Website Usability, Functional and Compatibility Testing
Use personas, scenarios and test cases to assess prototypes, validation, navigation, media and compatibility.
How to study Higher Computing Science
Move from requirements to structured designs, trace code and data precisely, and support every test or evaluation judgement with observable evidence.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Usability testing uses representative personas, realistic scenarios and observable test cases, including low-fidelity prototypes.
Exam cue: Define the persona goal and the exact task to attempt.
Concept 2
Functional testing checks input validation, navigation and correct display of media content.
Exam cue: State the expected result for navigation, validation or media display.
Concept 3
Compatibility testing compares behaviour across smartphones, tablets and desktops and across browsers.
Exam cue: Change one device or browser condition at a time and record observable differences.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Calling developer opinion a usability test.
Guardrail: Check route, scope, data type, boundary, loop condition, identifier and expected output before committing to the response.
Testing only that a page opens rather than the required interaction.
Guardrail: Check route, scope, data type, boundary, loop condition, identifier and expected output before committing to the response.
Assuming one screen size represents all device types.
Guardrail: Check route, scope, data type, boundary, loop condition, identifier and expected output before committing to the response.
Memory anchors
Persona
A representative user profile with relevant goals, abilities and context.
Scenario
A realistic task and situation for the persona to attempt.
Usability evidence
Observe whether representative users can complete the intended task effectively.
Validation test
Submit valid and invalid values and compare each result with the requirement.
Media test
Confirm required text, graphics, audio or video displays or plays correctly.
Compatibility test
Repeat relevant tests across specified device types and browsers.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
Which test best checks website navigation?
A contact form requires a message of at most 500 characters. Which boundary tests are most useful?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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