The Ultimate Guide to User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Picture a QA engineer who has just finished a successful round of smoke tests and manual testing, right on deadline. The product owner asks about the plan for user acceptance testing, and the engineer has never run one. This guide is for that engineer, and for the QA leads, product managers, and test managers who get handed a UAT. It gathers the details, comparisons, how-tos, and best practices that make running one painless, so you can put a five-star product in front of your customers.

What is user acceptance testing?

User acceptance testing (UAT) is a formal test in which the people a product is built for work through test cases against acceptance criteria agreed in advance, so the people who own the product can decide whether to accept the software. The International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) glossary defines it as a type of acceptance testing performed to determine if intended users accept the system.

The purpose is to put the software in front of real people, in realistic conditions, before it reaches a larger audience. Their testing turns up the issues and improvements that raise its quality before release.

How is UAT different from beta testing?

UAT confirms the product does what was agreed, and beta testing shows how it holds up in the wild. ISTQB counts both as forms of acceptance testing, and its 2019 acceptance testing syllabus says acceptance testing should not be limited to beta because, as the syllabus describes beta testing, it imposes no predefined test procedures and gives no guarantee that every requirement is covered. Each one answers a question the other leaves open.

Our post on beta vs. UAT testing goes deeper on each row, and Is Beta Testing the Same as UAT? clears up the common mix-up. When your product also has to prove itself in real homes, offices, and networks, read Beta Testing 101, the companion to this guide.

When does UAT happen in the software development lifecycle?

UAT can happen at several points once there is a product to test, and it most often happens in the test phase, just before launch. When it ends, the stakeholders review the results and decide whether to accept the product. Our Ultimate Guide to a Successful New Product Launch covers what comes next.

UAT can also be the user-acceptance part of a contractual sign-off, and it can run inside a beta program or on its own. Our post on alpha vs. beta testing draws the line between the two. For the stages around UAT, see what comes before beta testing and what comes after.

How does UAT work in agile teams?

Agile windows are smaller, but sprints still allocate time to testing. The product owner and the UAT team decide together which features get tested in each sprint, and users give feedback on each feature before it is released. For more, read Tips for Tackling Agile Beta Testing.

How does UAT relate to other kinds of acceptance testing?

UAT is one form of acceptance testing, and it is its own test. ISTQB's acceptance testing syllabus covers user acceptance, contractual, and regulatory acceptance testing alongside alpha and beta testing. Contractual acceptance testing checks a system against the requirements in a contract. Customer acceptance testing (CAT) is a label some companies use for a specific customer's sign-off against agreed specifications, and others use it as another name for UAT.

Under ISTQB's definitions, UAT is not another word for beta, alpha, or field testing. It is a different test that people lump in with them, and Beta Testing 101 lists many of the other names.

What are the stages of user acceptance testing?

Centercode breaks UAT into four stages: planning and design, recruitment and onboarding, execution, and closure. They take you from the first plan to the final sign-off, each built on the one before it.

If you also run beta tests, the four stages line up with the five in Beta Testing 101: planning and design covers initialization and planning, recruitment and onboarding covers most of preparation, execution is testing, and closure is closure.

Stage 1: Planning and design

Planning and design is where you establish the scope and objectives of the test, identify the stakeholders, define the testing criteria, and choose the test environment. The UAT team also writes the test plan, which lays out the test cases, the testing approach, and the methodology.

Stage 2: Recruitment and onboarding

The UAT team recruits the testers who will carry out the test. They can be internal employees or external users who represent the target audience for the software. Onboarding gives them everything they need to start.

Stage 3: Execution

In the execution stage, the UAT team makes sure testers complete the test cases and scenarios written during planning and design. The team collects feedback and test data, triages and responds to issues, and judges whether the software meets the business requirements identified during product design.

Stage 4: Closure

In closure, the stakeholders review the UAT results and sign off on the software, which means they agree it meets the business requirements. The UAT team also prepares the final report, which summarizes the results and names any issues or areas for improvement.

How long should your UAT last?

