acceptance testing

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User acceptance testing

In order to understand what user acceptance testing (UAT) is, it's important to understand what user acceptance testing is not. Mainly, it is not acceptance testing. It is also not usability testing. It's not system integration testing. And UAT is meant to gauge user experience honestly and thoroughly.

• Definition: User acceptance testing: WhatIs.com offers a brief definition of the term.



• Column: Don't mistake user acceptance testing for acceptance testing: Expert Scott Barber uses several references to discuss what acceptance testing is meant to accomplish and how its goals differ than those of user acceptance testing. He also delves into how the mixing of these terms can lead to project disaster.



• Expert response: Usability testing vs. user acceptance testing: Expert Karen N. Johnson uses the example of a handheld barcode scanner to explain the difference between these two distinct types of testing.



• Expert response: User acceptance testing vs. system integration testing: Karen Johnson enumerates problems that arise frequently in UAT. In addition, she defines SIT and how it relates to UAT (hint: It relates very little).



• Expert response: User acceptance testing and test cases: Scott Barber reiterates the purpose of user acceptance testing and how that goal can be used to shape test cases.



• Expert response: User acceptance testing that satisfies users and requirements: Scott Barber outlines the ideal user acceptance testing script and compares it to the usual version, which is leading and designed with an eye toward stakeholder satisfaction. He devises a compromise to satisfy both.



• Expert response: Automating user acceptance test cases: The decision to automate rests on many factors, and the type of testing is ultimately not an important factor, writes Karen Johnson. However, she explains why UAT may be particularly ill-suited for automation.



• Column: The user acceptance testing (UAT) team is your ally: In distributed environment, communication with the UAT team is even more important than in colocated situations. In this column, Debashish Chakrabarti outlines how offshore teams can use their connections with the UAT team to their greatest advantage.



• Article: Using exploratory testing in user acceptance testing: Project management expert David Christiansen explains how PMs can use the UAT teams to obtain the information they need.

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