In this brave new world where user-centered designers meet old-school info technologists, we can all live, love, and test together. Here’s how my usability testing jives with their testing, as I understand it:

What types of testing do we do?

• QA: technical check to make sure it works
• UAT (user acceptance testing): ensure the system meets the business requirements
• Usability: testing with end users

Who does it?

• QA: technical staff, but not the people who programmed it
• UAT: business staff. Originated in days when business people threw requirements over the wall to tech and needed to test what came back over the wall. In agency models it’s often rolled into design.
• Usability: dedicated usability peeps or the design staff, but preferably not the people who designed it