Running your first test – QA Proof Help Center Skip to main content

Running your first test

4 min read Last updated: March 2026

This walkthrough assumes the WP plugin is already installed and connected — if not, start with Installing the WordPress plugin.

1. Pick a test type

Open QAProof → Tests in your WP admin. You'll see five tabs at the top:

  • Design Fidelity — compares your live page against a Figma design or uploaded image. Use it after a developer ships a new page to check it matches the approved design.
  • Responsive — captures the page at desktop / tablet / mobile and flags layout problems specific to each. Use it after CSS changes to catch mobile breakage.
  • Visual Regression — compares the page against a previously approved baseline. Use it (manually or via a scheduled monitor) to catch unintended visual changes.
  • Accessibility — WCAG 2.1 audit (configurable Level A / AA / AAA). Use it before shipping or for compliance reports.
  • Design Audit — measures design-system consistency across the page (colors, fonts, spacing, components) and outputs a Design Debt Score.

If you're testing for the first time, pick Accessibility — it doesn't need a baseline or a Figma design and gives you actionable results immediately.

2. Fill in the form

Each test type has a slightly different form. Common fields:

  • Page URL — the live page to test. Must be publicly reachable from our servers (no localhost / staging behind VPN).
  • WCAG Level (Accessibility only) — A, AA, or AAA. Default AA is what most contracts and audits target.
  • Figma URL or Image upload (Design Fidelity only) — the source design to compare against.

Click Run Test. A progress indicator appears with stages: Loading → Taking screenshot → Analyzing. Total runtime: 30–90 seconds depending on page size and test type.

3. Read the result

When the test finishes, the result page shows:

  • Overall score 0–100 with a color label (Good / Needs Work / Poor).
  • Category breakdown — each test type scores 5–8 categories independently. Look here first to find the area that drags the overall score down.
  • Issues found — every problem detected, tagged with severity (high / medium / low) and a precise description.
  • Recommendations — concrete fixes you can hand to a developer.
  • Screenshots — for Visual Regression you get baseline + current side by side; other test types show the captured page.

4. Save or share

The result is auto-saved in Test History. From there you can:

  • Re-open any past result with full screenshots and issue list.
  • Download as PDF — branded report you can email to a client or attach to a Jira ticket.
  • Delete old results, or rely on auto-purge (retention depends on your plan: 7 / 90 / 365 days).

What happens to my AI generation count?

Every successful test consumes one AI generation. Failed tests don't count — we only charge for results that actually returned. On paid plans (Pro / Business / Scale) the counter resets at the start of each billing period; on Free it never resets (Free is a one-time lifetime trial of 10 generations). Track usage at qaproof.io/app/api-keys or in QAProof → Settings inside WP.

Common first-run issues

"Capture appears unstable" with score 100

The screenshot pipeline detected its own output is unreliable (e.g. a JS carousel rendered differently between captures). The system intentionally returns score 100 instead of a fake regression. Re-run the test — it usually succeeds on retry.

"Baseline capture is unstable — 7 image(s) failed to load"

Your site or its CDN rate-limited our scraper. Wait 1–2 minutes and try again. We refuse to save a broken baseline because every future regression run would compare against the holes.

"You have reached your free trial limit"

Free-plan users see this at 10 generations (the lifetime trial is exhausted — Free does not reset). Upgrade at Settings → Billing to keep running tests.

Next steps