Process
QA Day
Introduction
QA Day is a process I started where our team takes a full day to dive into new features that are in Beta. I noticed there were often big gaps between what we designed and what ended up in the product, so I found a way to get more eyes on it. I always say a designer's final deliverable isn’t just a Figma file; it’s really what users see in the product. While we have QA to help catch issues for the bigger projects, I believe the more feedback we can get early on, the better. QA Day gives us a chance to scrub through everything together and make sure we’re on the right track.
"Our mission: Find and address issues that are currently in product to ensure the best product, and to avoid death by 1,000 papercuts."
Objectives
-
Team Up as a Triad: Work together with Product Management, UX, and Engineering to spot and tackle issues as a united front.
-
Shape the Backlog: Talk through the problems we find as a team, figuring out what needs our attention right away and what can wait. Our aim is to prioritize the most urgent changes and make sure they get done.
Preparation
I start by collaborating with PMs and Engineering to figure out what’s ready for testing. Once we have that sorted, I send out a calendar invite to everyone whose feedback we need. I also set up a Confluence page with a table where we can all jot down our findings. This way, everyone can easily contribute their thoughts and observations.
Process Overview
Here’s how a typical QA Day unfolds:
-
Prepping the Team: I post in our shared space to let everyone know what features we’ll be QAing.
-
Kickoff Meeting: We start a meeting to make sure everyone can log in and there are no tech hiccups.
-
Hands-On Participation: While I check the product, I stay on the call to help out if anyone runs into issues.
-
Wrap-Up Discussion: After testing, we have a wrap-up meeting where everyone can share the major issues they noticed.
-
Passing It On: Finally, I hand over all the feedback to the relevant designer, trusting them to tackle the issues with their team.
Outcomes and Impact
I believe the biggest impact of QA Day is the team building it fosters. When everyone—designers, engineers, and PMs—comes together to check a feature, it creates a sense of investment in making improvements. This has been a fantastic side effect of the process.
As you can see from the example, we often uncover a lot of issues during our reviews. This has been crucial in shaping what we deliver. With more eyes on the product, we catch so many more problems, leading to significant improvements in our overall product quality.
Lessons Learned
One key takeaway has been the importance of being specific about what we’re testing and clearly communicating the reasons behind each test. This clarity helps everyone understand the purpose and focus of our efforts.
We’ve also been considering the cadence of QA Days and will keep discussing with the team whether we should hold them more frequently than once a month. Continuously evaluating our approach will ensure we’re maximizing our effectiveness.
