Brief Overview

Testing WalkMe items before publishing helps make sure your content works as intended and gives users a smooth, reliable experience. WalkMe provides resources to support testing, including the Flow Tracker and a QA Template.

Before publishing to your production environment, run a quality assurance (QA) test to confirm everything works correctly. We recommend having someone other than the content builder perform the QA test.

The tester should approach the experience as a new user who is unfamiliar with the application. They should replicate common user behavior and verify that WalkMe guides users through tasks clearly and efficiently. Testers are also encouraged to suggest improvements, not just flag issues.

How It Works

The best way to test Smart Walk-Thrus is in a neutral environment, without the WalkMe Editor open — use a test snippet or the extension. This simulates an authentic user experience.

Use the Flow Tracker to see real-time information about Smart Walk-Thrus and Goals as you preview them. The Flow Tracker shows step number, step status, and any rules applied to each step. In a separate tab, it also shows whether Goals are met and flags any settings configured incorrectly on the back end.

QA testing typically happens in two rounds: the Full Round and the Sanity Check.

Order of Operations

Enable the Flow Tracker

1. From the WalkMe Editor, open the Settings and go to the General tab
2. Turn on Flow Tracker for both Preview and Play Mode
3. Turn on Flow Tracker for the published environment as well if you want to open it there — users won't see it
4. Select Save and close the Settings window
5. Select Preview to view your implementation from the editor — The Flow Tracker appears in its minimized view

To open the Flow Tracker in the published environment, go to your production or testing environment, open the WalkMe Menu, and type walkmetracker in the search bar. The Flow Tracker appears immediately. This only works if you turned on Flow Tracker for the published environment before publishing your items.

Flow Tracker

Full Round QA

Run a Full Round QA. Test from all pages within the process. The QA Template covers everything to test, including:

• Layout Issues: Make sure Smart Walk-Thrus, Launchers, and all WalkMe elements appear clearly and intuitively on the page. Confirm text is correct, key elements are visible, balloons don't cover important parts of the application, and colors and design match the application environment.
• Alerts: Alerts appear on a separate tab in the Flow Tracker. One alert noting that the extension is active on the page is expected and can be ignored. Take a screenshot of any other alerts by selecting the icon to display them.
  
• Smart Walk-Thru Goals: Check Goals during the initial Sanity Check. Confirm Goals are reached in the Flow Tracker and that the timing makes sense. Each Smart Walk-Thru should include Goals.
• Onboarding Goals: Set these at the end of the process to make sure a task isn't crossed off the list before the user has finished.
• Launchers: Confirm all Launchers look correct and work as expected. Return to these pages after the Sanity Check to verify they still work. Confirm each Launcher plays the correct Smart Walk-Thru and is positioned and segmented correctly.

Final Check (Sanity Check)

Go to the testing environment and follow the Smart Walk-Thru exactly as instructed in the balloons. Run the Smart Walk-Thru from start to finish once or twice on different browsers. Run the Sanity Check on a smaller screen to confirm everything still appears correctly, and test on the lowest supported browser versions.

Using the QA Template

Use the QA Template to track issues during the full test so the builder can return to address them afterward.

If a Smart Walk-Thru works correctly, log it and mark it green. If there is an issue, log it and mark it red.

QA Questions

The sections below summarize what to check and what to ask when testing each feature.

Smart Walk-Thrus

Best practices

• Refer to the Smart Walk-Thru Best Practices article before testing.

Normal flow A to Z

• Does the Smart Walk-Thru play correctly without breaking? Do all trigger options work correctly?

Layout issues

• Is the balloon layout appropriate for different screen sizes? Balloons may look fine on a large monitor but shift on smaller screens. Are all clickable elements clearly defined? Do balloons block important information?

Consistency, language, and spelling

• Are instructions clear and concise? Is terminology consistent? Does capitalization match the buttons on the page?

Challenge testing

• What happens if there is user error — for example, leaving mandatory fields blank, typing an incorrect email or password, or selecting the wrong button? What happens if the user encounters an application error? Does the Smart Walk-Thru start from the correct step if the user is already mid-process? Are multiple triggers handled correctly, for example, two Save buttons that perform the same action?

Goal completion

Are Goals and Milestones met as expected?

Safe Start

• Does the Smart Walk-Thru redirect to a starting page or show an error if it can't start?

Launchers and SmartTips

Position

• Do Launchers appear correctly at different screen sizes?

Visibility

• Does the Launcher stay in place when the page is scrolled?

Associated actions

• Are all items triggered by the Launcher also published?

Resources and Shuttles

Functionality

• Did the Resource play or open as expected?

Goals

• Are Goals reached?

Keywords

• Does the Resource appear in search results?

Security

• If opening a Resource in a lightbox, check for security protocol conflicts. HTTP Resources can't open in a lightbox on an HTTPS domain. Confirm videos are in YouTube or Vimeo format and don't require a password to view.

Onboarding

Name and description

• Are there typos or spelling errors?

Related items

• Are all related items published, or marked to be published?

Task completion

• Do tasks get crossed off when completed? If tasks are already crossed off, select Ctrl+Shift+Delete to clear cookies and cache, then type _makeTutorial.tempClearUserCompletedTasks() in the web console.

Activation rules

Does the task become active at the right time?

Task arrangement

• Are tasks in logical order in the menu? Is WalkMe tracking unique users?

Surveys

Language and spelling

• Do questions make sense? Are there spelling errors?

Segmentation

• Does the survey appear only in the correct place and at the correct time?

ShoutOuts

Language and spelling

• Is the announcement clear and concise?

Action button

• Does the action button trigger the correct WalkMe item?

Auto play

• Does the ShoutOut auto play when expected? Do other items auto play at the same time?

Goals

• Are Goals reached? Use the Flow Tracker to check Goals.

WalkMe Menu

Position

• Is the WalkMe Menu positioned correctly? Is it working as expected?

Search

• What search providers are set up in the account? Does the Smart Walk-Thru search work?

Help desk

• Where does it point? Is it working correctly?

General

Custom CSS

• Is the design consistent across all WalkMe items and aligned with the application design?

Segmentation

• How many segments are there? Are rules set for segments valid in both sandbox and production environments?

Auto play

• Which Smart Walk-Thrus are set to play automatically? Are the rules for these valid in both sandbox and production environments?

Publish

• Is all content published?