At Echologyx, we understand the fact that QA is an often underestimated yet essential part of any development process. Many companies assume that once a developer checks their work on their browser and it appears fine, it is suitable for launch. This sidelines the reality—thousands, sometimes millions, of customers are using multiple devices and browsers. Some of those devices and browsers might not be handy to the internal development team and may cause issues with the website.  Here's an in-depth view of how we do QA at Echologyx and why: 

The Challenge 

Many companies have run into trouble by not considering the many types of devices and browsers their customers may be using. For example, access by one user from an older iPhone or with smaller screen dimensions could be an experience way off what was tested. This can result in a poor experience for the user because of unknown bugs where potential customers would decide to leave a website. 

The Importance of Comprehensive QA 

• Device and Browser Diversity: Different devices and browsers can display the website differently. If a website isn't appropriately tested on these platforms, it can create problems with broken layouts or functionalities. This is where dedicated QA testing will come in. 

• Developer Blind Spots: A developer may overlook, or even be blind to, specific bugs due to familiarity with their code or because the scope in which they are testing is limited. QA engineers are skillful, irrespective of platforms and browsers, in spotting them, assuring a robust final product. 

• Loss of Revenue Prevention: Many companies rolled out redesigns only to discover that, post-launch, users just couldn't complete purchases due to some bugs. This resulted in substantial revenue losses. Elaborate QA can help prevent this by discovering issues before product launch. 

Our QA Process 

Testing on Key Devices and Browsers: We prioritize testing on devices and browsers that represent at least 90% of our client's user base, thus covering most of the cases while investing resources in the right areas. 

Detailed Test Procedures: 

1. Design File Review: First, we begin with a design file or prototype provided by the product owners. 
2. Cross-Device and Cross-Browser Testing: We test, with the aid of tools and manual testing, how well it plays out across different contexts. 
3. UAC—User Acceptance Criteria: All the functionalities comply with the UAC, a key element to ensure that the newly developed features are fulfilling its purpose. 

Clear Reporting and Iteration: 

1. Issue Identification: This involves detailed reporting of bugs by QA engineers, making it easier for developers to understand and fix them. We add necessary screenshots (and sometimes video recordings) of the bugs. 
2. Regression Testing: We test the features again after applying the fixes to ensure that issues are resolved and no new bugs are found. 
3. Client Review: After QA, we share the QA report with the client for the final review before the changes go live. 

Real-World Examples 

Several highly publicized cases illustrate what can happen when QA falls through the cracks. For instance, according to Baymard's study on research in e-commerce checkout usability, the design and flow of the checkout process caused users to abandon their purchases, oftentimes because of the frustration or because they were unable to fill out the checkout form fields correctly. This highlights the importance of QA process and how critical it is to increase the conversion rates. 

Amazon 

With Amazon being one of the largest online retailers in the world, known for its huge variety of products and the ease with which customers could browse and purchase, it did not avoid having bugs and technical glitches on its website at some time or another. Major, sale-crushing technical glitches prevented Amazon's customers from completing approximately $72.4 to $99 million worth of sales during the most of the much-awaited Prime Day event in 2018. The problem was missing items from carts as people proceeded to checkout. Frustrated, people even threatened to cancel their Prime membership due to the inconvenience. This incident demonstrates the critical need for end-to-end QA testing of such high-traffic events for system reliability and to protect revenues. 

eBay 

Not excluded from technical hiccups is eBay, with its more than 135 million users worldwide. In the case of terrible bugs, the platform went through one period that considerably affected the checkout process. In some scenarios, the problems caused by these bugs led to cart abandonment before customers could make their purchases, thus resulting in lost sales. Even though the problem has been taken care of right after the reviews started coming in, The frustration this caused may be what could have kept the customers away from the website—the very reason why having efficient QA is important.  

The above examples, highlight the crucial need for QA in the e-commerce application space. At Echologyx We realize that correct testing will prevent your company, from such instances. We pay particular interest on the details of the QA processes, help our customers push forward a seamless user experience into any device or any kind of browser, thus carefully working not only to promote customer satisfaction but especially to protect and boost our clients' revenue streams and safety of launching changes. 

Conclusion 

QA is an integral part of the development process at Echologyx. We have high standards to ensure all user experiences are poignant, no matter the device or browser. This attention to detail not only enhances user satisfaction but equally serves to protect and increase our clients' revenue streams. By putting an increased focus on QA, we can put our clients in a position where they can push changes live with confidence—their users will have an uninterrupted experience. 

Here are the sources used in this blog post:

1. Baymard Institute - Checkout Usability Research
2. Noibu - The Cost of Website Errors