User Acceptance Testing: Manual vs. Automated Approaches

Hari Mahesh

“Discovering the unexpected is more important than confirming the known” – George Box.

You will not want your app’s users to discover unexpected bugs and issues while usage. It is always better to find these annoyances before the end user. That is why User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is an important phase in the software development life cycle (SDLC). Which provides confidence that the software is ready to deploy and meets the needs of the end users.

It occurs as a last checkpoint, where stakeholders test the system for functionality, usability, and performance before releasing it to the production environment. In this article, we will examine the complexities of UAT and will look at its types, and compare the benefits, limitations, etc. We will also discuss the specific situations to find whether manual or automated testing is the best approach.

What is User Acceptance Testing?

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is the last level of software testing in the software development life cycle (SDLC). This functional testing focuses on validating whether the software application meets the customer’s business requirements and expectations. UAT comes after system, integration, and regression testing but before the software is released to production. It is sometimes called “end-user testing” because it is done from a real-world user perspective.

UAT meaning is to validate that points of the software system function as expected in real-life situations, guaranteeing that it adds value and fulfills its targeted purpose. Unlike technical testing stages that are performed by developers or QA teams, UAT is performed by business stakeholders, product owners, and sometimes real-life end-users.

Why is UAT Important?

UAT is an important milestone that makes sure the software meets the business objectives and is ready for deployment. In the absence of effective User Acceptance Testing (UAT), these defects or misalignments with user expectations can remain undetected. This results in expensive fixes after deployment, user dissatisfaction, or potentially the project crashing.

Key Reasons for UAT’s Importance

• Validates Business Requirements: Ensures that the software meets the functional and non-functional requirements outlined during the planning phase.
• Reduces Risk: Identifies defects or usability issues that could disrupt operations or user experience after deployment.
• Enhances Usability: Validates the user-friendliness of the application, ensuring it is intuitive and meets end-user expectations.
• Builds Confidence: Provides stakeholders with assurance that the software is ready for release and fit for its intended purpose.

How does UAT Differ from Other Testing Types?

UAT differs from other testing phases like unit, integration, and system testing. While earlier tests focus on identifying technical bugs and ensuring that the software components work well together, UAT emphasizes the software’s functionality from the user’s perspective.

Types of UAT

Acceptance testing in software engineering is not a one-size-fits-all process. Different types of UAT address specific project requirements and scenarios, ensuring thorough validation of various aspects of the software. Below are the primary types of UAT:

Alpha Testing

• Who Conducts It: Internal teams, often composed of developers, QA staff, and business analysts.
• Environment: Conducted in a controlled setting, typically within the organization.
• Purpose: Identify major bugs or issues before exposing the product to external users. It ensures that the core functionality is stable enough for broader testing.
• Example: An organization testing an internal HR management system might first conduct alpha testing to verify that essential modules like payroll processing and attendance tracking are functional.

Beta Testing

• Who Conducts It: A selected group of real-world end-users.
• Environment: Conducted in the users’ natural environment (e.g., their personal devices or workplace systems).
• Purpose: Gather feedback on usability, performance, and any unforeseen issues that occur under real-world conditions.
• Example: A gaming company might release a beta version of a new game to a limited audience to collect feedback on gameplay mechanics and server performance.

Read: Alpha vs. Beta Testing: A Comprehensive Guide.

Contract Acceptance Testing

• Who Conducts It: Typically, the client or a representative of the client.
• Environment: Can be conducted in either controlled or real-world conditions.
• Purpose: Verify that the software meets the specifications outlined in the project’s contract or agreement.
• Example: A custom ERP system developed for a manufacturing firm may undergo contract acceptance testing to confirm that it includes all agreed-upon features, such as inventory tracking and production scheduling.

Regulation Acceptance Testing

• Who Conducts It: Regulatory bodies, compliance teams, or independent auditors.
• Environment: Often performed in specialized test environments to replicate compliance scenarios.
• Purpose: Ensure the software complies with industry regulations, legal standards, or government requirements.
• Example: A healthcare application must comply with HIPAA regulations to protect patient data. Regulation acceptance testing would validate adherence to these requirements.

Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT)

• Who Conducts It: Operations teams, IT administrators, or system engineers.
• Environment: Often conducted in a staging environment that mimics production.
• Purpose: Verify that the system is ready for operational tasks, including deployment, backup, recovery, security, and system maintenance.
• Example: A banking application may undergo OAT to ensure its backup and disaster recovery mechanisms work as expected, ensuring zero data loss in case of a system crash.

Each type of acceptance testing during software testing addresses specific needs, ensuring comprehensive validation:

• Alpha Testing provides a foundation by catching early issues.
• Beta Testing brings real-world insights directly from end-users.
• Contract Acceptance Testing ensures adherence to agreed-upon terms.
• Regulation Acceptance Testing safeguards legal and regulatory compliance.
• Operational Acceptance Testing confirms readiness for long-term operational use.

