Launching or updating a website or web application can be both exhilarating and overwhelming — there’s so much to do, and it feels like the stakes are higher than ever.
Making sure that everything works properly can make or break the success of your project. Even with the most thorough planning, things can go wrong, and bugs may occur. It is crucial to have an effective approach to bug tracking during a website launch. In this blog post, we will explore the most effective approach to bug tracking and why Userback is the best user feedback management platform for collecting, assessing, and resolving bugs during a website launch.
Make it easy
As developers ourselves we know that the key to successful bug tracking and resolution is making the whole bug lifecycle as easy as possible, from collection to closure.
It needs to be easy:
- For users to submit bug reports
- To assess those bugs
- To assign bugs to developers
- For developers to access the information they need to resolve issues as quickly as possible
In this article we’ll take a look at the steps you can take to ensure your bug tracking processes are ready to ensure your website launches with minimal bugs, and if issues do occur then they can be addressed quickly and effectively.
Understand Your Audience
Identifying who will be using your website is essential in determining the best bug tracking solution to use
It goes without saying that understanding your audience is key if you want to create a website or web application that adds value to their lives. And knowing your audience isn’t only important for creating a website that meets needs, it also determines what approach you take to bug tracking, as most of your bug reports will be coming from your users, so your bug tracking process has to be easy for all your users to follow.
Different types of users may have different levels of experience when it comes to reporting bugs. ‘Sophisticated’ users may be able to provide detailed bug reports because they’re familiar with using third party applications like SnagIt and Preview to capture and annotate screen grabs, or they may even record video footage of issues using something like Quicktime. However, less experienced users may struggle to capture the information you need to assess and resolve a bug. They may submit incomplete, inconclusive, ambiguous and subjective bug reports that require follow-up communication to clarify. In addition different users may encounter different kinds of bugs. So it’s important to make sure that you have a bug tracking process that is appropriate for the experience level of your users and can accommodate the kind of bugs that they may encounter.
Utilize Processes and Best Practices
Establish a process for bug tracking that works for the team and will ensure all bugs are identified and resolved quickly
If you’re working on a team with multiple developers, you know how easy it is for bugs to slip through the cracks. That’s why it’s crucial to establish a bug-tracking process that works well for your team. By doing so, you can ensure that all bugs are identified and resolved quickly, which will ultimately save you time and hassle down the road.
There are different approaches to bug tracking, each with its pros and cons. One approach is to use a spreadsheet, but it can quickly become unmanageable, especially during a website launch. Another approach is to use bug tracking software, but not all bug tracking software are created equal. Some are too complex, while others do not provide enough features to manage bugs and feedback effectively.
Your team may have different preferences or work styles, so be sure to collaborate and find a system that empowers everyone to stay on top of bugs in a way that feels manageable. Whether that’s a shared spreadsheet, Jira or an old school whiteboard!
If you use an automated platform then make sure you can readily integrate user feedback into your existing workflows and processes.
However you record and track bugs, the goal is the same: to produce high-quality code that functions smoothly and meets user needs.
Prioritize Communications
Ensure effective communication between developers, QA teams and all other stakeholders involved in the project (including users)
Through our own experiences over the years, we know how frustrating miscommunications can be!
In any project, open dialog is key, especially when it comes to the development of software and applications, it’s crucial to ensure that everyone involved is on the same page. That’s why prioritizing communication between developers, QA personnel and all other stakeholders is so important. When you include your users too it can help to make them feel a sense of ownership, helping to build trust and loyalty.
When everyone – including your user community – is working towards the same goal and is kept in the loop, it empowers the team to create the best possible product.
Invest in Automation
Automating bug tracking can help reduce manual work and increase efficiency
Manually tracking bugs in your software development process can be a tedious and time-consuming task, taking up precious resources and exposing you to the risk of missing something crucial. The good news is that automation can help!
By investing in automation tools for bug tracking, you can streamline the process and increase efficiency. This means your team can focus on more important tasks, such as developing new features and improving overall software quality.
Leverage Tools such as Userback
A comprehensive bug tracking tool like Userback can provide visibility, collaboration capabilities, tracking features, and more to streamlining bug tracking for a website launch
Userback is one of the best (and easiest!) ways to track bugs during web launches.
Userback allows product managers, developers, quality assurance teams and user acceptance testing (UAT) testers to collaborate quickly and accurately identify possible issues before they become critical problems.
But don’t just take our word for it! Hear what users on G2 have to say.
It offers visibility, collaboration capabilities, tracking features, and much more. With Userback, you can easily pinpoint the source of bugs and collaborate with your team to quickly resolve the problem and ensure a smooth rollout. So, if you’re looking for an easy and effective solution to tackle bugs, Userback could be just the tool you need!
With Userback you can manage the entire user feedback lifecycle, from collection to closure. With its powerful feedback and collaboration features, you can continuously and cost-effectively gather valuable insights from your users, make informed decisions and take the necessary action to improve your product.
Real time feedback:
Userback allows you to collect actionable feedback directly from your users in real-time, so you can quickly identify pain points and areas for improvement. Our in-app widget allows your users to submit bug reports, feature requests and general feedback without leaving your environment. They can capture screengrabs, record videos, scribble notes, draw on the screen, add any annotations and then directly share their feedback with a single click — no more back-and-forth in emails or spreadsheets!
This gives you the user-centered feedback you need to continuously improve your product, identify potential roadblocks and make timely adjustments.
Learn more about Userback’s:
All the information you need to fix stuff fast
Every piece of feedback comes with the relevant user and session information so you know exactly what the operating environment that they are using. Your developers get instant access to all that background information they need to fix stuff fast.
When you run Session Replays the user doesn’t even have to tell you what was going on… you can see a video-like recording of the user session detailing every interaction leading up to a specific event or issue. This information saves developers significant time when investigating and replicating issues.
Learn more about Userback’s
Collaboration:
From on-screen annotation to assigning tasks, Userback features a range of collaboration tools that enable users, product managers and software teams to communicate better and ultimately work together to improve your product.
Integration:
Userback easily integrates with popular project management and collaboration tools, such as Trello, Slack, and Jira, making it easy to incorporate feedback into your existing product development process. Alternatively, Userback can be used standalone as an end-to-end user feedback management platform.
Feedback portal:
A unique feature of Userback is its Feedback Portal, which allows teams to collect and organize bug reports and feature requests while letting users vote and comment on what matters most to them. This helps you to determine which fixes and features to prioritize based on its impact on your product’s success, such as improving user experience, increasing revenue, or reducing churn. The feedback portal shows users that you are listening and taking their needs seriously, helping to build trust and loyalty.
10 Fixes for Bug Fixing
Whether you’re building something new or just need to keep an existing platform running smoothly, you need to be able to identify and rectify bugs fast. In this guide, we explore 10 reasons behind ineffective bug fixes and how to solve them, including:
- Where is it going wrong?
- Seeing their bugs with your own eyes (and ears)
- Take the guesswork out of what to do first
- Setting up your automated bug fix feedback loop
Conclusion
Launching a website entails a significant amount of planning to identify and resolve bugs. Understanding your audience, leveraging processes and best practices, prioritizing communication and investing in automation tools such as Userback, are all key tactics you should employ during a website launch.
With Userback’s intuitive interface and easy-to-use features, bug tracking can be an incredibly efficient part of your launch process. Adopting these strategies will have a positive impact on the outcome of the launch and save both time and money along the way.
By utilizing Userback for your bug tracking you can ensure effective collaboration among all stakeholders while helping to prevent delays or disruptions due to inefficient or siloed manual processes.
