QASource Blog

The aesthetics and design of a software product are two very important aspects. How well a program looks often translates to how well it works.

There are many applications today that, once launched, fail due to being unstable, not user-friendly, and generally difficult to use overall. Usability testing identifies these issues early on in the software development cycle and can help a product from being a failure.

The user interface, or UI for short, is the aspect of an app or website that users interact with naturally. Since the UI is the part that is most commonly used, it leaves a lasting impression on users that can either be positive or negative.

Your product generates emotions. Each time your end user engages with your product, they have an emotional response based on how well it solves their problem and how difficult it is to achieve that solution.

Usability testing is the process of making life easier for your users. When done correctly, it replicates the user experience accurately enough to expose any potential frustrations and to map the most intuitive way to get from the problem to the solution.

User interface testing is the greediest stage of your QA process. Manual testing is a time- and resource-consuming process and, hence, can push your product release cycle.

Unfortunately, it is one of the few phases of QA that cannot be completely solved with an automated testing silver bullet. Even the accelerating technology of AI in automation testing still requires engineers to manually identify UI elements before automation test scripts can be run.

There are, however, ways to capitalize on automated UI testing that may boost your competitive edge.

User interface testing is your opportunity to walk a proverbial mile in your customer’s shoes. It is the phase where you have to put aside your intentions and focus on the market reality of your product. UI testing prioritizes the results that matter in the end: the customer’s experience of the product.