Don’t forget the emails: Testing post-signup user interactions
When we think about testing websites and apps, most of us focus on the core UI — buttons, forms, modals, API responses. But what about the part of the user journey that happens outside your product? I’m talking about emails — and not just marketing blasts, but the critical transactional messages users rely on: password resets, verification codes, welcome emails, and more. As a digital marketing manager, I’ve seen first-hand how overlooked this layer of communication can be — and how important it is to get it right. Here’s why email testing should be a non-negotiable part of your QA strategy — and how devs and marketers can collaborate to make it happen. Why post-signup emails matter more than you think Imagine this scenario: A user signs up. The UI shows “Check your inbox to confirm your email.” The user never receives anything. They try again. Still nothing. They give up. This isn’t a bug in your codebase. The frontend looks fine. But from a user’s point of view, your app is broken. Transactional emails are part of the user experience. When they fail — or show incorrect information, formatting issues, or broken links — users lose trust fast. Worse still, these emails often get the least attention in testing. Common pitfalls in email-based user flows Here are some all-too-common email issues that sneak into production:
When we think about testing websites and apps, most of us focus on the core UI — buttons, forms, modals, API responses. But what about the part of the user journey that happens outside your product?
I’m talking about emails — and not just marketing blasts, but the critical transactional messages users rely on: password resets, verification codes, welcome emails, and more. As a digital marketing manager, I’ve seen first-hand how overlooked this layer of communication can be — and how important it is to get it right.
Here’s why email testing should be a non-negotiable part of your QA strategy — and how devs and marketers can collaborate to make it happen.
Why post-signup emails matter more than you think
Imagine this scenario:
A user signs up.
The UI shows “Check your inbox to confirm your email.”
The user never receives anything.
They try again. Still nothing.
They give up.
This isn’t a bug in your codebase. The frontend looks fine. But from a user’s point of view, your app is broken.
Transactional emails are part of the user experience.
When they fail — or show incorrect information, formatting issues, or broken links — users lose trust fast. Worse still, these emails often get the least attention in testing.
Common pitfalls in email-based user flows
Here are some all-too-common email issues that sneak into production:
