Most software doesn’t fail because it’s technically wrong. It fails because it behaves slightly differently from how people expect—usually at exactly the moment they’re busy, distracted, or under pressure.
This table exists to catch those moments before they become business problems.
Use the custom application exactly as you would on a normal day. Don’t try to be clever. Don’t try to be thorough. Just try to get your work done.
When something works, note it.
When something feels confusing, note that too.
And when something breaks, definitely note it.
Each row represents one real task you attempted. Short, plain language is not only acceptable—it’s preferred. Precision is less important than honesty.
Think of this less as “testing software” and more as observing reality.
Your feedback here reduces risk, prevents surprises, and saves everyone time later—especially you.
A short instruction block explains how to use the form:
The core of the document is a table designed to standardize feedback, with these columns:
An example entry (“Create request”) demonstrates:
The remaining rows are intentionally empty, providing space for:
Most organizations overestimate how well they understand user behavior. Sutherland argues that small, seemingly trivial changes can have outsized effects, and the only reliable way to discover them is to test rather than theorize.
I'm critical of testing that focuses only on obvious, rational metrics (speed, cost, efficiency) while ignoring psychological factors like reassurance, trust, perceived effort, or status.
Good testing should ask:
I favor cheap, fast, low‑risk experiments over heavyweight, “scientific” tests that take months and must justify themselves politically.
The goal isn’t certainty—it’s learning velocity.
If a test result feels obvious in hindsight, that doesn’t mean the test was pointless. Sutherland often points out that the value of testing is in discovering things no one would have confidently predicted.
If your tests always confirm expectations, you’re probably: Testing too cautiously, or testing the wrong things