UAT has no fixed length. The execution stage lasts as long as your software needs, and that depends on its complexity, your objectives, the number of features under test, and the size of your testing team. Give it enough time to collect feedback and make improvements before the next phase of testing or the market.

For a reference point from Centercode's own data, the 2024 industry report found that the average beta test lasted 3 to 8 weeks, with a median of 5. Its analysis of more than 10,000 pieces of feedback from nearly 50 beta projects found that, on average, 63.4 percent arrives in the first two weeks and 92.1 percent by week 6. Those figures describe beta tests that Centercode's team managed, not UAT, so use them as a reference and watch your own first two weeks to see whether your testers follow the same pattern.

Recommended reading: How Long Should My Beta Test Be?

How many UAT testers do you need?

Enough that every role, environment, and test case is run by someone who represents the people who will use the software. It depends on your product, your market, and what you are testing for. As a reference, the 2024 industry report found that groups in Centercode's own managed beta tests averaged 26 to 75 testers, with a median of 46, and that past 60 testers the average feedback per tester begins to decline. Those are beta tests, not UAT.

Our post on how many beta testers you need walks through the trade-offs, and the test size calculator gives you a number to start with. If you are unsure, read Should I Add More Testers?

How to perform user acceptance testing

Knowing how to run UAT is the difference between a successful launch and a missed opportunity. Process matters: in Centercode's 2021 industry report, based on 124 responses, professionals focused on process improvement rated their satisfaction with their program more than half a star higher on average. Done well, the ten steps below uncover the insights that help you tailor your product to what users need and expect.

1. Plan your test.
2. Create UAT test cases and scenarios.
3. Create a UAT sign-⁠up page.
4. Find and invite testers.
5. Onboard testers.
6. Distribute the software.
7. Communicate test cases.
8. Collect user feedback.
9. Manage user feedback.
10. Review the results.

Steps 1 and 2 are planning and design, steps 3 to 6 are recruitment and onboarding, steps 7 to 9 are execution, and step 10 is closure.

Step 1: Plan your test

In software testing, everything starts with a plan. Yours covers your testing objectives, the test cases and scenarios, the acceptance criteria, and the resources you need, such as tools and equipment. The Software Beta Test Planning Kit gives you a plan to start from. Shipping hardware or apps? There are planning kits for hardware and mobile apps too. Set your timeline and group size with the guidance in How long should your UAT last? and How many UAT testers do you need?

The readiness checklist templates for UAT give you a checklist for judging whether you are ready to begin UAT, plus a launch readiness checklist and a go/no-go assessment. For a walk through the same ground, read Need a Template? Here's Your User Acceptance Testing Checklist.

Determining test objectives

Begin with the end in mind. Ask yourself and your stakeholders what the test is meant to achieve. Six objectives are common: how easy the software is to use, how it performs under varied conditions, whether it does what it was designed to do, whether it works across devices and platforms, whether it protects what it should, and whether it works across cultures and languages.

Each objective calls for its own testing method, and some methods conflict with others, so choose deliberately.

Probing for vulnerabilities and attempting to break in is a specialist discipline for authorized security professionals, so keep it out of your testers' instructions.

Recommended reading: Determining Your Beta Testing Objectives.

How do you define UAT acceptance criteria?

Acceptance criteria are measurable statements, agreed before testing and tied to a requirement, that can only be true or false. As ISTQB's acceptance testing syllabus frames them, they say what to test rather than how, and test cases are derived from them. Benchmarks then measure how the test went: metrics such as the number of defects or bugs identified, the percentage of test cases passed, and the time it takes to finish. Make both specific, measurable, and relevant to your objectives.

Three guidelines help you set the criteria:

• Research industry standards. Start with the standards and best practices for the kind of software you are testing. They show you what benchmarks to aim for.
• Consult your stakeholders. Talk with end users, product owners, and the development team to learn which criteria matter most.
• Review past projects. Previous versions of the product, or similar products at your company, show what earlier tests accomplished and how yours compares.

