Jacksonville, FL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/26/2013 --QCat, nGen Works’ newest service for quality control & testing (QA/QC), identifies aesthetic and interaction based bugs and errors so site and app designers can squash them without distraction. The service conserves budget fallout through advanced black box testing across all major browsers, and alerts designers and developers to things like visual design inconsistencies, interaction issues, and browser bugs.

QCat conducts third-party audits that catch errors internal teams miss being too close to their projects. Teams will save time, money, and build credibility with clients while avoiding embarrassing backtracks on bugs that users expose after launch. It also means teams aren’t distracted by testing while other important creative projects go stale. The service tests aesthetic consistency in Photoshop comps, simple one page sites, intense mobile apps, as well as complex web apps.

“Really, we began QCat because we wanted to start a bigger conversation. QA isn’t actually about bug fixes and browser testing. It’s about letting designers and developers create a pleasant web experience for the people seeing and interacting with their work. The best way for companies to show that they care about the people using their products and services is to create an environment that makes the every day feel a bit simpler and more enjoyable. As designers and coders, this is often a step we miss because we get too close to our own work and can’t get the distance we need to see the big picture. I feel like QCat puts the people before the technology by making sure all the systems work the way they should. I get to make sure the systems work, and that makes people happy. That’s why I love doing it.” —Lori Averitt, Chief QCat Tester

QCAT KEEPS PROJECTS CURRENT AND BUG FREE

Each year, over a dozen browser updates are released, inadvertently forming pesky browser bugs and incompatibilities that need to be identified and fixed by developers. The highly skilled staff at QCat take the legwork out of bug hunting by staying on top of these browser issues, keeping sites fresh and free of errors and inconsistencies. QCat provides browser testing within all the latest versions of Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Google Chrome. Errors and bugs cost businesses billions of dollars a year. To eliminate the fallout caused by post launch errors, QCat recommends a sturdy testing schedule to catch them before clients or businesses get to use the final product. The monthly service option provides ongoing testing for browser bugs and keeps web apps and sites ready when new versions and releases roll out. Designers and developers can look forward to QCat cross-checking and serving up any bugs contained in their projects’ aesthetics, functionality, forms, and interactions.

QCAT TESTS...

The Looks:
- Visual & type elements
- Spacing, headings, hover states
- Logos, favicons, image rendering

The Functionality:
- Phone, tablet, desktop layouts
- Browser testing in Safari, Chrome, IE, Firefox
- Responsive content breaks

The Forms:
- Error messages
- Functionality of mandatory fields
- Form submissions

The Interactions:
- Page loads, buttons, live links
- Print styles, media, downloads
- Search & 404s

HOW IT WORKS

Testing is consistently one of the most valuable yet least utilized steps during the design process. Bugs or inconsistencies that get missed during design or development can haunt teams and users well after launch. QCat squelches the panic by using highly trained and specialized staff to comb through designs, hunt down those bugs quickly, and isolate them on a list ready for designers and developers.

Companies submit their request for testing via a simple sign-up form (http://qcatpro.com#request-form) and get an affordable estimate. Once timeline and budget are approved and a deposit is paid, expert QCat testers review the look and feel, functionality, and interactions of the site or app and provide a hearty list of bugs and tweaks that need squashing within a specified time frame. QCat offers quick turnarounds when requested, and feedback is formatted in an easy-to-knock-down checklist with images and screencasts where required. Once the remainder of the invoice is settled, the list is provided then the client can wipe out those pesky bugs. Future rounds of testing can be estimated at the client's request. Ultimately, QCat allows designers and developers to keep the momentum on their projects while releasing stress-free, bug-free, beautiful work.

MORE QCAT BENEFITS

- Saves teams money
- Costs a fraction of the budget
- Catch bugs designers & coders might miss
- Improves workflow by freeing up team resources
- Encourages more thoughtful problem-solving in future projects

QCat was created and released in Jacksonville, Florida in 2013 by nGen Works. Get in touch to find out more about QCat: qcat@ngenworks.com.

About nGen Works
nGen Works is a web consultancy in North America hellbent on making the digital world a nicer place to live.