Re: UKNM: toyzone, and other "glitches"

[Paul Canty]

the questions just generate more questions...


Ian wrote...

IT>1. why are there so few dedicated QA agencies around?


Actually there are a few QA testing houses out there, but they are

expensive and the results aren't always conclusive.  I worked briefly

with one company who weren't bad, but they did miss bugs and reported

useability issues which were considered pretty standard.


I guess the ideal would be to perform the service in house and more and

more agencies are doing this now (if in a rudimentary stylee).  I would

imagine it would be deadly dull work too, although there are

companies that only produce banner ads now ;-)

(...pause before banner uproar starts...)


Testing and QA are always the final stage in any web development

process, and inevitably get squeezed when deadlines loom.  Don't forget

too that things go wrong with stuff all the time.  Change something

here, something falls out there....( missing the "add to basket" button

is a good one though!).



IT>2. why the hell are these sites not checking their own functionality

daily

on even a few common platforms?????


Maybe they do a bit, but its shifting sands alot of the time, especially

when the site is being constantly jigged. Things will inevitably screw

up and work one day and not the next.  For smaller sites, the "up and out

fast and fix it on the fly" school of thought works for me and with the

pace of the web, fits perfectly with the mindset.  The big guys with VC

coming out of their ears and interruption ads on every hoarding have

their heads over the parapet and should be whooped every time something

goes awry.  The key is how to deal with it when things screw up...


IT>3. i reckon 99% of users, finding a bust purchase path, will simply leave

forever - don't these guys realise/care??


The fact that you didn't get response from the big guys just shows how

they "don't get it".  If they had someone with a bit of email savvy just

acknowledging your complaint, you'd probably feel better, like the

Wagamama thing (although wearing that tshirt in public will make people

will think you work there - seafood ramen please...).


All it takes is someone in the organisation to talk to you, tell you

they're working on it, admit they screwed up, ask you how it could work

better etc, and everyone's much happier.


Some do, but many don't.


IT>4. surely companies with *so little* attention to detail deserve no

sales,

and death (commercial, naturally)


With you on that one mate, although commercial death is too good for

them.  Hopefully public humiliation would act as a deterrent too.



Paul

(I'll just pop off and check our live stuff...)


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paulpreloaded [dot] com (mailto:paulpreloaded [dot] com)

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IT> toyzone's very amusing - i just visited the site (urghhhh layout), and

tried

IT> to buy, but when i tried to checkout, it lost everything in my basket,

so i

IT> couldn't buy anything. . . but perhaps this is deliberate breaking of

the

IT> purchase path whilst they sort their little pricing bugs out. . .


IT> also tried to buy a CD on audiostreet.co.uk today - absolutely no joy -

it

IT> was impossible to check out, and their customer services couldn't take

an

IT> order over the phone. . .although they were very apologetic (are your

IT> cookies on??? YES!!!!!!)


IT> a few weeks ago, argos overcharged me by �20, and are not only refusing

to

IT> back down, but even to contemplate answering the points raised in

various

IT> emails (in fact, took the unusual step of inferring that I was a liar,

IT> repeatedly - so i reported them to the IMRG, hehe! but not exactly in

IT> anticipation of any action ;-0 <ducks as steve rolls into action>). i'm

IT> looking forward to a full chargeback on my credit card. . .


IT> breathe had a bug last week, which stopped people logging into their

IT> webmail - to their credit, they did fix it within a day (after i emailed

IT> someone i know that works there), but they ignored the email i sent

through

IT> the site warning them. . .


IT> wagamama.co.uk had a completely broken purchase path a few weeks ago -

IT> again, they hadn't noticed, but fixed it very quickly when told (and

gave me

IT> a lovely t-shirt, hurrah!).


IT> 2 days ago, la redoute's site was lacking "add to basket" button (and

hence

IT> the ability to purchase). . .


IT> now a few questions -


IT> 1. why are there so few dedicated QA agencies around?

IT> 2. why the hell are these sites not checking their own functionality

daily

IT> on even a few common platforms?????

IT> 3. i reckon 99% of users, finding a bust purchase path, will simply

leave

IT> forever - don't these guys realise/care??

IT> 4. surely companies with *so little* attention to detail deserve no

sales,

IT> and death (commercial, naturally)


IT> Glad to get that off my chest - i was gutted when the only place i could

IT> find the excellent "Escape to Samsara" was audiostreet, and then

couldn't

IT> buy it. . .


IT> but seriously, there's a great market for a SWAT QA team out there - if

only

IT> to name and shame the guilty - Mike, have you thought of having a weekly

IT> "hall of shame" in NMA?


IT> laterz,



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