At Integrity, we like to say: Life is short, do cool stuff. But let’s be real, nothing kills momentum faster than a broken form, a mobile menu stuck behind a logo, or a product page that crashes when your customer clicks “Buy Now.” That’s why QA Testing isn’t just a box to check, it’s a strategic, budget-worthy part of building something awesome.
Whether you’re launching a new website or redesigning an old one, this guide breaks down the what, why, and how of Quality Assurance Testing, no tech degree required.
What Is QA Testing and Why It Matters
QA Testing (short for Quality Assurance Testing) is the process of testing your software program, website, or application across different environments, browsers, and devices to ensure everything works exactly as expected — for everyone. It’s a critical step in app and web development.
We all know that end users are unpredictable. If you’ve ever used Hotjar or a similar session recording tool, you’ve probably seen visitors rage clicking on things that aren’t clickable, manically moving their mouse, bailing mid-checkout to browse more, or hitting the back button just because. Humans aren’t perfect. So, your site better be!
That’s what effective QA Testing is all about, catching the weird stuff before it costs you conversions, trust, or customers.
Bottom line: QA isn’t optional. It’s strategic. It plays a crucial role in protecting your investment, maintaining customer satisfaction, and delivering a seamless user experience.
Why You Need to Plan and Budget for QA Testing
One of the most common mistakes we see? Skipping QA, squeezing it into the last few hours of the software development lifecycle, or launching with the intention of doing QA later. Don’t do it.
We recommend budgeting 20% of total project hours for QA Testing and resulting improvements. That’s not overkill, it’s QA best practices.
Without it, you risk:
- Lost sales or leads
- Broken features or links
- Poor mobile experiences
- A hit to your brand’s reputation
For example: I recently tried ordering theater tickets on my phone, but couldn’t choose my seats with my big fingers. That’s a lost conversion. A problem that could’ve been caught with a proper test plan and usability testing.
Our QA Process at Integrity: From Day One to Launch
We don’t wait until the final product to start testing. We bake QA into every phase of the development cycle.
Here’s how it works:
- We assign a QA Lead at the start, someone who owns the QA process.
- We create a detailed list of test cases for manual testing.
- Each page or feature goes through unit testing and preliminary review by the dev team.
- We budget for a wide round of manual tests and exploratory testing with a broader QA team at the end. We include a diverse group of employees not previously involved on the project.
- We use both real devices and QA Testing Tools like BrowserStack for cross-browser and mobile app testing.
This proactive approach to a testing process ensures quality control, consistency, and happy clients. No shortcuts. No guessing. Just consistent, high-quality reviews from start to finish.
Devices and Browsers We Cover
We test on actual devices and through emulators, but prefer the real thing when possible. We also customize this list for clients with unique user demographics. Our checklist includes:
Desktop
- Windows (Edge, Chrome, Firefox)
- Mac (Safari, Chrome)
Mobile & Tablet
- iOS Safari
- Android Chrome
- Tablets and smartphones
We also pay attention to screen sizes, operating systems, and accessibility requirements. We include a diverse group of employees in the final testing round to represent a wide range of ages and tech savviness. In some cases, we may recruit family members who fit the user personas of our clients.
What We Look For: Our Internal QA Checklist
QA is about more than functional checks. We ask: Does this feel right for the user? Is this the best possible user experience?
A few sample use cases from our checklist:
Navigation
- Do all links work?
- Does the logo link to the homepage?
- Are hover and active states consistent?
Footer
- Is the copyright date current?
- Do social links open in new tabs?
- Do all clickable links in the footer have hover states?
Forms
- Do validation/thank you messages appear?
- Are fields clickable and readable on mobile apps?
- Do they require numbers for the phone?
Global Checks
- Are phone numbers click-to-call?
- Do PDFs open in new tabs?
- Does the site have a favicon?
- Are page titles accurate?
Mobile + Tablet
- Any overlapping or broken components?
- Are accordions functioning properly?
- Are buttons and links tap-friendly?
We encourage testers to try to break things on purpose: refresh the page, hit back, submit forms with empty fields, exit carts. This is where manual, end-to-end testing builds on automated test scripts that run in the background.
How QA Testing Protects ROI
QA doesn’t cost you money, it protects it. Yes, it’s an investment of time prior to launch. But it is absolutely critical!
It helps catch technical issues early, when they’re cheaper and easier to fix, not when your site is live and users are bouncing. A solid testing strategy also ensures your final product delivers on performance, quality standards, and business goals.
QA testers often catch:
- Mobile layout inconsistencies
- Missing or confusing content
- Broken links or integrations
- Redirect loops
- Filter bugs
That’s the kind of detail that separates a good site from a great one, and protects your investment.
How to Report Bugs the Right Way
Before you begin the QA testing, establish a clear process for your testers to submit bug reports. When you find something, here’s what we recommend:
- Use a ticketing platform like Jira or Monday.com
- Report each issue individually
- Write a clear description of the issue
- Describe the steps to reproduce it
- Include browser/device
- Add a screenshot or Loom video
- Flag the ticket by bug type (Design, question, functional, content, change request)
This workflow ensures QA activities are actionable, trackable, and efficiently assigned to the right people on the development team or handled by content marketers.
Getting Started with QA: Tips for Your Next Web Project
Here’s what we tell our clients and team members leading QA Testing for websites:
- Plan for QA in your scope, timeline, and budget
- Assign ownership to someone who will own QA through launch
- Write a list of use cases to give testers clear direction
- Test across browsers and devices for a comprehensive view
- Review a checklist with your team before go-live
- Create a dedicated Slack channel just for QA issue discussions
- Involve new eyes, people who haven’t been knee-deep in the project will spot things others miss
Build Better with QA
At Integrity, we believe great websites don’t just look good, they work flawlessly. They deliver a positive and engaging user experience that supports your brand. That’s why QA Testing plays a vital role in our software development process. It’s a strategic, user-focused priority. It ensures your product meets high standards, avoids unnecessary bugs, and satisfies both user expectations and business needs.
When you start QA Testing early, and approach it strategically, you end up with better results: a smoother launch, fewer bugs, and happier customers.
Looking to redesign your website or software application? 👉 Contact us — and let’s do something cool.
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