Reminder of the importance of test report
The test report is a central internal QA document. It is a summary of test results generated after each test campaign. It is used to: measure the quality of the Product to certify that it can then be delivered to end customers, help Developers to correct imperfections, ensure that the Product does not regress, etc.
It's an essential and beneficial document for both QA and other professions, whether technical, managerial or commercial. Consequently, it's crucial to ensure that it's legible for all your colleagues, to facilitate communication within the project.
Review communication method
First of all, let's remember the golden rule that applies to all fields: keep things simple. If you're a fan of complexity, don't worry: things naturally get complicated without outside help! You need to do everything you can to make your work as easy to understand as possible.
Any professional document already requires a certain amount of concentration on the part of the reader. You must avoid burdening the reader with unnecessarily complex reading. Eliminate information that is superfluous to the recipient. Depending on your medium, consider user paths to facilitate reading. For example, you could increase the number of pages so that each page contains just one table or graph. Another option might be to add filters that allow the user to select the data to be displayed. Finally, integrating summaries or menus, preferably interactive ones, can speed up user navigation.
Secondly, it's essential to emphasize a point that is often overlooked: your test reports will be read by people other than you, and in a professional context. We often tend to forget the first aspect, through an erroneous association of ideas. We wrongly assume that work is necessarily constraining, unpleasant and insensitive. But also, that these shortcomings are a necessary evil to guarantee objectivity, and therefore the quality of the work.
What's more, in the course of our professional careers, we've trained ourselves to methodically learn and apply good working practices. This automatism often leads us to overlook the fact that many of the tools we use are merely neutral supports. We can add our personal touch without losing precision.
How improve the readability of a test report?
In our case, the testing tools we use are often equipped with test report generators. So, by relying on these tools, which are of proven quality, we tend to send out these reports with a minimum of retouching. But while these reports are a solid foundation, they are still a foundation. The minimum required. So it's essential to find out what improvements can be made to make reading more efficient.
Who is the test report for?
To improve the readability of your test reports, you first need to ask yourself the question of the target audience. Depending on their profession, readers are not interested in the same information. That's why you need to create a test report template that's adapted to each trade or group of trades that consults your reports. Ideally, you should design a format that allows you to switch from one template to another as the user searches, for example, using a website.
You need to adapt not only the visuals to the different professions, but also the level of detail. For example, a Manager is interested in the number of OK/KO (passed or failed tests), as well as false positives and negatives. He also wants to track the progress of tests by comparing results with previous reports. He needs to communicate and make decisions based on these numbers, but the reasons for KOs are of little importance to him. On the other hand, the reasons for KOs are the most important information for a Developer or Functional Tester.
In short, you should always put yourself in the shoes of the people who will read your reports by asking yourself. " As a professional in this field, what information would I like to see? What order of importance should I assign to this information? What level of detail do I need? Don't hesitate to ask your colleagues for clarification if you're missing details, and to suggest visuals that meet their needs.
Test reports and UX/UI
Once the content of the report has been defined, it's important to focus on the second aspect: making it enjoyable to read. As humans, we can't be constantly focused and at our best. Putting the reader in a good mood (which is a laudable goal in itself) will also make him or her more productive. In this way, your work will be recognized for more than just your ability to produce results.
The main areas for improvement are as follows:
- Avoid audio. There are jobs where it may be relevant, but it risks distracting the reader and those around them unnecessarily. If, however, you have a good reason to add audio to your report: add a discreet but clear visual sign. Example: a "🔊" icon, indicating that audio will be triggered if the user takes an action.
- Visually display links between report elements. In addition, if the format allows, add an action allowing the user to move from one element to another linked to it.
- Follow the company's graphic charter if one exists. If it doesn't exist and no one in the company is working on creating one, take the initiative and use the elements available (logo, e-mail or letter signature, website, business cards, flyers, etc.).
- Add legends. As we organize the report, we know what each piece of data is used for, how each graph is produced, and so on. However, we often forget that the final reader of the report won't know how it was made, and may be lost if they don't find an explanation.
- If the format you're using allows it, add interactive elements (even for purely entertainment purposes!). For example, moving the mouse over an element triggers a visual effect, such as displaying a tooltip, changing a color or starting an animation. You can also add visual elements that are totally dispensable, serving only to distract. Example: the elements around the HearthStone card game board.
Be careful, though, if you want to add these kinds of elements, do so sparingly to avoid your work not being taken seriously. One or two per report is enough. Next, don't make them visually intrusive, as they shouldn't distract the reader's attention. Instead, imagine them as a sort of reward when the user finds it, like an Easter Egg. Finally, if you need to generate a public document, this should be avoided, unless you're in a field that justifies it.
An example of a useless but entertaining animation on the HearthStone card game board, which a player can enjoy triggering, for example, when waiting for the other player to finish his turn.
If I don't have a graphic charter or UX/UI skills?
You don't need to have great visual skills to make these kinds of improvements, although it's obviously a great help. If, like me, you don't have a well-developed visual sense, you can ask the opinion of your colleagues or personal acquaintances who are more competent on the subject. You can also look at various sites offering basic advice on how to create simple, effective visuals.
For example, HTMLcolorcodes is a site that shows you effective color combinations based on a given color. Starting with a color related to your company (for example, the main color of its logo), you can quickly build up an effective color palette.
Conclusion
Here's a summary of the main ways to improve the readability of your test reports:
- Simplify reading
- Reduce the level of detail to suit the recipient
- Put yourself in the shoes of the other tradesmen who will read the report
- Make reading fun and intuitive
- Take feedback from your colleagues into account
We hope our recommendations will help you create test reports that will improve communication between your teams.
If you'd like more details, or if these arguments have convinced you and you're thinking of integrating one of our profiles into your team, please contact us here. Our QA experts will be delighted to discuss this topic with you in greater depth.
Paul Girardin
Test automation consultant
