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At my work a test manager is getting her team to raise any bugs or defects within JIRA. When I look at JIRA bug reports, there are a whole lot of text copy issues raised for web content.

I always thought that QA testing was focusing on functionality, features and data. Is the QA team wasting their time with text copy reviews?

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  • 1
    Well, if the documentation and the functionality don't match, that is something that should be addressed and raised. As for whether it should be QA doing it, that's for your manager to decide. Of course, it's probably often not the developers providing the copy in the first place I would have guessed, so perhaps there are just multiple groups all sharing the JIRA system Jun 13, 2018 at 12:22
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    Can you give an example?
    – Alexey R.
    Jun 13, 2018 at 14:24
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    What is a "text copy issue"?
    – Embedded
    Jun 13, 2018 at 17:13

8 Answers 8

9

I'm always on the lookout for grammar and spelling errors - purely because we're here to assure quality, and typo's aren't professional.

It's usually not the developer's fault because they just copy + paste it from a requirements document or something similar, and testers are more likely to catch it.

As a consumer - if a company can't spell properly, I won't trust them with my money.

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As a quality engineer we are here to provide the flawless experience to our end users to checking the spelling and grammar errors looks simple task but that make the impact in bigger way so my perspective we need check the spelling errors and grammar mistakes along with functional and UI testing.

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In my opinion it is good to look into the typo's in the webpage because you just go to the webpage which has a relavant content to your inputs. A webpage can be attaracted to the user because of the following reasons.

  1. The look and feel of the webpage has to be good.
  2. The content in the webpage seems to be the promising one for the user.
  3. The webpage has to provide better user experience.

To answer to your question in my opinion yes the tester's has to concentrate on the content posted on the webpage. But they should not rely in posting the typo issues. Because when you actually looking at the webpage functionality and features seems to be the most important one with priority.

So if your testing a webpage in a testing environment the tester's should concentrate on the functionality and features of the webpage first then they can concentrate on the text issues or typo's.

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If your software is so riddled with spelling and grammatical errors your customers cannot understand it, it's not quality software, no matter how perfect the functionality is.

Same goes for any other non-functional requirement. If it's too slow to use, it isn't quality software. If it's not secure, it's not quality software. If it isn't accessible, it's not quality software.

Quality software isn't just about producing functional software, it's about producing usable software.

Besides, typo fixes are usually the quickest bugs to record and fix, and some more technically minded testers will be able to fix the issue themselves.

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It totally depends in what context you are at.

Case 1

You are testing an electronic device that will be shipped with the software you are testing. After your approval, nobody else is going to test it. End users are only able to update the device by connecting it to a PC. In this context, it is highly important that the result of your testing (and rework) is that the software is as perfect as possible, including any typo's or spelling mistakes that you see. Not correcting them will possibly give a bad customer experience to a lot of customers and it it will take a lot of time before all of the users have updated their device.

Case 2

You are working on an eCommerce platform. While testing, you see that one of the existing information pages of the website contains some spelling mistake. You observed this on the test environment. The content is managed by a team of webmasters on the production environment and there is probably hundreds of pages with content like this. Content like this is really the responsibility of the webmasters team and should not distract you from the work that you were really doing. Your issue might not even be valid, as the content could be different on the production environment.

Case 3

You are still working on the same eCommerce platform as in case 2. While testing a new feature, you see that one of the text labels related to the new feature is incorrect. For end users this would cause a lot of confusion. As you know that the label was just created by your team and you also know that it has to be fixed anyway, report an issue straight away to make sure that the label will also be correct when deploying to acc and prod environments (and thus prevent further overhead).

In case there is a lot of critical/blocking issues that really require more attention right now and the release is under high pressure, you could also choose not to do anything with the issue and then walk to the webmaster team just after go live and ask them to correct it.

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As a QA I am not focused on typos and grammar. We have our UX designer, which is doing UX reviews on each story. I am focused mostly on functionality of the product but also I have my eyes opened and when spotted something like that, we usually not creating defects for typos. Thats a wasting of time by me.

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It's not entirely a QA's job. That's why we have unit testing. The person who creates something should check the basics. We here raise a concern about typos. As a QA, I always look for these mistakes but I expect to find none as it's a no-brainer for the person who has written them to atleast see what they are typing.

If I see more than 5 typos or grammar mistakes, I raise a concern about the quality of the written content and I get a free pass to even reject the build. However I have never rejected a build for that.

As a QA, my job is to run scenarios, look for what can break the system and check how well the website works in different conditions and browsers, not wasting time on checking English grammar and spelling mistakes. It should be checked in unit testing. We do have code review process as well.

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I understand that you have concerns regarding the inclusion of web content review, specifically checking for typos and spelling mistakes, as part of the Quality Assurance (QA) or testing process. Allow me to provide you with insights into this matter and explain why content review plays a crucial role in ensuring overall quality.

Quality Assurance encompasses various aspects of software testing, including functionality, features, and data validation. While these areas are undoubtedly significant, it is equally important to recognize the impact of content on user experience, credibility, and brand reputation. Content-related issues, such as typos and spelling mistakes, can undermine the effectiveness and professionalism of a website or application, leading to confusion, loss of trust, and potential user abandonment.

To shed further light on the significance of content review, let me provide you with a few key reasons why QA teams dedicate their time to this aspect:

  1. User Experience: Well-crafted and error-free content enhances user experience by ensuring clear communication, easy comprehension, and intuitive navigation. Reviewing content for typos and spelling mistakes is essential for maintaining a high standard of quality in terms of readability and clarity.

Example: Imagine a user visiting a website and encountering multiple spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Such issues can create doubts about the reliability and professionalism of the company, potentially driving the user away to a competitor.

  1. Brand Image and Reputation: Content acts as the voice of an organization, reflecting its brand identity and values. Inconsistencies, inaccuracies, or errors in content can negatively impact the overall brand image and reputation. QA teams, by reviewing and rectifying such issues, contribute to maintaining a consistent and positive brand image.

Example: A company that prides itself on attention to detail and professionalism would not want its website to contain multiple typos and spelling mistakes. Such errors could create doubts about the company's competence and attention to quality.

  1. Compliance and Legal Requirements: Content-related issues can also have legal and compliance implications. For instance, incorrect information about a product's specifications or misleading claims can lead to legal repercussions. By thoroughly reviewing content, QA teams can help identify and rectify potential legal and compliance risks.

Example: A healthcare organization publishing inaccurate medical information on its website could be held liable for any negative consequences resulting from the misinformation. Content review helps mitigate such risks.

It is important to note that content review in QA testing goes beyond mere proofreading. It involves ensuring consistency in terminology, adherence to style guides, proper formatting, and appropriate language usage. Additionally, it may involve verifying the accuracy of information, checking for broken links, and validating the overall cohesiveness of the content.

While it may seem that content review is a separate activity, it ultimately contributes to the overall quality of the product or service being delivered. Collaborative efforts between QA teams, content creators, and stakeholders can help ensure that content-related issues are addressed effectively and efficiently.

I would like to emphasize that QA teams dedicating time to content review is not a waste of effort, but rather an integral part of maintaining a high level of quality and user satisfaction. By addressing content-related issues, QA professionals contribute to a positive user experience, a strong brand image, and compliance with legal requirements.

I hope this explanation clarifies the importance of content review within the QA testing process. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.

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