Stop 10 · Testing & User AcceptanceTopics · 3/8

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Basics

In short

QA can confirm every button works, and the accounts team can still say 'we can't close the month with this'. UAT is where real users check the system fits their real work, before it goes live.

The final validation stage where actual business users test a delivered solution against real-world scenarios — confirming it works, not just that it technically passes QA's test cases.

The purple blob sits in the driver's seat of a small car, both hands on the steering wheel, smiling.

Think of it like this

The test drive

The dealer's mechanic has checked the engine, brakes and lights. But you still take the car on your own route: the bumpy lane to your house, parking in your tight spot, the whole family inside. Only then do you know if it's right for you.

Watch it happen

QA testing vs UAT

QA testing

Done by testers
Checks it works as specified
Uses test cases and test data

UAT

Done by real business users
Checks it fits real work
Uses real-life scenarios

You need both. QA proves the system was built right. UAT proves the right system was built.

The big ideas

What you need to know

Real users test

People who'll use it daily, like agents, accountants or store managers, run the tests, not the project team.

Real scenarios

Test full tasks from their day, like 'process a return with a partial refund', not single buttons.

Last gate before launch

UAT usually happens after QA, in an environment close to production, just before go-live.

Clear acceptance

Agree upfront what 'accepted' means, like no open critical defects and all key scenarios passed.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Letting the project team do UAT because users are busy.

Do this instead

Book real users early. Their time is the whole point of UAT.

Oops

Using UAT to find basic bugs QA should have caught.

Do this instead

Start UAT only after QA exit criteria are met, so users focus on fit, not crashes.

Your mission

Run a mini UAT

~25 min

Quick check

Which is a typical UAT finding rather than a QA finding?

Go deeper

1Draft a UAT test scenario reflecting a real-world business workflow, not just a technical function check.
2Learn why UAT sometimes surfaces issues that technical QA testing misses entirely.
3Understand UAT's purpose is business validation, distinct from QA's functional validation.