Software products' functionality and user experience are critical to their market success—or failure. This is why exploratory testing is an important aspect of the final checks to conduct before deploying software in the production environment.
I have the opportunity to conduct a thorough testing process on Cars.ng, an automotive platform for car buyers and sellers. My experience with the core user flows, usability issues, and overall user experience is documented in this blog to show my methodology, findings, and suggestions for improvement.
As a QA enthusiast, a developer, or simply curious about the testing process, this post will provide valuable insights.
Cars.ng is Nigeria’s premier online platform for buying and selling cars. As a web-based resource, it has a fair amount of technical challenges affecting its user-friendly interface. My job in this exploratory testing is to identify bugs and usability concerns and provide actionable solutions.
Methodology
I used a disciplined testing approach to evaluate the platform. This approach was structured as follows:
Testing Environment:
Browser: Latest versions of Chrome and
Device: Desktop and mobile views
Operating System: Windows 10 (64bit)
Testing Process:
Navigated through the main user flows, including home page navigation, car search, filtering options, and detailed car listings.
Documented all issues encountered using a structured bug report format.
Captured clear screenshots for visual evidence of each issue.
Reproduced bugs multiple times to verify consistency.
Bug documentation and reporting:
All issues encountered were documented in a detailed bug report sheet. This included steps to reproduce the bug, expected vs. actual results, and screenshots for clarity.
You can view my complete bug report here.
Usability Testing:
I evaluated the platform's user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) to identify areas where improvements could enhance usability.
Recommendations
Based on the issues identified, I recommend the following improvements to enhance the user experience on Cars.ng:
Improve Navigation Highlighting:
Ensure the active page is marked to guide users effectively through the site.
Fix Image Loading Issues:
Optimize image links and hosting to prevent broken images and maintain user trust.
Optimize Search Functionality:
Enhance the search algorithm and backend support to reduce lag, particularly for mobile users.
Broken Links:
Some internal links, particularly on the homepage, led to 500 and 404 error pages.
Enhance mobile responsiveness:
Review and adjust the responsive design elements to ensure consistency across all mobile devices.
Testing is a critical step in delivering a high-quality digital product, and my experience with Cars.ng highlighted both its strengths and areas for improvement. By addressing the issues identified in this test, Cars.ng can significantly enhance its user experience and reliability.
This would make the platform further solidify its position as a trusted resource for car buyers and sellers in Nigeria.
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