Examples of UAT benchmarks and how to measure them

Code coverage and throughput come from your build and monitoring tools, not from testers. Defect density is one signal among several, and why defect density isn't enough explains why. For more measures, read what beta test metrics are and how to measure them.

Step 2: Create UAT test cases and scenarios

A test case is one specific, measurable check of one aspect of the software, with a clear pass or fail. A scenario strings cases together the way a real user would meet them. (The Centercode Platform calls them activities.) Good cases and scenarios accurately represent the user requirements and objectives, and the test case templates for UAT give you a structured form to start from.

Three actions build them:

1. Identify the features to test. List the specific features to test, starting with the most critical. It focuses your effort where it counts.
2. Create test cases. Write a set of cases for each feature. Each one includes the broad steps the tester takes and the expected result.
3. Ensure specificity and measurability. Give every case clear pass and fail criteria, so you can judge the test and see what needs work.

To choose them, review the user requirements and objectives, decide which areas matter most, and write cases for each objective. Together they should cover the software's functionality and performance.

Recommended reading: How to Craft Task Scenarios Like a Pro.

Step 3: Create a UAT sign-⁠up page

A sign-up page recruits qualified testers. It describes the software, tells people how to sign up and what you expect of them, and collects their name, email address, and relevant experience, so you can confirm they are right for the test. If your testers are colleagues or customers you choose yourself, skip the page and send invitations instead.

A successful sign-up page has nine components:

• Branding. Your company's colors and logo keep the page consistent and build trust with potential testers.
• Introduction. Say what the software is, why it matters, and how feedback will be used to improve it.
• Instructions. Explain how to sign up, with a form for their name, email address, and relevant background.
• Requirements. State what a tester needs, such as the right hardware, software, and time for the whole test.
• Expectations. Explain what testers will do, such as giving feedback on specific features and reporting issues.
• Benefits. Summarize what testers gain, such as a say in the software and early use of it before release.
• Security. Describe how you protect testers' personal information and data, such as secure storage and encryption.
• Privacy. Be transparent about what data you collect and how you use it. Ask for consent plainly: under the GDPR, the European Data Protection Board's guidelines on consent say consent bundled up as a non-negotiable part of terms is presumed not freely given, pre-ticked boxes are invalid, and separate purposes need separate consent.
• Call to action. Make one clear, prominent button, such as "Sign up now," that guides testers through.

The Beta Tester Recruitment Kit gives you a template for outlining the page.

Recommended reading: Crafting a Compelling Recruitment Message.

Step 4: Find and invite testers

Finding qualified testers can be the hardest part of UAT. In Centercode's 2024 industry report, finding and recruiting testers was the challenge test managers named most (55 percent). Start with the people who already know your software, then widen the search only as far as the test needs. When you choose testers yourself, invite them directly.

Where do you find UAT testers?

Start with your own users. Their familiarity with your software helps them give valuable feedback.

• Email to your marketing database. Announce the UAT and invite interested users to sign up.
• Your company website. Add links on your site and support pages.
• In-app notification. Reach people who are already using the software and likely to care.
• Social media. Promote the UAT on your channels and join the groups and communities where your ideal testers are active. Engage with them directly.
• Company forums and niche communities. Users of a forum already have an affinity for your products and are more likely to join, and communities around your software's niche or industry connect you with people who care about what you are building.
• Search. When your UAT is open to people outside your own customer base, write the sign-up page the way you would write any page you want found. Use the keywords your testers search for, and write a clear meta description.
• Word of mouth. Ask your existing testers to spread the word and refer people from their networks. They reach people who have never heard of your test.

Use Betabound

Betabound is Centercode's own community of hundreds of thousands of highly profiled volunteer testers. When your UAT needs outside testers who match your market, that is where we find them, and our team can run the whole test for you with Managed Tests.

Screen the people who sign up

Tell people plainly what you will do with their information, as the privacy component above describes. Then screen applicants, and expect screening to be imperfect: Pew Research Center's 2026 study of online opt-in polls found that removing bogus respondents generally improves data quality, but no single method reliably solves the problem.

Recommended reading: Selecting Qualified Testers and 12 Beta Tester Recruiting Sources.

Step 5: Onboard testers

Onboarding teaches testers the overall process, sets expectations for their part in the UAT, and gives them what they need to test the product well. Four things belong in it:

• Instructions. Explain how to reach the software, use the testing environment, and report issues. Spell out the timeline, when feedback is due, and how often to give updates.
• Resources. Give testers the manuals, setup guides, and list of known issues they need, plus access to the hardware, software, and tools the test requires.
• Agreements. Ask testers to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so confidential information stays private. Pair it with a testing agreement that sets out the terms and expectations of taking part.
• Feedback guidelines. Show testers how to give feedback and what to test. A template for reporting issues or a checklist of features works well, as does a short guide to what to expect in the coming weeks.

Recommended reading: What to Put in the Welcome Letter to Your Testers, and the Beta Test Agreement Kit.

Step 6: Distribute the software

Before testing begins, get the software to your testers. That can mean a download link, an email with installation instructions, or access to a cloud-based test environment. Shipping hardware instead? Plan the logistics early with the Beta Shipping Manual.

Recommended reading: The Elements of Your Beta Package.

Step 7: Communicate test cases

Once testers have the software, tell them what to test and how. Five approaches work well:

• Use a tool for managing test cases. A test case management tool, or a platform such as the Centercode Platform or UserVolley, lets you create, organize, and track cases and scenarios and share them with your testers.
• Create a central location. A web page or document that lists every test case and scenario, with instructions to run each one, gives testers one place to look.
• Send regular reminders. Emails or messages about activities and deadlines keep testers on track.
• Split test cases into a schedule. Breaking cases up by week or by sprint helps the testing finish within a reasonable, or required, timeframe.
• Teach testers how to submit feedback. Show them how to report issues and bugs and how to share general feedback on the user experience.

Recommended reading: 6 Steps to Get Your Testers to Complete All of Their Activities.

Step 8: Collect user feedback

One of the main goals of UAT is feedback that improves the software, and great feedback needs structure. The UAT feedback form templates give you ready-made forms to start with.

Use feedback forms

Give testers forms where they can report issues, suggest ideas, and give praise. Make them easy to reach and easy to use, with fields for the specifics of what they are reporting. The UAT templates cover bugs and defects, change requests, new feature requests, and praise. Bugs and defects are Issues, change requests and new feature requests are Ideas, and praise is Praise.

Without dedicated forms, sorting Issues, Ideas, and Praise out of one feedback channel takes time better spent improving the software.

Ask UAT survey questions

Surveys gather specific feedback about the software and about the testing itself. Ask questions during the test, to catch issues and areas for improvement early, and again at the end, for an overall assessment of the process. The survey templates for beta testing are a good place to start, and 10 Tips for Writing Great Beta Surveys helps you word them.

Recommended reading: How to Collect Useful Feedback During Beta.

Step 9: Manage user feedback

Managing feedback during execution is how you learn whether the software meets users' needs and expectations. It is more than reading a queue of tickets. You triage each piece of feedback, respond to testers, and make the changes it calls for.

Triage means ranking feedback by its impact on the software's functionality and the severity of the issue, so your resources go to the problems that hurt the experience most. Responding matters just as much. It shows testers they are heard, which builds trust and a positive relationship. The goal is that every piece of feedback is reviewed and ranked by its impact on the product experience.

AI can transcribe sessions and make a first pass at grouping written feedback. Double-check the transcripts, treat the grouping as an initial pass, and keep a person responsible for the conclusions, as Nielsen Norman Group advises.

A repeatable workflow keeps anything from falling through the cracks. The feedback loop has six steps:

1. Review feedback. Read what testers send, to understand the issues and areas for improvement.
2. Prioritize feedback. Rank it by severity and impact on the software's functionality.
3. Assign tasks. Give each item to the person responsible for it.
4. Make changes. Update the software based on the prioritized feedback.
5. Test changes. Confirm the updates fixed the issues or met the tester's needs.
6. Close feedback. Tell testers the outcome, then close the tickets that are done.

