QA for Web Sites

1
QA for Web Sites

• Brian Kelly
• UKOLN
• University of Bath
• Bath, BA2 7AY

Email B.Kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk URL http//www.ukoln.ac.
uk/
2
Timetable

• Draft timetable
• 1600-1615 Introduction
• 1615-1645 What Is Quality / What Does It Mean
  For Web Sites?
• 1645-1700 QA And The IWMW 2002 Web Site A Case
  Study
• 1700-1710 Approaches To Testing
• 1710-1725 Developing A QA Framework
• 1725-1730 Conclusions

3
Background To QA Focus

• QA Focus
• An advisory service for JISCs 5/99 projects
• Provides advice and support for projects in order
  to ensure that projects comply with standards and
  best practices
• Provided by UKOLN and ILRT
• Managed by Brian Kelly, UKOLN and Karla Youngs,
  ILRT
• Service provided by Marieke Napier, UKOLN and Ed
  Bremner, ILRT
• This workshop session is informed by the work of
  QA Focus

4
Your Interests?

• What do you want to get from this session?

5
Group Exercise
E

• In small groups discuss the questions given in
  exercise 1 - What Is Quality?

6
What is Quality?

• Quality
• Is based on judgements by an individual or
  organisation
• Is fitness for purpose
• Corresponds to a rating
• Is based on acceptable performance
• Is meeting goals
• Is meeting requirements

Various definitions are available see the
Pointer document for further information
7
What is Quality Control?

• Quality Control (QC) is the implementation of
  regular testing procedures against your
  definitions of quality and more specifically the
  refinement of these procedures
• Formal use of testing
• Acting on the results of your tests
• Requires planning, structured tests, good
  documentation
• Relates to output - Quality Circle
• Standards - ISO 9000 however there is currently
  no such standard for Web sites

8
What is Quality Assurance?

• Quality Assurance (QA) examines the processes
  that shape your Web site in the first place and
  so encompasses Quality Control.
• When good Quality Assurance is implemented there
  should be improvement in usability and
  performance and lessening rates of defects
• Relates to input - Quality Circle
• Should be involved in development stage of a Web
  site and throughout its life cycle

9
The Quality Cycle
QualityControl
Testsite
Createsite
output
Quality
Refinesite
Test results
QualityAssurance
10
Levels of QA

• QA is not the destination
• but the journey
• The QA timescale model which is being adopted by
  QA Focus
• Strategic QA
• Workflow QA
• Sign-off QA
• On-going QA

11
Group Exercise
E

• In small groups discuss the questions given in
  exercise 2 - Problems On Your Web Site

12
What Can Fail on Your Site?

• Domain name wrong or not usable
• Broken links, broken emails
• Server load too many hits on the site
• Client side performance down load time
• Security isnt working
• Content is out of date
• Browser incompatibility,HTML doesnt validate
• Interface navigation, link colour
• Graphics missing or too large
• Scripts dont work - forms,databases
• Isnt accessible to those with disabilities

13
What Can You Test?

• Functional testing
• Compatibility testing
• Load/performance testing
• Stress testing
• Usability testing
• Security testing
• Integration of unit testing
• Link testing
• HTML Validation
• Reliability testing
• Regression testing

14
What Procedures?

• Good documentation
• Requirements
• Specifications
• Mission statements or statement of direction
• Define your audience
• Testing suite and tools
• Use the right authoring tools etc.
• Track problems

15
Issues

• Goals for testing will be related to the kind of
  site you have
• Testing time is limited use automated tools
  Motivating/persuading people to implement a QA
  Culture can be difficult
• Having a great team
• Documentation is critical to make sure
  practices are repeatable
• Implement your QA procedures slowly over time to
  avoid stifling productivity
• QA planning at the start of development means
  less time fixing things at the end

16
IWMW 2002 Web Site
P

• We will now look at a case study
• Approaches To Testing
• We will now look at approaches to testing

17
Group Exercise
E

• In small groups discuss the questions given in
  exercise 3 - Developing A Quality Assurance
  Framework

18
Report Back
19
Where To From Here?

• How should we progress from here?

20
Any Questions?