What is user acceptance testing (UAT)? Template, best practices

User acceptance testing (UAT) is a crucial phase in the product development lifecycle, where end-users evaluate a product to ensure it aligns with business requirements and user expectations, helping to identify potential issues before launch. UAT can be conducted either externally with real users, providing direct feedback, or internally within a team, focusing on technical compliance and functionality. This testing phase involves several steps, including gathering business requirements, defining acceptance criteria, creating a testing plan, and reporting findings, all aimed at optimizing user satisfaction and product success. A well-executed UAT process addresses challenges like time management and stakeholder alignment, ensuring that the product is ready for deployment. Additionally, tools like LogRocket can enhance this process by identifying friction points and facilitating collaboration across teams to prioritize necessary changes.