Test Like a User

Open the app on your phone and on a different browser. Try to break it. Ask two people to use it without any help from you and watch where they stop.

Test list

• Buttons do what they say.
• Forms handle empty and wrong input.
• The app works on a small screen.
• Errors tell the user what to do next.

Worked example

Sam asks his sister and a friend to use the app with no explanation. His sister can't find the add button on her phone. He fixes the button size in ten minutes.

Common mistakes

• Only testing on your own laptop.
• Explaining the app to testers while they use it.
• Ignoring error messages that say nothing helpful.

Exercise

Run the test list. Then watch two people use it without helping, and write down where each of them stopped.