What is User acceptance testing UAT?
User acceptance testing UAT Definition: Determining if the system being tested is acceptable to a user based on pre-established criteria.
Understanding User acceptance testing UAT
Determining if the system being tested is acceptable to a user based on pre-established criteria. User acceptance testing is the final phase of software testing where actual users verify that a system meets their requirements and functions correctly in realistic scenarios before the system is deployed to production. While not primarily focused on security UAT may include validation of security-related functionality from the user perspective. UAT methodologies are referenced in standards like ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 and various SDLC frameworks. Organizations implement UAT through formal test plans user involvement predefined acceptance criteria test environments and formal sign-off processes. For example before deploying a new healthcare patient portal the organization might conduct comprehensive UAT where actual clinicians and patients test the system verifying that authentication mechanisms access controls privacy features secure messaging and authorization boundaries function correctly from a user perspective identifying any security issues impacting usability before going live. Related terms Acceptance testing Functional testing Software testing Test plan Test criteria Sign-off Software development lifecycle SDLC System requirements Validation testing.