The Different Types of Quality Assurance Testing
Recently, I discussed general information about Quality Assurance Testing and the benefits of performing it on a website during development. Today, I’d like to tell you about some of the specifics we at Unleashed look for during QA testing of our clients’ websites.
Our QA website testing is a comprehensive procedure that begins during the design phase and doesn’t end until after a website is launched. Once the website design is complete, the QA team begins by ensuring that the design meets specific standards and requirements. Here are some things we test for:
Broken Links
This item is self-explanatory. No one likes to click a link and end up with a 404 error or not where they thought the link would take them. During the QA process, every link is tested. Testing for broken links prior to client delivery can reduce client identified issues by 15 - 20%.
Browser Compatibility
Each browser interprets the website code slightly different. What that means is an image may appear on the right of a two column display in one browser but be pushed below the left column in another browser. At Unleashed we QA test our websites in the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer.
Consistency
This is one of the bigger items tested during the process. This could be because it is a major pet peeve of mine – much to the chagrin of my colleagues. I am distracted by inconsistent formatting or use of color. A consistent website makes it easier for the user to intuitively navigate the website and absorb the content. Two examples of consistency are: the formatting – using the same fonts, sizing, colors, and bullets throughout the website and consistent ordering of similar content.
Missing Content
During the design phase, all areas of content are identified. These areas are built out in the website pages and often filled with dummy content until true content is received from the client. However, it often happens that content is forgotten to be delivered for a particular page or the client decides not to implement a certain feature. Therefore, we must go through and ensure that all dummy content or dummy pages are removed from the website.
Tip: always use the same dummy content (lorem ipsum). This way you can go in with a global search for the dummy content and locate all instances at one time.
Typographical and Grammatical Errors
As web developers, the majority of the text that we implement is in the navigation and images. Our goal during QA testing is to ensure that any text we implement is free of typographical and grammatical errors.
That’s a glimpse of some of the items we look for during QA testing. We have found the process to be invaluable to delivering the best product possible to our clients.
Thanks for joining me here and happy posting.
