Navigating the Roadblocks An exploratory testing journey on cars.ng

In today’s fast-paced digital world, user experience is paramount, especially on platforms where transactions and interactions occur daily. Recently, i undertook an exploratory testing exercise on cars.ng website. In this post, i share my testing experience—detailing the methodology, key findings, and actionable recommendations—to help enhance both functionality and user experience.

Introduction

Car’s.ng website in focus serves as a marketplace where sellers list vehicles and buyers explore listings and engage with sellers through various communication channels. As with any dynamic platform, ensuring seamless interactions—from registration to navigation—is crucial. My goal was to evaluate the site’s usability, integration with third-party services (like WhatsApp and Facebook), and overall navigation flow. By rigorously testing the platform, I uncovered several issues that could potentially hinder the user experience and affect conversion rates.

Methodology
My testing approach was methodical and comprehensive, encompassing the following key steps:
• Test Environment Setup:
• Browsers: I tested across Chrome, Firefox, to ensure cross-browser compatibility.

• Devices: Tests was conducted on both desktop and mobile devices running Windows, and Android.

• Network Conditions: Evaluations was performed under varying network conditions (Wi-Fi and mobile data) to simulate real-world usage.

• Functional Testing:

• I executed a series of test cases covering the entire user journey—from registration and sign-in to navigation within the dashboard and messaging features.

• Special attention was paid to third-party integrations (e.g., WhatsApp and Facebook registration), input validation (email and phone number formats), and UI element responsiveness.

• Exploratory Testing:
• my exploratory testing involved deliberately inputting invalid credentials, manipulating browser dimensions, and toggling between different pages to expose potential UI overlap and routing errors.

• Documentation:

• Each issue was meticulously documented using a standardized bug report format. These reports included description, steps to reproduce, expected versus actual outcomes, environment details, and attachments like screenshots.

Findings
My testing uncovered several critical issues that could negatively impact user experience and operational efficiency. Key findings include:

1. Registration and Input Validation Issues

2. Invalid Credentials Accepted:

I was able to register with improperly formatted email addresses and incorrect phone number lengths (e.g., a 12-digit phone number instead of Nigeria’s 11-digit format). This lack of validation could lead to downstream issues, such as communication failures or data inconsistencies.

1. Lack of Confirmation for Gmail Registrations:

When signing up with a Gmail address, the confirmation email was not dispatched, potentially leaving me in limbo without the ability to verify their accounts.

1. Navigation and Redirection Errors

• Post Sign-In Redirection:

Instead of landing on the user dashboard, signed-in I was redirected to the “Post Car for Sale” page, restricting my access to other dashboard functionalities and leading to my confusion.

• Post Sign-Up Workflow:
upon completing the registration process, I was automatically taken to the car posting page rather than the dashboard, further complicating the myjourney.

1. UI and Interaction Glitches

• Non-Clickable Profile Icon:
The profile icon, a key navigational element for accessing user settings and account information, was unresponsive to clicks, thereby inhibiting my interaction with their profile.

• Overlapping Pages:

The messaging chat interface overlapped with elements from the “Post Car for Sale” page, creating a cluttered user interface that hampered effective communication.

1. Third-Party Integration Failures

• WhatsApp Link Malfunction:

The “Contact via WhatsApp” button did not trigger the expected redirection to WhatsApp’s interface, leaving me unable to contact the sellers through this popular messaging channel.

• Facebook Registration Inoperability:

Clicking the “Register with Facebook” option did not initiate the Facebook OAuth flow, blocking an alternative registration method that many users rely on for convenience.
Recommendations

Based on my findings, I propose the following recommendations to address the identified issues and improve the overall user experience:

• Enhance Input Validation:

• Email and Phone Number Verification: Implement robust client-side and server-side validations to ensure that email addresses follow proper formatting and that phone numbers meet the regional digit requirements.

• User Feedback: Provide immediate, clear error messages when users input invalid data to guide corrections during the registration process.

• Revise Navigation and Redirection Flows:

• Post Sign-In Workflow: Adjust the redirection logic to ensure that users are taken to their dashboard rather than the car posting page after signing in.

• Welcome/Confirmation Page: For new registrations, introduce a welcome or confirmation page that explains next steps and offers navigation options, rather than forcing an immediate transition to posting a car for sale.

• Improve UI Responsiveness and Layout:

• Clickable Elements: Ensure that all interactive elements, such as the profile icon, have proper event bindings and visual feedback to confirm their functionality.

• Address Overlapping Issues: guarantee that pages and modal windows do not overlap and that only the active page’s content is displayed.
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• Refine Third-Party Integrations:

• WhatsApp Integration: Confirm that the WhatsApp button is correctly linked and that the associated JavaScript events trigger the proper redirection.

• Facebook OAuth Flow: Re-examine the integration with the Facebook SDK to ensure the registration flow initiates as intended.

• Thorough Cross-Browser and Cross-Device Testing:

• Ongoing Testing: Implement continuous testing across multiple browsers and devices to detect and resolve issues early in the development cycle.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Engage with real users to collect feedback on the revised flows and ensure that the changes meet user expectations.

Conclusion

My comprehensive testing journey on cars.ng platform highlighted several critical issues that could significantly affect user satisfaction and engagement. By addressing these challenges—ranging from input validation and navigation errors to UI responsiveness and third-party integration glitches—the platform can vastly improve its usability and reliability.

Robust testing is not just about identifying bugs; it’s about ensuring a seamless and intuitive user experience that drives success. Implementing the recommended fixes and continuously monitoring the platform through further testing will pave the way for a smoother, more efficient user journey, ultimately contributing to the platform’s overall success.

Below is the documented sheet of my experience.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DG_p6aDhd7xTl4Q-ZdcEuvJraoTu2q3RM-lziLN1EG0/edit?usp=drivesdk