What Is User Acceptance Testing (UAT)?

User acceptance testing (UAT) is the final stage of software development, in which end users and clients test the software in real-world conditions to assess its functionality and usability. Unlike other tests performed within the development cycle, UAT verifies whether the software works as intended, rather than facilitating feedback on its appearance or features. 

Development teams must perform UAT because their assumptions when developing the software may not hold true in an actual work environment, either due to miscommunication, misunderstanding, oversight, or simply evolving requirements. During UAT, beta testers working in real-world conditions test software and provide feedback to developers so that they can resolve any issues before rolling out the software. 

User acceptance testing example

In software development, user acceptance testing (UAT) is the final stage of the development cycle. During testing, project managers and developers look to see how the software will function in real-world scenarios, such as within a specific business environment. 

For example, a company creating a business intelligence tool might conduct UAT to ensure that the software will be able to function properly within the suite of systems the business uses. During this period, beta testers will provide feedback on performance to developers, who will, in turn, make the necessary changes to ensure that the software will perform as expected. Once UAT is successfully completed, the product will be ready to be rolled out and sold to the larger business community.

What sets UAT apart from QA?

Quality assurance, or QA, comes before UAT in the development cycle. QA encompasses tasks that ensure the software is error-free, while UAT examines how users interact with the software. The crucial distinction is that QA testing doesn’t verify if the final product conforms to business needs or operates as required in practical settings.

Related terms

• Development team

• Software development life cycle

• Project management life cycle

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