Recommended reading: The Beginner's Guide to Closing the Customer Feedback Loop.

Step 10: Review the results

Last, but not least, review the results. Combine tester feedback, test case outcomes, and survey data to judge whether the software met your objectives and the quality you set. The overall pass and fail rate for each test case shows which components need the most work. This review makes sure issues and bugs are found and addressed before the software reaches the public, and it gives your stakeholders what they need to sign off. If you work in a regulated field, ask your compliance team what a sign-off record has to contain.

Recommended reading: How Beta Testing Can Drive Go/No-Go Decisions and the readiness checklist templates for UAT, which include a go/⁠no-⁠go assessment.

What are the benefits of user acceptance testing?

UAT has six main benefits: it confirms the product meets user requirements, finds defects and bugs, shows where the experience can improve, informs future development, raises quality and adoption, and exposes gaps in automated testing. Testing with end users gives you peace of mind and makes sure the software meets the needs and requirements of your market and your business. Without it, quality issues and poor experiences cause user frustration and dissatisfaction, which feed low adoption rates, negative reviews, and lost revenue. Our post on how beta testing benefits different departments shows how far the benefits reach.

• Meets user requirements and expectations. Knowing the product meets users' needs and expectations removes uncertainty and builds confidence in the launch at every level.
• Identifies defects and bugs. UAT with a larger, more diverse group of users builds on QA's work and puts the software's quality to a real test before launch.
• Shows where the experience can improve. Test cases with high fail rates, and problems that are not bugs or defects, show where to improve usability and the overall user experience, based on how users behave.
• Informs future development. Ideas and other feedback from acceptance testers help you build a roadmap around the features and functionality users want most.
• Improves software quality and user adoption. Once the defects and bugs you find are fixed, the software's quality is higher, which lays the foundation for adoption early in the product's lifecycle. Our post on cutting support costs with beta testing shows the other side of the same coin.
• Discovers gaps in automated testing. Feedback from UAT lets the QA team review their test scripts and automation for misses, so future testing is more complete and more efficient.

What UAT challenges should you watch for?

UAT is a necessary and valuable part of product development, and it comes with challenges worth planning for. Knowing them ahead of time lets you plan contingencies. Each challenge below has a best practice that answers it.

Two posts help with stakeholders: How Do I Make Stakeholders Care About My Beta Feedback? and Securing Stakeholder Buy-In for Beta Testing. For warning signs mid-test, read 5 Warning Signs Your Beta Test Is in Danger.

What are the best practices for user acceptance testing?

With 25 years of running pre-release tests, we have seen plenty of triumphs and slip-ups in every area of UAT. These nine practices keep your process thorough and consistent, and keep the feedback reliable enough to improve the software and launch a product people love.

Start planning early

Begin planning for UAT as early as you can, so there is time to do it thoroughly. That means identifying test objectives, creating test cases, and finding potential testers. You also get the chance to spot hurdles before they become problems.

Identify qualified testers

Without testers you have nothing, and with the wrong testers you make product decisions on the wrong data. Choose testers who are qualified and who represent the intended users of the software, so the feedback and test data are valuable and relevant.

Develop detailed test cases

Write detailed test cases and scenarios that cover every aspect of the software you need to test, including both positive and negative cases.

Recommended reading: 10 Key Considerations When Assessing Quality Test Coverage.

Define clear testing objectives

State what needs to be tested, who will test it, and how the feedback will improve the software. Make sure everyone involved agrees on the goals.

Provide great training and support

Testers cannot read your mind, so give them the guidance and education to know what to do in your UAT. Make sure they know the process and the tools. A centralized tool that holds feedback forms, product resources, and support makes everything easy to reach.

Recommended reading: 5 Expectations to Establish with Testers on Day One.

