# Business development

Verification vs Validation – Differences & Usage In Software Testing

Red Rocket teamJun 19, 20256 min read

The software market continues to grow and develop rapidly. According to Statista, the revenue of this industry will reach 800 billion dollars in the next few years. Companies increasingly need quality products to provide the best user experience to their customers and fulfill their own needs. This is why every software created must undergo validation and verification testing.

Some people mistakenly think that these two concepts are the same. Both of them are aimed at making your product better. However, there is still a big difference between verification and validation. In this article, we would like to make a detailed comparison between verification vs validation. This will improve your development process and guarantee a better end result!

What Is Verification Testing?

The process of verification testing means reviewing all the software artifacts of the created software. The main goal of this process is to make sure that the finished product fully meets the requirements and specifications that were prepared at the very beginning of the journey. This is what it can cover in the entire software development process:

UI/UX design;
The code part of the product;
Integrations;
API.

Simply speaking, you are seeing if your software conforms to the roadmap and specification. So software verification is more about technical aspects and compliance with standards.

Advantages of Verification Testing

As you already know, verification testing ensures that the software meets all specified requirements before development proceeds further. This early-stage process helps catch issues during the design or planning phases. Here are the main benefits:

Reducing the cost of fixing defects;
Ensuring completeness and consistency of requirements;
Improving design quality and documentation clarity;
Supporting early risk mitigation.

By identifying problems early, verification minimizes downstream errors, saving both time and resources in later stages of the software lifecycle.

Product Verification Process

You should start the verification process by carefully examining the requirements, designs, and code to make sure they follow the specifications. Usually, people use inspections, walkthroughs, and static analysis during this phase.

If the documents and artefacts are accepted, the development team carries out unit testing and integration testing, but does not execute the software yet. By doing this, it is proven that all the elements are made to match the set guidelines and are built properly.

What Is Validation Testing?

The process of validation in software testing is about how the created product works. The main purpose of validation is to make sure that the software works in the best way and fulfills all the needs of the company's target audience. Moreover, this validation also determines whether the product meets the needs and requirements of the customer.

Do you want to see a real-life example? Just imagine that you are creating software for an automated order-taking system in restaurants. Validation will allow you to see how easy it is for customers to place orders and how the software manages to collect, process, and transmit them.

Advantages of Validation Testing

Validation testing confirms that the final software product performs according to user expectations and customer needs. It ensures the right product is being built for the end user. What about other advantages?

Confirming usability and functionality;
Detecting missing requirements or misalignments;
Validating real-world performance;
Enhancing user satisfaction.

By testing the end product this way, you can deliver software both functions properly and also meets actual business and user goals.

Product Validation Process

After development is complete, validation is usually the first step. System testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), and performance testing are some of the dynamic testing methods used. Software is tested in actual or fake environments to see if it follows the expected behavior.

It is very important to collect feedback from everyone involved in the process. Their active involvement in the product ensures that the software meets business objectives and supports how users perform their work, facilitating a successful release.

Difference Between Verification and Validation in Software Testing

Despite the similarities between the two methods of software testing described above, they are very different. We would like to tell you about the key differences between validation and verification in the context of software testing. This way, you will be able to understand how they differ and how they are applied in practice.

Essential Variations

Both verification and validation are used, but for different purposes, in software testing. Verification is used to compare the product to its design to decide if it is constructed properly. It uses reviews of documents, code, and design plans before starting the software production.

In addition, validation is a process that makes sure the proper product is produced. It requires the software to be run in actual or virtual settings to verify that it meets both user requirements and the business goals. Verification concerns whether the software is built correctly, but validation examines whether the time and resources allocated to it are justified.

Common Methods and Tools Used

Static analysis techniques, such as inspections, code walking, and reviews, are used for verification. Issues can be detected before you execute the code with tools like SonarQube, Checkstyle, and static code analyzers. They are designed to keep defects from arising as early on in development as possible.

Validation utilizes testing tools and approaches, including functional testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT). Many testers use Selenium, JUnit, Postman, and TestRail tools. These techniques support the software functioning as anticipated in different situations and satisfy its users.

End Goals of Each Process

The main goal of verification is to ensure the software is developed in accordance with specified requirements and design standards. It aims to prevent defects before the software is even run, ultimately reducing costly rework later in the cycle.

Validation focuses on evaluating the actual software product to confirm it fulfils its intended use. Its goal is to ensure the final deliverable meets business objectives and user expectations. Together, both processes aim to improve overall product quality but target different stages and concerns of the development process.

Review Cycles

Verification typically occurs during the early stages of development. It includes multiple cycles of document and code reviews, often before a single line of code is executed. These cycles are frequent and iterative to catch errors as early as possible.

Validation review cycles happen later, after the software is fully or partially developed. These cycles involve testing the actual application through various test cases and scenarios. Each cycle provides critical feedback from testers or users, helping refine the product before final release.

Final Thoughts

Verification testing and validation have many similarities, so many people confuse these two important concepts. They help to make sure that the product created is worth the investment. However, they work in different ways. Verification lets you know how well the digital product you've created meets the specifications and terms of reference. In turn, the validation process helps you determine if the software meets all the needs and wants of the stakeholders. What is the best solution? You should not focus on only one type of beta testing. You should take a comprehensive approach that includes both verification and validation. At Red Rocket, we create reliable digital solutions through a professional approach and thorough quality assurance.

Frequently asked questions

How does validation improve the user experience?

Validation testing ensures that users will be satisfied with the final product. This way, you can be sure that the target audience reacts positively to changes in the user experience design of your product.

Which types of software testing are commonly used?

Responsible development teams thoroughly test the products they build. They usually use 8 types of testing, including load, functional, accessibility, security, unit, end-to-end, performance, and regression audits. This ensures that the software works perfectly in all important aspects.

What is the main goal of verification in software testing?

Verification testing is performed to determine that all phases of the development process are completed as required. This may include separate verification of the software code or its interface. Thanks to various verification methods, customers can be sure that the product is developed in accordance with the standards and conforms to the previously created specification.