Website Quality Assessment
The quality assessment of your website will be detailed and thorough. A number of tests that have already been created due to common practices and industry standards, though the complete list of test scenarios will be specific to your website design, features, and functions.
Testing is broken down into four main categories: Usability, Functionality, Accessibility, and Performance. See the sections below for further details.
Once testing is complete, you'll receive a Quality Assessment Summary report. We'll talk about the findings and determine what actions to take in order to address what's been discovered.
Here's a sample of the report. Note that you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
USABILITY
Is the website easy to understand and user-friendly?
Usability testing is the process of evaluating how straightforward your website is for users (or customers) to perform a list of tasks. Navigating your website, reading site content, booking an appointment are all examples of common tasks that a customer may perform. You want to ensure that your website is easy to use and doesn't cause any frustration.
Usability tests will be customized for your specific needs, though some common tests will be performed including:
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Spelling and Grammar are correct
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Site is easy to navigate and information is organized appropriately
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Headers and footers are structured correctly
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Forms are correctly labeled and organized
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Buttons, hyperlinks behave properly
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Webpages are appropriately consistent between desktop and mobile
Spelling and Grammar can only be performed in English but usability testing can be performed on websites in any language.
FUNCTIONALITY
Do forms work as expected and are website tools/features performing correctly?
Functionality testing is the validation that features and tools work as required.
Requirements for your website may have been defined as part of site creation, which will be incorporated into testing. There are also web industry standards that will be used for test scenarios, such as:
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Internet standards defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
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Multiple standards/guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Test cases will be specifically created for your website, though additional tests have already been defined including:
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Form field edits are correct, error messages are appropriate
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Email address and text field validations are correct
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Maximum field sizes
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The behaviour of 'submit' buttons is correct and a single submission of completed forms occurs
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Site Search returns correct results
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Buttons, hyperlinks, etc. behave properly
130 test email addresses have been created using IETF standards. Over 30 test cases exist to ensure that text fields, like customer name, behave correctly.
ACCESSIBILITY
Does the website adhere to the accessibility needs of your customers or local regulations and laws?
Accessibility testing validates that digital properties (websites, online applications, electronic documents, etc.) can be used by both able-bodied and disabled people. Vision impairment, hearing loss, lack of motor control and prosthetic appliances are examples of disabilities that can all impact a person's ability to effectively use the internet.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has a working group specifically focused on web accessibility who have authored the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1. WCAG is effectively the global standard for web accessibility. Most regulations ask for WCAG version 2.0 Level AA compliance (I am checking against the latest version, version 2.1).
You actually may be required to have an accessible website as there are a number of countries/regions that have regulations/laws concerning the accessibility of websites.
United States
Europe
To see what accessibility policies may apply to your website, please see WCAG's Web Accessibility Laws & Policies webpage.
Accessibility tests required will vary based upon the content of your webpage on your website. For example, there are specific guidelines for videos. Your website will be reviewed and an exhaustive list of tests will be created to ensure comprehensive coverage.
PERFORMANCE
Do webpages load quickly?
Performance testing is the assessment of the speed and responsiveness of your website. I will assess webpage load times, considering desktop and mobile platforms.
Generally, customers expect less than a 3 second response time and if your webpages don't load within that time they may decide to conduct their business elsewhere. This testing will identify opportunities to improve webpage speed.