Collect comprehensive feedback

Tester feedback comes in many forms, quantitative and qualitative. Use a variety of methods, including surveys, interviews, and observation alongside your feedback forms, to build a complete picture of your product's quality and launch readiness.

Analyze feedback and prioritize issues

Not all feedback is equal. Prioritizing it makes your team more efficient and points developers at the most pressing issues first. Triage each piece by its severity and its impact on the software and the user experience to find where to start.

Recommended reading: Prioritizing Feedback Using the MoSCoW Framework.

Collaborate with the dev team

Build a close working relationship with the development team. When they are close to the UAT process and invited to collaborate, you can address issues and change the software more quickly. A positive relationship also makes developers more likely to listen to your perspective and analysis during testing.

Retest often

If you fix a sprinkler in your yard, do you put your tools away without turning on the water to see that it works? Of course not. After changes or updates, retest to confirm the reported issues are resolved and the software meets its objectives.

What should a user acceptance testing tool do?

A UAT tool is software built to manage and automate the user acceptance testing process. It makes the process more organized and efficient, improves the accuracy of your results, and helps testers and stakeholders collaborate. It also gives you one place to store and manage test cases, test results, and other testing information.

The best tools cover every part of UAT:

Here is how the Centercode Platform answers four of them:

• Test management and execution. It builds phases and activities from an imported plan.
• Data management and analysis. It collects Issues, Ideas, and Praise along with your own feedback forms, and ties every report to the exact build. It detects duplicates, supports comments and voting, and gives each issue an Impact Score from how serious it is and how many people hit it.
• Security and compliance. Testers sign digital NDAs before they get access, and roles control what each person sees. The platform is SOC 2 Type II audited, and our trust page has the details.
• Integrations. Two-way Jira sync plus Slack and Salesforce connections carry the feedback into your team's tools.

UserVolley has a ready-made User Acceptance Test blueprint for formal sign-off against agreed criteria. It freezes the acceptance criteria before testing starts, runs business users through scripted tasks, records a pass or fail against each requirement with evidence, and assembles an acceptance certificate that has to be signed before anything goes live. When you would rather hand the whole test to the people who have managed more beta tests than any company, Managed Tests puts our team in charge. Weighing your options? See how Centercode compares, or read Should You Build or Buy Your User Testing Tool?

Key takeaways

• User acceptance testing checks that a product meets the agreed business requirements and user expectations before launch, and it is usually owned by QA with a heavy focus on quality.
• UAT is a different test from beta testing: UAT confirms the product meets agreed criteria, and beta testing shows how it holds up in the wild.
• Centercode breaks every UAT into four stages: planning and design, recruitment and onboarding, execution, and closure.
• Usability, functionality, performance, and other kinds of testing are tools you use inside UAT to reach specific quality objectives.
• Test cases should follow from your objectives, tie to specific features or experiences, and carry a clear pass or fail.
• Feedback management means reviewing and prioritizing feedback, then assigning tasks to your team, so critical issues get fixed fast and testers see they were heard.
• The main benefits are software that meets user requirements, defects and bugs found before launch, a better user experience, and higher quality and adoption.
• The best practices are early planning, clear objectives, detailed test cases, good support for testers, and regular retesting after changes.

Conclusion

User acceptance testing is more than a phase in the software development cycle. It is a bridge between the developers' vision and the users' expectations. Done well, it gives you confidence in the product's quality and functionality, and assurance that it delivers a high-⁠quality user experience.

It is also more than a safety net. It is where the people you built the product for tell you whether it does what they need, and where the people who own it sign off with evidence in hand. As products grow more technical every day, UAT stays just as important.

Whether you are launching a new connected product or improving existing software, the principles and best practices in this guide will make your testing count. Take what you learned here into your next UAT, and ship a product people love.

Want a hand with your next UAT?

Centercode has run more beta tests, and more kinds of them, than any company, because we build the platform and run tests on it ourselves. If you are planning a UAT and want to talk it through, talk to Centercode about your UAT. To see how a test runs from plan to final report, take a look at the Centercode Platform or UserVolley.