Why This Matters

C Squared Social was shipping a high volume of responsive, conversion-driven websites across industries like healthcare, finance, and professional services. While designs were strong, the lack of a standardized QA system introduced risk:

• Broken forms and navigation slipping into production
• Inconsistent experiences across devices and browsers
• Accessibility and performance issues caught too late
• Designers and developers duplicating effort during final polish

These issues disproportionately affected users making high-intent decisions—submitting forms, requesting demos, or accessing critical information—where trust and clarity were essential.

Problem:

We needed a way to scale quality, not just output, without slowing delivery.

My Role & Ownership

I owned the end-to-end design and implementation of a standardized QA system, embedded directly into the product delivery lifecycle.

This included:

• Defining QA strategy and scope
• Designing repeatable testing phases
• Creating tooling, workflows, and documentation
• Aligning designers, developers, and PMs around shared quality standards
• Acting as final UX steward before launch

This was not “just testing”—it was design governance.

QA as a Product Problem

Instead of treating QA as a checklist at the end, I reframed it as a systems design challenge:

How might we ensure every shipped experience feels intentional, accessible, and trustworthy—regardless of device, browser, or client complexity?

To solve this, I aligned the QA process with the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) so quality checks occurred continuously, not reactively  .

The System I Designed

Structured QA Phases (Designed for Scale)

I designed a 6-phase QA framework that maps cleanly to product risk areas:

1. QA Planning – define scope, success criteria, and constraints
2. Functional Testing – core flows, navigation, forms, interactivity
3. Compatibility Testing – browsers, breakpoints, device behaviors
4. Visual & Content Testing – design system fidelity, hierarchy, states
5. Accessibility Testing – keyboard use, contrast, semantic structure
6. Performance Testing – post-launch load and stability checks

Each phase had explicit objectives, not vague “review” steps  .

Progressive, Device-Based Testing Strategy

Rather than testing everything everywhere at once, I introduced a phased rollout:

• Week 1: Desktop functional + visual pass
• Week 2: Mobile functional + visual pass
• Week 3: Tablet pass + regression
• Week 4: Final review and wrap-up

This sequencing reduced cognitive load, surfaced systemic issues earlier, and allowed developers to fix higher-impact issues first  .

Bug Tracking as a UX Tool

I implemented BugHerd as the central collaboration layer and wrote a full SOP for consistent usage.

Key design decisions:

• Severity levels mapped to user impact, not aesthetics
• Bugs tagged by breakpoint and issue type
• Visual annotations tied directly to live UI
• Clear lifecycle states: New → In Progress → Fixed → Retest → Closed

This dramatically reduced ambiguity and back-and-forth between design and development.

Systems Thinking in Practice

This QA system functioned as a lightweight design system for quality:

• Reusable across websites
• Adaptable to different business models (lead gen, ecommerce, SaaS)
• Consistent language for designers and developers
• Clear ownership and accountability

It enabled the team to move faster without sacrificing trust or usability.

Outcomes & Impact

While exact metrics varied by client, outcomes included:

• Fewer post-launch defects and emergency fixes
• Faster launch cycles due to reduced rework
• Improved accessibility compliance across projects
• Stronger collaboration between design and development
• More consistent, predictable user experiences across devices

Most importantly:

We shipped calmer, clearer, more trustworthy products—at scale.

Why This Matters for Web Design

This project reflects how I approach product design holistically:

• Designing systems, not just screens
• Protecting user trust in high-stakes contexts
• Balancing speed, quality, and team capacity
• Owning experiences all the way through launch

The same thinking applies directly to complex, emotionally loaded flows—like legal, health, or benefits platforms.

What I’d Improve Next

If iterating further, I would:

• Add quantitative QA metrics tied to conversion and completion
• Integrate automated accessibility testing earlier
• Build a shared “known risk patterns” library for faster triage