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Digital technological innovation has yielded improvements at both the hospital and private practice level. Physicians can now hold video conferences with each other and with patients over thousands of miles, and health information can now be instantaneously exchanged anywhere in the world.

Mobile devices, combined with the Internet allow doctors effortless access to everything from research papers and drug interaction information to patient's records. And what was once the laborious process of collating information from different sources, now takes place quickly within a digital landscape.

Many surgical devices are becoming automated and robot like to some degree. The next step will be remote surgeries, where the the attending surgeon can monitor the entire operation remotely by controlling machines that perform the actual operation. Since the precision with which machines can operate is considerably greater than the human hand, this means that even extensive procedures will be less invasive, leading to less danger for the patient and quicker recovery times.

Perhaps the most promising advance is in genomic medicine. This is a field that digital technology actually made possible. It not only made sequencing the human genome possible, it is also making it possible to treat every patient as a unique individual with his or her unique genetic profile, which can tell not only susceptibility to diseases like high blood pressure and asthma, but also other areas such as potential adverse reactions to medications.

The continued development of digital technology means that new policies will have to be implemented to provide security for patient information and to ensure that physicians are sufficiently trained in these new devices and techniques. Unlike many other sciences, medicine has an immediate effect on human life. This means that advancements must be integrated carefully and only after sufficient testing and training. There must be a new generation of physicians who can use these new tools with the same proficiency that their predecessors had wielding a scalpel.

User acceptance testing was conceived in 1951 with Juran's Quality Control Handbook when Joseph M. Juran defined quality as “fitness for use.” And it was born that same year when Armand Vallin Feigenbaum pointed out that quality was directly related to the customer’s evaluation. He stated that a quality product was defined as one that meets or exceeds the customer’s needs, from the customer’s perspective.

The Definitive Guide To User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is a detailed, template-rich resource for conducting end-to-end user acceptance testing. It is available for free here.

UAT stayed in the background for many years. The primary reason for this was the type of programming being done. Programs were written to accomplish specific and often specialized tasks that only specialists cared about. On top of that, the platforms in use were not designed to be user friendly. Then, in 1968, UAT popped up in a NATO working paper containing a software testing checklist that defined quality as that which not only performed the desired function, but was also the most useful to the customer.

Still, it took quite a while for the concept of user acceptance to get spread around. It wasn’t until the advent of sophisticated, and often multi-purpose, platforms that user acceptance testing began to reach the level of importance it occupies today. Modern platforms are no longer relegated to the realm of the specialist, they have become part of our daily lives. They take a multitude of forms, from the laptop in the briefcase to the coffee maker on the kitchen counter. They regulate and will soon drive our cars, not to mention hospitals couldn’t function without them.

There are also the vast number of applications being developed everyday. Programs are constantly being written for numerous purposes and it is people who define and redefine what those purposes are. Where once the user had to do what was acceptable to the machine, now the machine must do what is acceptable to the user.

There was a time when software function was all that mattered. Management was only concerned with one question, “Does the software do what we want it to do?” This idea came from the “old days” when data processing was an actual department and it took a computer that would fill an airplane hanger to do far less than what can now be done on a laptop. 

The increase in computing capacity has now spread digital technology throughout the average organization to a point where it has leaked beyond the walls and resides in the cloud. This means that computer literacy is pretty much a requirement for any reasonably complex job and it is where User Acceptance Testing comes in and why it is so important in improving modern business function. Unlike other forms of testing, UAT is directly related to user requirements. User Acceptance Testing enables applications to be tested in real world scenarios - the hands of the customer. This means that business function is no longer simply serviced by software, but that software itself has become a part of business function.

The need to integrate software at every level of business has made it necessary to ensure that those working with various applications understand and can use those applications on a daily basis. The days of shoveling data into a specialized department are long gone. And so businesses can suffer considerable losses caused by post release interface problems. UAT can prevent those problems by bringing defects to light in a timely manner that enables them to be fixed pre-release.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is to make certain that those who will be using the applications directly participate in the testing process. After all, it is the end user that UAT is intended to serve. 

When properly done, User Acceptance Testing can greatly reduce and even eliminate change requests altogether, as well as greatly reducing project cost by ensuring that applications can be fully integrated into the business environment prior to release.   

