Understand the Product
Before looking for bugs, your first task as a tester is to take a few minutes to understand the product you are testing and the test instructions. For example: a webshop that sells different types of clothes does not work the same way as the website that sells packages via subscription for a specific product, there are different processes involved. Take a general look around and then you can start searching for bugs.
The Main Process
The main purpose of any webshop is to sell their products, which means that the “order process” and everything related to it is considered the most important part of the website. So, this is a good feature to start testing. If you find a bug that prevents a user from making a purchase, there is a high chance it is a critical bug. However, make sure not to place any orders while testing live websites.
Product Categories
Testing product categories is a good place to find bugs, including product detail pages, the main navigation and the search function (if in scope). For example, if the website lets you check out as a guest, then it is not necessary to register a new account first to test the order process because in this case, you should be able to buy anything as a guest.
Where to Look for Bugs
Ask yourself: what features of this website have a number of different options/functions? There is a higher chance you come across a bug there. A good example would be a product category/detail page because normally you can find such functions there as selecting a size& color, accessing the size guide, adding items to the cart & wish list, applying filters, sorting options, etc.
Other Functions
Try testing other parts of the website as well, including the newsletter, the footer, the header, the landing page, etc. Testing the social media sharing button is also a good idea!
Academy
Remember to read and study the Test IO Academy. It will be your main source of information not just during the onboarding process but throughout your career as a tester at Test IO.
Tips
The order process is the main feature of any webshop, so the chances of finding high and critical bugs in this section are higher.
Every time you perform an action and don’t get the expected result, it might be a bug. Make further investigation and consider reporting it.
While testing a webshop you need to think as a regular customer who wants to buy something and discover new products.
Install several browsers and consider testing with all of them – this will increase your chances of finding bugs.
After you submit your bug report, it may take some time to get it reviewed by the Team Leader - use this time to double-check your entries and make necessary edits.
If you receive an information request, make sure to answer it within 24 hours, otherwise, your bug report will get automatically rejected.
Quality is the key: if you submit a good quality report the chances of getting it reviewed faster increases because the Team Leader won’t need to focus on requesting more information.
Do not report everything as critical. It is part of the tester’s job to choose the correct severity.
If you don’t find bugs in your first test, check the ‘Known Bugs’ list, it can give you inspiration. However, these bugs cannot be reported again.
A lot of low functional bugs can be found in the links in the footer and the header of a website as well as in social media sharing.
Try to apply a certain approach when testing, e.g. systematically test every function of a page and each of them in combination with each other.
Here is an exemplary bug report with useful notes and tips:
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY BUG HUNTING 😉