Usability & Functional testing

Question

I'm now doing a test plan for an app total revamp. The testing will include both functional(if it works according to plan, no errors, doesn't break) and usability(if it's intuitive, if the wayfinding is clear, if key actions are clear).

We have a short testing window and it can feel overwhelming as there are so many scenarios to account for.

I'm considering ditching the UX testing and simply do the functional testing as the UX iteration can be done after launch, but if the system doesn't work functionally we can't even launch.

Has anyone been in this situation before? And how did you overcome it? Are there any resources that helped?

Answer 1

If you think of testing as a separate part of the overall project delivery activity, and something that you simply need to tick off as part of the release process, then it would feel like something that is added on rather than built into the project timeline and budget.

Also, you should think of user experience to be inclusive of the functional and non-functional aspects of the product, but obviously the functional requirements need to be met as a minimum (or pass the test) before you can deal with fine-tuning the actual experience (rather than usability aspects) of the product.

It isn't exactly clear what your role is, but hopefully a test plan is developed with the development team in mind so that it addressed both functional and non-functional aspects of the user experience over the lifetime of the product and/or release cycles.