While it is traditional for UAT to occur at the end of the testing cycle, modern protocols have demonstrated that modular real world UAT can and should occur as the application is developed. The earlier a problem can be detected, the less it will cost to fix.

User Acceptance Testing is there to make sure that the new system can operate successfully in the real world and support day to day operations. UAT continues to increase in importance as software continues to spread across the business environment.

Mobile connectivity is rapidly becoming a worldwide revolution.  Countries which, only a decade ago, were completely or almost completely offline are now getting online in increasing numbers.  This means that as business increasingly goes global, it pays to stay on the cutting edge of digital technology.  The sheer worldwide nature of the Internet and mobile communication has made it possible for businesses to do business in areas they could never reach before.

New revenue streams are continuing to open as more and more areas of the world become digitally connected.  And so it becomes increasingly important to build brand loyalty in order to carve out a niche and defend it against the competition.  Businesses can now keep customers up to date on activities and events as well as maintain a high degree of quality feedback that enables companies to deliver what customers want.  Customers can also be kept engaged with promotions and surveys that provide two way communication that encourages brand loyalty.

The importance of mobile apps as communication and promotion tools means that businesses who want to build a mobile app should go beyond scripted testing.  While such testing is important for finding bugs and fixing issues, it is still vital to bring in real people who can perform ad hoc tests and can think as regular users think.  It also takes a little imagination to be able to predict what users might do that could cause problems or crash the program.  So, it isn't just a matter of developing a mobile app for the purpose of increasing sales.  A mobile app that isn't thoroughly tested can actually damage sales and the company's reputation.

It doesn't look like mobile apps will be going away anytime soon.  People are increasingly busy and such applications give them the ability to stay informed and make purchases while still maintaining a hectic schedule.  If anything, online purchasing is going to increase as energy costs and business overhead continue to grow.  There may come a time when the Internet is the major if not the only marketplace.

Venture capital has become a major source of financing for startups.  However, it is important to remember that startups are unlikely to attract investment from venture capital firms right at the start.  Initial funding is most likely to come from angel investors, these are high net worth individuals. They are called angel investors because they provide funding that is normally unsecured by assets.  This doesn't mean that venture capital firms never fund young companies, it just means that a company is more likely to attract more conventional venture capital after it has proven that it can survive in the marketplace.

Venture capital firms tend to distribute larger amounts of money and expect significant return on investment.   A founder may feel that his or her startup deserves investment and it probably does.  But, venture capitalists, angel or otherwise, will look at a number of variables before making the decision to invest.  Aside from ROI, they will look at scalability and the size of the market, as well as market saturation.  These and other factors will all come under consideration before investment is made.

While venture capital got its start in the United States, it has since gone worldwide.  In recent years, venture capital has been increasingly focused on the global market.  This has caused startups to think internationally.  Where once a company might spend many years in its native land before going global, startups are now reaching out into the world within a short period of time.  Also, there are a large number of government sponsored funds outside the United States, while the US has generally kept its venture capital funding in private hands.  This has also encouraged startups in the United States and other countries to reach globally.

Part of this parade of venture capital has been due to the continued development of countries that were once considered a part of the third world.  India and China are examples where venture capital has caused considerable technological and business development over a relatively short period of time.

But, venture capital itself is changing.  This is mostly due to the lower cost of starting a company.  Where once the average cost was a couple million dollars, it has now dropped to only a few thousand.  This has opened the door to micro-funding through angel and super angel investors.  It has also stimulated the development of crowdfunding platforms. However traditional venture capital firms are not far behind.  

If the sheer speed with which business develops in the modern world continues to increase, the need for venture capital will only grow.  Many investors in traditional financial institutions are now realizing that carefully deployed venture capital can provide greater return on investment than most other asset classes.  

As venture capital continues to spread around the world it will increasingly push national economies into greater international integration as capital flows across borders.  Already, startups in one country are being financed by venture capital from other countries.  And this will only expand as the need for financing continues to grow.  Business is going international in a big way and venture capital is one of its most vital driving forces.

