How Software Testers Can Think Like End Users?

Software testing is one of the most important phases in the development life cycle and with the expansion of the software industry, the demand for testers are also increasing gradually. While testing an application, testers usually consider the positive scenarios, but they also think about the negative one in order to keep away various security issues in the application.

Software testers should always follow “Test to break attitude”, but at the same time they should also think like a user. Most testers think that they are doing it accordingly, until they sit next to the users. Here in this article, we will discuss a few things that we have experienced while sitting next to a user, meeting their needs and things that come to the users during interactions with the product.

1.Make it a compulsion to sit with the user at least once:

If your clients are in the same city, scheduling a session to sit next to the user can be easy and in addition to the testers, developers, team leaders, managers should also be encouraged to sit next to them at least once. There are many users who use different hardware or external monitors. Paying extra attention to testing the application with different hardware is very important to be successful.

2.Involve your users from early stage of projects:

Requirement gathering is the first step before you start a project and actual testing work is taken up. Reviewing the requirements and getting the clarification of queries will help to test the application. This process should involve the users and the defect prevention step is the area where most of the defects are identified and it results in saving both time and money. Involving the users early in the project will help you to get a clear picture of the project scope and help you with the test planning, strategy, test cases and even in setting up the environment.

3.Interact with the user and take notes:

Unless you are the owner of an exceptional memory, it is natural that you will forget many things while observing or interacting with the user. The best way to remember all the points is to take down notes. A physical notebook often gives the freedom to write and even draw few things quickly, which can be referred to later on. Now what are the things that you need to write down is something that you have to figure out yourself based on the needs of the users.

4.Design like an end user: 

The application that you are supposed to test is ultimately going to be used by the users and so the success depends on if only the end users are able to use it properly. A tester’s job is to find bugs before the product is released so they should always think like an end user. Make sure that the test data and the scenarios are designed with the users in mind, else you might miss important bugs in the software application if you don’t consider them.

5.Become a good observer:

Observing things that are happening in the project minutely will help you identify various errors fast. Make sure that you keep a record of all the major and minor project related things that are going on around you. Check the test progress and make essential changes that are required if any. Such data is crucial and helps to keep you updated about the entire project and also prepares the tester in advance for any kind of situations.

Whether you are getting your feedback externally or internally, it is important to remember that the information would be more valuable if you can observe your user’s typical experience while using the product.

Once you have managed to observe the user, share the information with your team to get a better collective understanding regarding the actual impact of the application.

"As a software tester it is always important to think like a user to prove that the code is working as expected by them. Involving the users early in the testing process not only helps to reduce errors, but also ensures that the application gives its ultimate performance once it is live. "