The Importance of Quality Assurance During Releases

Quality Assurance (QA) plays a vital role in ensuring any updates or changes to a site meet standards, function properly, and align with user expectations. It's not just about finding bugs—it’s about safeguarding the user experience and maintaining a site’s overall quality.

Before a release, during the regression testing phase, QA will meticulously review several critical aspects of the site. This includes verifying that all navigation (NAV) links open to the correct pages, checking that the homepage, Product Detail Pages (PDPs), and Product Listing Pages (PLPs) function as expected. QA ensures that calls-to-action (CTAs) work, images load properly, and the correct product information is displayed.

Automated tests are also run during this time, which complement manual testing efforts. QA will thoroughly "happy path" test the checkout flow to ensure that users can successfully complete transactions without issues. Additionally, they test the site across different viewports (screen sizes) and browsers to confirm compatibility and responsiveness.

By catching issues or bugs before they reach production, QA prevents these problems from becoming customer-facing, which could impact both the site’s functionality and the brand's reputation.

Once the code and data are in production, QA doesn’t stop there. They conduct another round of testing to identify any potential production-only issues. This includes verifying that taxes are calculated correctly and confirming that customers can complete checkouts successfully.

While this entire process may take a few hours, the payoff is well worth it. A well-functioning site ensures a seamless user experience, maintains customer trust, and protects the brand’s integrity.

At DEMAND, we pride ourselves on having an outstanding in-house QA team. Their meticulous attention to detail, technical expertise, and proactive problem-solving ensure that every release meets the highest standards and delivers an exceptional user experience.