Customer experience is the centre of everything - engaging a customer must be easy as they are always busy, according to Rebekah. She predicts an increase in apps that work across every platform, in response to the demand for interoperability between systems. Customers also want applications and services on demand, but only if the price is right.

Engaging the customer to create brand loyalty will be top priority.

"It’s definitely a buyer’s market”, stated Rebekah. “The problem is that the automation is terrible when it comes to making recommendations. Automation isn’t simple and there will probably always be a need for the human element, both in perfecting technology and in marketing, because customers are increasingly busy and getting their attention will become more difficult.” she continued.

Curation and recommendations are going to be crucial, which also means that machine learning will play a significant role in meeting customer needs. There is also a greater tendency for people to work on multiple platforms, which means the need for greater standardisation in the future. Rebekah highlighted that indeed “The challenge will be to get pricing and content balanced”. But, she believes that it’s a marathon and not a sprint. It will be the company that can build the long term infrastructure and strong customer service that will weather the changing environment and win.

Rebekah says that the best advice she has been given as a leader has been to listen, observe and look at the data, before making a decision. To be thoughtful, regardless of the noise and to realise that things always take 3 times longer than you anticipated.

Mashable, Techcrunch and Investors - Peter Thiel and Andreessen Horowitz have been both informative and helpful for Rebekah in her day-to-day decision making. This aligns with her view on key influencers and those who have had significant impact on her career, where she aligns herself with forward thinking people, those who continue to keep moving ahead.  Rebekah feels she is always learning and has been very fortunate to meet some great people during her career.

Above all else, Rebekah highlighted the need to stay focused on the customer and clearly articulated her love for software. Content, people and technology, the highly sought after (and oft debated) Golden Triangle.

The first brick in the foundation is that it's almost impossible to prove a negative. This means that while it is possible to find bugs, it is impossible to prove that bugs don't exist. You can't prove the absence of defects. In this case, the absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence.

Testing should begin as early as possible.  The earlier that testing begins in the software development lifecycle, the easier it is to focus on specific objectives.  Ideally, the software testing team should be included right from the start as part of the analysis and requirements phase.  This will enable them to have a better understanding of the product under development.  Also, the earlier that bugs are found the easier and less costly it will be to make corrections.

Experience shows  that 80% of defects are usually in 20% of the code, which helps speed up bug finding.  This means that a relatively small number of modules will contain most of the problems.  This is especially useful in pre-release testing because when we find a defect in an area or module we can be pretty certain that we know where to look for more.

Another important element is that change can affect previously written code.  Changes made to establish code can alter software operation in unforeseen ways, this is why regression testing is so important.  This problem can be reduced if requirements are established as thoroughly as possible in the development cycle.  It's important to remember that exhaustive testing simply isn't possible.  There are too many limitations in terms of time and money for it to be any other way.

Testing is directly related to function.  Different applications are tested differently and at differing intensities depending on what their functions are.  The software running a chain of radar stations looking for incoming missiles would be tested more frequently and in different ways than the software which supports an e-commerce site.  This may seem a pretty simple observation, but it becomes more subtle when dealing with small differences between the function of applications.  It is the reason why requirements should be as detailed as possible in order to make certain that all the right tests are actually performed.

These are some of the important bricks that  help make the foundation of software testing. But, perhaps the most important of all is that software must meet user requirements. The purpose of an application or system is the reason for its existence and, ultimately, all testing must enhance that purpose.

A cluttered and poorly organised website can drive away potential customers. This is especially true on websites that sell a large number of products. But, even a clumsy homepage without clear navigation can cause customers to go somewhere else. A site should be built with the user in mind. It should also be constructed with the understanding that some customers will not be as knowledgeable as others. Things like technical jargon and part numbers should not be required for the potential customer to find what he or she wants. Menus should be easy to grasp and search engines should not demand information that the customer might not have.

Websites must also be optimised for mobile interface. Images should be clear and undistorted and text should fit the screen, no matter the platform. A smartphone interactive site is a necessity.

Login credential failure can also discourage customers. While this can often be traced to over zealous protection against automated scripts and robots, it is sometimes an application flaw where the input software does not smoothly integrate with the verification software.

