UAT: Where Requirements Go to Die

The "Contract vs Reality" Gap

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is the moment of truth.

• Developers: "It matches the Design Tool and the Issue Tracker."
• User: "I hate it."

Why UAT Fails

1. The "Happy Path" Bias: PMs design for the perfect user. Real users are messy, distracted, and use Excel for everything.
2. Latency: Devs test on localhost (0ms). Users are on 4G (100ms). The app feels "sluggish."
3. Data Density: Devs test with 5 items. Users have 50,000 items. The scrollbar breaks.

The Fix: Continuous UAT

Don't save UAT for "Week 12". Put the user in the build loop.

• Feature Flags.
• Beta Groups.
• "Can you try this screen for 5 minutes?" Validation is not a phase; it's a habit.