This layered approach helps organizations address potential risks, align with business goals, and build a robust, user-centric product.

UAT Environment

A UAT environment is a dedicated environment set up so that you can test whether your application has implemented business requirements before you put it into production. This environment is meant to simulate the real-world production environment as closely as possible. This includes the servers, databases, and systems to which the application will have access in production.

By providing a realistic working environment, the UAT environment enables users and other testers to ensure that the software meets business requirements and performs as it should in real-life scenarios.

The UAT environment allows for independent testing separate from the development and live production systems. It employs test data that resembles real-world data but is sufficiently obfuscated for security. This allows testers to validate workflows, integrations, and usability without putting production data or production systems at risk. A proper access control and a production-like configuration are in place in a UAT environment making it both a secure and realistic environment to catch and resolve the issues before pushing to production.

Manual User Acceptance Testing (Manual UAT)

Manual UAT is a process where end-users or QA teams directly interact with the application to validate its functionality, usability, and compliance with business requirements. This technique instead focuses on testers comparing outcomes directly in an exploratory fashion: it does not involve automated scripts or tools used to execute the test cases.

Manual UAT is commonly used in scenarios where human judgment and intuition are critical, such as assessing user experience, evaluating aesthetics, or testing applications with complex workflows that may require a high degree of adaptability.

Key Characteristics of Manual UAT

• Relies on Human Judgment and Observation: Manual UAT emphasizes the use of human intuition and observation to detect issues that might not be apparent through automated testing. For example, testers might notice subtle inconsistencies in UI elements or workflows that do not align with user expectations.
• Execution of Predefined or Exploratory Test Cases: Testers use predefined test cases that outline specific actions to perform and the expected outcomes. Additionally, exploratory testing allows testers to investigate the application without rigid guidelines, uncovering issues that structured testing might miss. Read: How to Automate Exploratory Testing with AI.
• Simple Test Management Tools: Tools like spreadsheets or simple test management software are often used to document test cases, record results, and track defects. This low-tech approach makes manual UAT accessible for smaller teams or projects with limited budgets.

Advantages of Manual UAT

Let’s understand the advantages of performing User Acceptance Testing manually.

• Human Intuition: Manual UAT allows testers to use their judgment and cognitive abilities to uncover issues that go beyond functional defects. They can identify problems related to navigation, aesthetics, and user frustration, which automated tools often miss. This is especially valuable for assessing usability and overall user experience.
• Flexibility: Testers can explore the application freely, adapting to unexpected scenarios and investigating workflows outside predefined test cases. This flexibility is particularly useful for testing dynamic applications, such as games or interactive media. It ensures thorough testing, even in creative or non-standard use cases.
• Cost-Effective for Small Projects: Manual UAT requires minimal investment in tools and infrastructure, making it ideal for smaller teams or limited-budget projects. It is a practical choice for one-off applications or those with short lifespans, where automation costs may not be justifiable. Startups and small businesses often benefit from this low-cost approach. Read: Why Startups Fail at Testing and How to Fix it.

Challenges of Manual UAT

Performing UAT manually has many challenges also. Let’s understand them.

• Time-Consuming: Manual testing is inherently slower since testers must execute each test case, observe results, and document outcomes manually. For large or complex applications, this can significantly delay project timelines. Repeating tests for frequent updates also adds to the time burden.
• Prone to Human Error: Fatigue, distractions, and oversight can lead to missed defects or inconsistent results in manual UAT. Human testers may also interpret defect severity differently, creating variability in assessments. These factors can reduce the overall reliability of test outcomes. Read: Mastering Defect Management: Severity vs. Priority.
• Scalability Issues: As applications grow larger or require frequent updates, manual UAT becomes less practical due to the volume of test cases. Repeating tests manually for multiple iterations is inefficient and time-intensive. Managing such large-scale testing without automation becomes increasingly challenging. Read more about Test Scalability.
• Inconsistent Results: Different testers may interpret requirements or test outcomes differently, leading to variability in results. This inconsistency can make it difficult to reproduce defects or maintain uniform testing standards. Proper documentation and communication are critical to mitigating these issues.

Automated User Acceptance Testing (Automated UAT)

Automated UAT involves using software tools and scripts to perform predefined test cases and validate the application’s behavior against expected results. This approach is well-suited for tasks that are repetitive, involve large datasets, or require frequent execution, such as regression testing or performance validation.