Even requiring the customer to create and memorize an overly complex password can be a problem. Not everyone writes their passwords down and while security is important, it must be balance by customer convenience.

eMail deliverability is more often predicated on the way the email is written than on inter-application connectivity. Avoiding flag-able words like “sex” and “free” and phrases like “as seen in” can keep emails out of the spam folder. And using red ink in the body of the text or all capital letters in the email subject line can actually cause some emails to be blocked.

It’s also important that critical functions on the website, such as locating products or inputting information, be as easy as possible. And, perhaps most important of all, the customer should never be forced to struggle with the checkout process. Complex checkouts that require customers to jump through hoops to make a purchase are perhaps the single biggest cause of shopping cart abandonment.  

While industries that have been around a long time have developed sophisticated methods of quality control, the same can’t be said for the digital industry. There are two primary reasons for this. The digital industry is only a few decades old and has only existed in its present widespread form for little more than twenty-five years. It has also been subject to rapid expansion over its short history. These two factors have combined to raise the demand for website interface faster than quality control can evolve. However, like industries in the past, the digital industry continues to improve and innovations like agile and user acceptance testing continue to point toward a bright future.

It’s not surprising that the digital advertising agency arose from the digital marketplace. The massive advance in the speed of communication and the new ability to spread information worldwide in minutes, caught the traditional ad agency off guard. 

What followed was an odd splitting of the advertising market. Digital agencies were mostly Internet specific and those who ran such agencies were often technologically savvy but had little concept of offline marketing, or even much knowledge of marketing at all. On the other hand, the traditional ad agency had more resources to draw on in the form of established client relationships and considerable marketing skill built up over years of experience, but was digitally illiterate. The two have now begun to meet halfway as digital agencies are beginning to add conventional offline actions to their portfolio, while offline agencies are beginning to develop “digital departments” and use IT as part of overall campaigns.

However, the biggest single problem with digital marketing is the sheer vastness of the territory. Social Media, SEO and CRM are just a few of the areas that agencies must be proficient in. And that proficiency requires being able to hire and hang on to the talent necessary to do these various jobs. The old model of trying to directly compete while headhunting talent isn’t workable in an environment where nobody, on or offline, can possibly cover every aspect of modern marketing. 

Digital technology has the tendency to open so many doors at once that no one can possibly walk through them all. Fortunately, there is an already existing model that agencies can use to get the most productivity out of digital technology. That model was developed not by the advertising, but by the entertainment industry. 

Look at the crawl of credits at the end of almost any Hollywood film and you'll see not only different people contributing to different parts of the film, but different groups as well. Special effects are not sourced to a single group, but are spread around to numerous groups, each doing what they are best at doing. It is their collective work that contributes to the completed project. 

This is becoming increasingly true with other aspects of filmmaking as well. It would be economically and organisationally impossible for a single studio or production company to have all the needed skills and resources at its disposal to make a modern movie, and it is equally impossible for a single agency to have all the skills and resources at its disposal to run a complete and effective campaign in a modern multimedia environment. 

Digital agencies may have evolved from the digital marketplace, but the future of marketing is more one of coordination than competition.

Having a website is no longer an optional extra, regardless of the type of business. However, just having a website isn’t good enough. It must inform, attract customers and generate conversions.

This is why every website must meet certain touch points during development. Some of these touch points include exploratory testing. A website should be tested with different browsers, different screen sizes and different mobile devices.

Your website should also be tested to make certain that it can cope with non-standard input and doesn’t get confused. Do you know what happens if the user walks away in the middle of a transaction and doesn’t come back for a long time? What happens to his or her information and how securely is it stored? What if conflicting information or negative numbers are entered? Testing for the unusual may require imagination and a quality testing team, but it’s worth it.

Another vital touch point is knowing when to test manually and what automated testing tool to use. Testing tools should fit the the modules you are testing as well as the people writing the testing scripts. Remember, manual and automated testing are not an either/or proposition. Automated testing becomes easier with each cycle through as more testing scripts are written. Eventually, automation will take up a great deal of the testing load.

And finally, do as much user testing as possible, you should bring in a new group of testers for this. They can test navigation, search functions and the checkout process, as well as other user elements. Generally, a website is as good as it leads to conversions, either online or off, the better the website, the more conversions. You can’t go wrong if you hold to that standard.