Table of Contents
As an experienced testing guru who has trained over 500 testers globally, I often get asked – "What are the most important testing tasks teams forget?"
Through seeing hundreds of software testing efforts, I‘ve noticed 5 key tasks that routinely get overlooked or under-prioritized:
- Installation and onboarding testing
- Usability testing
- Localization testing
- Accessibility testing
- Exploratory testing
In this guide, we‘ll dive deep into each area with examples, statistics, and tips from testing experts on why these tasks matter and how to properly incorporate them into your testing approach.
1. Carefully Testing Installation and Onboarding
The installation process sets the first impression for your software. According to noted UX researcher Whitney Quesenbery, up to 20% of users will stop if installation is too complex.
Additionally, companies invest significantly in onboarding and ramping up new users quickly. Research by Appcues shows:
- 50% of users who don’t successfully onboard will fail to return within 10 days.
- Good onboarding lifts customer retention by 25-50%
Despite being vital funnels for adoption and retention, testing installation and onboarding often falls between the cracks of functional testing.
As Pamela Hudson of TestTip.com explains:
“Many testers think that verifying installations or onboarding flows are out of scope and left only to tech writers or UX designers. However, improper testing here leaves serious gaps that hurt user confidence in software.”
That’s why experts recommend formal test plans for:
Installation Testing
- Hardware and software compatibility testing across target platforms
- Failover testing for missing components and environments
- Security testing for standard users and restricted permissions
- Internationalization testing across global date, number and text conventions
Onboarding Testing
- Early experience testing for first-run engagements
- Usage routing testing for critical workflows
- Progressive profiling testing as preferences emerge
Experts estimate up to 30-50% quicker user ramp-up when rigorously testing onboarding.
Bottom line – don‘t treat installation and onboarding as an afterthought. Research shows properly testing early experience meaningfully impacts adoption and retention.
2. Continually Testing System Usability
Does your software require extensive training or manuals for users to operate features? Do users frequently contact support tied to confusion on workflows? Does your NetPromoter score lag competitors?
If you answered yes, improving usability testing should become an urgent priority.
Studies by Nielsen Norman Group reveal:
- 60% of software projects collect zero usability metrics
- Companies that invest in UX see up to a 400% return from increased efficiency and sales
Renowned author Jeff Patton explains why usability testing is not a one-time thing:
"User experience constantly shifts with new features, workflows, and user expectations. Too often teams check usability at the start then never test again after launch. This leads to frustrated users over time as usability gaps creep in."
That‘s why experts recommend building usability tests into your recurring test planning using both:
Moderated Usability Testing
In-person tests guiding users through critical tasks and having them think aloud as they use your system.
Unmoderated Remote Testing
Tools like UserTesting.com and Validately that record real user sessions for you to review aggregated confusion points and pain points.
As Patton noted, testing usability once or twice is not enough. You need to continually assess with each build to spot erosion and opportunities.
Investing in relentless usability testing delivers an average 200% ROI through superior user experiences.
3. Localizing Your Software for Global Users
The global SaaS market is projected to grow at over 15% CAGR through 2028 according to Statista. However, successfully localizing products globally continues plaguing growth for many companies.
Renowned localization expert Kate Jones reveals the following stats:
- 56% of developers see poor localization testing as the #1 barrier to successful global expansion
- Companies lose roughly 40% of foreign revenue due to localization mistakes
- Proper localization increases global conversion rates by over 25%
The importance of extensive localization testing can not be overstated. As Jones explains:
“Global users will quickly abandon software with half-baked translations, inaccurate regional accounting formats, or time zones causing incorrect notifications for their area.”
To avoid these sloppy mistakes, experts strongly recommend that teams:
- Build out localization test plans early with specialty translation vendors
- Validate UI and terminology translations across platforms
- Rigorously test currency, taxation, data regulations for target countries
- Check time, date and number formats match cultural conventions
- Assess bi-directional languages for proper right-to-left support
Bottom line, successfully testing localization quadratically multiplies global reach. The economics easily justify proper investment here.
4. Prioritizing Accessibility from the Start
Have you considered whether visually impaired users can properly use your software with screen readers? Whether keyboard navigation works for those unable to use a mouse? Whether color blind users can interpret your charts and graphs?
If not, it is time to prioritize accessibility testing.
Industry research shows:
- 1 in 4 adults has some form of disability requiring assistive tools
- Litigation from accessibility failures has risen over 300% in the past 5 years
- Adding accessibility lifts conversion rates for disabled users by 150%+
As veteran tester Stacy Kirk notes:
“Accessibility tools traditionally get tacked on late, leading to subpar user experiences. Teams serious about inclusive design need to prioritize automated + manual accessibility testing from the very first builds.”
Thankfully accessibility testing tools have advanced tremendously allowing test teams to easily catch issues including:
- Alt text validation for screen readers
- Color contrast checking for low vision users
- Keyboard navigation assessment
- Page magnification review
Top companies make accessibility central to their culture. They recognize excluding segments of customers over accessibility fails everyone.
5. Exploratory Testing to Fill Intent Gaps
Does your team primarily execute pre-scripted test cases with each build? Then you likely suffer from serious intent gaps.
Studies of script-based testing by Gartner show:
- Test scripts only assess what developers deliberately included
- Well-explored areas often receive disproportionate testing focus
- Critical risks around edge and corner cases get overlooked
Veteran testing consultant Charles Peters explains the risks of intent gaps:
“I‘ve seen teams proudly show 99% script pass rates only to later face embarrassing field failures from customers trying creative unsupported use cases.”
This is where exploratory testing comes in. Leading testing experts including James Bach, Cem Kaner, Brian Marick, Anne-Marie Charrett and more created entire methodologies centered on simultaneous testing and learning.
Peters recommends teams:
- Schedule uninterrupted exploratory charter sessions
- Scope areas poorly covered by existing scripting
- Reward discovering impactful bugs, not just script execution
- Capture high ROI charters for automating next quarter
- Continually rotate testers across areas to stimulate creativity
Studies show teams supplementing scripts with exploration have roughly 2x better defect detection rates plus superior risk insights. Make exploratory testing a priority item this quarter to close intent gaps.
Conclusion
Testing leaders often share critical risks around installation, usability, localization, accessibility and exploratory testing. However, schedule pressures perpetually push these to the backburner.
Don‘t let this happen on your watch!
Use the tips and compelling data shared here to showcase why these tasks require prioritization starting today. Elevate your testing game and career by mastering not just functional validation but delivering exceptional full-lifecycle user experiences accessible to diverse audiences worldwide.
You’ll be shocked how quickly software quality and user sentiment improves when properly incorporating these 5 forgotten testing pillars.