Key Characteristics of Automated UAT

• Automating Test Cases: Automated UAT relies on creating automation scripts using specialized tools to perform test cases. These scripts outline specific steps and expected outcomes, ensuring accurate and repeatable execution. Read: Top 7 Automation Testing Tools to Consider.
• Reusable Scripts: This feature makes automation ideal for scenarios that require frequent retesting, such as iterative software updates.
• Regression and Performance Testing: Automated UAT excels at validating system performance under load and ensuring that changes do not disrupt existing functionality. It is particularly effective for applications with extensive test requirements.

Advantages of Automated UAT

Automating UAT has many advantages over manual UAT. Let’s go through them.

• Speed: Automated tests execute much faster than manual tests, significantly reducing the time required to validate large or complex systems. This speed allows for rapid feedback, enabling teams to address issues promptly and meet tight release schedules. Read: Test Automation Tool For Manual Testers.
• Repeatability: Automated scripts provide consistent and error-free results, regardless of how many times they are executed. This repeatability ensures that test results are reliable and unaffected by human variability or fatigue.
• Scalability: Automation tools are capable of handling large datasets and complex scenarios efficiently. For applications with thousands of test cases or significant data dependencies, automation ensures thorough coverage without the time constraints of manual testing.
• UX Coverage: Though not all automation tools offer it, many tools like testRigor offer visual testing of the application. So, any change to the element position or color that cannot be caught via manual testers can be found using visual regression.
• Integration with CI/CD Pipelines: Automated UAT integrates seamlessly into Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) workflows. This enables automated testing to run alongside code builds and deployments, ensuring that issues are caught early in the development lifecycle and supporting faster, more reliable releases.
• Maintenance: Traditional tools that use programming language have higher maintenance efforts. However, tools like testRigor, which uses AI and ML algorithms to adapt to changes in requirements, help to reduce maintenance effort costs drastically.

Challenges of Automated UAT

There are a few challenges associated with automating UAT; below are a few of them.

• Initial Investment: Automated UAT requires significant upfront investment in tools, infrastructure, and test script development. For small teams or projects, these costs may be prohibitive compared to manual testing. Read: How to Get The Best ROI in Test Automation.
• Steep Learning Curve: Developing and maintaining automated test scripts often requires specialized skills and experience while doing certain tests like security, performance tests, etc. Teams should be proficient in automation tools, scripting languages, and test design, which can be challenging for organizations without dedicated expertise.

Comparison: Manual vs. Automated UAT

When to Use Manual UAT

Manual UAT is best suited for scenarios where human judgment, adaptability, and context awareness are critical. Examples include:

• Exploratory Testing: Investigating uncharted workflows or scenarios.
• User Experience Evaluation: Assessing the software’s intuitiveness and ease of use.
• Small Projects: Testing applications with limited functionality or a short lifecycle.
• Creative Applications: Validating games, multimedia tools, or highly interactive systems where human perception is key.

When to Choose Automated UAT

Automated UAT is particularly beneficial in scenarios where speed, consistency, and scalability are critical:

• Frequent Releases: Applications with rapid deployment cycles benefit from automated regression testing.
• Large-Scale Applications: Automation handles the complexity and volume of large enterprise systems efficiently.
• Performance Validation: Automated tools excel at testing under heavy loads or stress conditions.
• Repeatable Scenarios: Tasks that require frequent or repetitive execution are ideal candidates for automation.

Choosing the Right User Acceptance Automation Testing Tools

Selecting the appropriate tools is critical for successful automated UAT. While considering the right tool, we can consider a few conditions that are listed below:

• Ease of Use: While using automation tools for UAT, the team should focus mainly on automating more scenarios under UAT. So, creating automation scripts using the tool should be that easy. testRigor helps create test scripts in parsed plain English. You can create and execute test scripts way faster than other tools. Also, anyone on the team can add or update natural language test scripts since they are easy to read and understand.
• Test Coverage: UAT needs to ensure the application performs well in all browsers and platforms. Tools like testRigor support the simultaneous execution of test scripts in multiple browsers and devices for different sessions. Know about Cross-platform Testing: Web and Mobile in One Test.
• One Framework for ALL Testing: Managing different tools and frameworks is chaos as you need to update each tool separately. Having one tool to support different types of automation will be the best choice. testRigor supports Web, Mobile, Desktop, and API testing in plain English. Read: All-Inclusive Guide to Test Case Creation in testRigor.

Choosing the right tool saves a lot of time, cost, and effort when performing UAT.

Conclusion

User Acceptance Testing is indispensable in ensuring the delivery of high-quality software. Both manual and automated approaches have their unique advantages and challenges. While manual UAT excels in areas requiring human intuition and flexibility, automated UAT shines in speed, scalability, and repeatability.

The choice between manual and automated UAT should align with project requirements, budget, and team expertise. By implementing UAT effectively, organizations can deliver software that meets user expectations, aligns with business goals, and achieves long-term success.

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