Smoke testing is a software testing process that rapidly verifies the most critical aspects of a program, identifying any “showstoppers”—issues so severe that they render a feature or function unusable.

Typically, smoke tests are structured in a spreadsheet format, where each major functionality is listed alongside step-by-step actions for testers to follow. Testers execute each step, marking it as a “pass” or “fail” depending on whether it works as expected. Comments may be added if further clarification is needed.

This structured approach allows teams to quickly assess the core functionality of a system. By breaking down complex testing into small, manageable steps, teams can divide and conquer efficiently, ensuring rapid issue detection and resolution.

In adapting smoke testing for usability research, I drew inspiration from user surveys to shift this traditionally binary testing method into something qualitative.

To introduce a more nuanced evaluation, I opted for a survey rating scale—something simple yet effective in capturing testers’ impressions. This led me to choose between ordinal Likert scales and non-Likert ordinal scales.

I ultimately selected a non-Likert ordinal scale with the values: Excellent, Good, Neutral, Not that good, and Terrible. This structure balanced ease of judgment with clarity, allowing testers to quickly assess interactions without overcomplicating the process.

Replacing the traditional pass/fail system with this scale not only highlights problem areas but also adds layers of priority and qualitative insight, making the results more actionable.

For example, if a homepage feature allows users to contact a business owner via a button in the navigation bar, the smoke test might look like this:

• Test Case: Contact a business owner
• Steps:
  • Press Contact Me button
  • Enter information in the appropriate fields
  • Press Send
• Expected Results:
  • Contact Me page opens
  • User can enter their information in the text boxes
  • Page closes / message successfully sends to the business owner

This structured setup ensures consistency and clarity when conducting the test, making it easier to identify usability pain points efficiently.

The qualitative smoke test is a fast, comprehensive, and structured approach to making sense of a large digital product with multiple potential pain points. It’s particularly effective in the generative and alignment stages of product research, helping teams clarify internal goals and determine how to proceed with further testing.

Key Strengths:

• Minimizes bias—testing everything ensures no major usability issue is overlooked.
• Reveals hidden issues—structured testing may uncover problems that wouldn’t surface otherwise.
• Granular insights—data on each step of major functionalities helps pinpoint pain points precisely.

However, this method isn’t perfect. Due to its rapid testing nature, there’s limited room for detailed tester feedback at each step unless an issue is critical. Because of this, the qualitative smoke test is not ideal for direct user testing, as actual users’ time is better spent providing rich insights through usability testing and interviews.