What does acceptance testing evaluate in a new application?

Acceptance testing is a critical phase in the software development life cycle that primarily focuses on determining whether the software meets user requirements and expectations. This type of testing typically involves actual users testing the application in a real-world scenario to ensure it aligns with their needs and objectives.

The reason user goals and satisfaction are evaluated during acceptance testing is that the ultimate measure of a software application's success lies in its ability to fulfill the needs and expectations of its intended users. By engaging users in the testing process, developers can gather valuable feedback, identify any discrepancies between the application’s functionality and user expectations, and make necessary adjustments before the software goes live.

This phase is essential for ensuring that the application is not just technically sound but also user-friendly and effective from the perspective of its end-users. It directly impacts user adoption and overall satisfaction once the application is deployed.

In contrast, evaluating financial implications, technical specifications compliance, and marketability focuses on different aspects of the software and are not the primary concerns of acceptance testing. Financial implications deal with cost and budget considerations, technical specifications compliance is more relevant to earlier phases like system or integration testing, and marketability looks at how well the software can be sold or marketed, which are not the focal points of acceptance tests.