An effective bug report is crucial to improving your product’s user experience. A clear and detailed bug report helps the QA teams and developers understand the issue, reproduce it, and ultimately fix it.
What is a bug report?
A bug report is a document that contains details about a software defect. It helps developers fix the bug by providing essential information, such as when and how the bug occurs. The defect should be recorded in a bug tracking system, like GitHub, to monitor its status and impact. Bug reports help product stakeholders prioritize fixing the bug by informing them of its severity and are a key component of the software development process.
The importance of writing a good bug report
A good bug report can be the difference between a defect being fixed or not. It communicates the user experience and helps the entire team understand the issue. A good bug report speeds up the fixing process and ensures the bug doesn’t negatively affect the final product. It’s a crucial part of the software development life cycle.
Critical elements of an effective bug report
1. Title and bug ID
A bug report begins with a title and a unique bug ID. The report’s writer usually creates the title, while your bug tracking system typically automatically generates the bug ID. The title of an effective bug report should be a clear, concise summary of the defect. In some cases, it includes the type of bug.
2. Application version and operating system
A good bug report must include the application version and operating system used when the bug occurred. It is also valuable information to know whether the bug occurs on different versions, device types, or operating systems! When you take a screenshot with Snagit, the application version and operating system are automatically recorded and can be displayed on the image using the Capture Info effect.
3. Steps to reproduce the bug
The most effective bug reports include steps to reproduce the bug. These steps should be easy for developers to follow and replicate. Snagit can take images or video captures of the steps to reproduce. Add arrows, callouts, and blurs to your screenshots to help developers focus on the critical elements required to reproduce the bug.
4. Actual vs. expected result
Most bug reports describe the actual result of the bug, but don’t forget to include the expected result. The actual result can be defined as “what happens when the bug occurs,” while the expected result is “what should have happened without the bug.” It may be challenging to fix the bug if the developers don’t know the expected result.
5. Screenshots and videos
Screenshots and screen recordings can significantly enhance a bug report by showing exactly where a bug occurs and providing visual evidence.
Important screen capture tool features include the following:
Screenshots, including scrolling capture
It’s preferred to grab the entire long webpage, if applicable. This ensures that all needed information is captured.
Snagit supports up- and down-scrolling as well as left- and right-scrolling capture, unlike most capture tools.
Image editing tools
Leverage annotation tools such as arrows and callouts to refine screenshots and focus on relevant details.
Snagit offers efficient screenshot editing capabilities, including Magnify and Spotlight. It also provides blur and redact capabilities to hide personally identifiable information.
Screen recording
Video recordings illustrate the flow of events leading up to an issue.
Unlike many alternatives, Snagit captures mouse movement and system audio for the richest bug event captures possible.
For added clarity, include narration and a live drawing while recording.
Snagit provides microphone capture and a variety of Screen Draw markups, including automatic step annotation. Optional webcam integration is also provided for a more personal touch.
Text grab and metadata capture.
The most efficient products, like Snagit, will reduce the time needed to enter bug-tracking information by making it easy to text-grab (OCR) information from the screen.
Library and file management
Snagit enables you to organize your screenshots and recordings with automatic metadata and custom tags.
Every capture provides copy-and-paste metadata like URL and timestamp to save time completing bug reports.
Snagit is the top-ranked screen and video capture software available and is used by all Fortune 500 companies.
Stop repeat questions
Create clear videos and guides with Snagit so you only have to explain tasks once.
Try it Free
6. Error messages and logs
Ensure your bug report includes any error messages or log files generated by the bug. Error messages can quickly be captured with a screenshot, while log files can be attached to your bug report. This provides developers with crucial technical information for debugging.
What makes this bug report effective?
This is an effective bug report because it includes a descriptive title, precise steps to reproduce the bug, an annotated screenshot, and system information. This report provides ample information to ensure developers clearly understand the issue and can fix the problem efficiently.
Notice how the screenshot was annotated with a shape highlighting the problem link and a callout pointing to the link with further details in its text box. Unrelated links on either side are blurred out so the developer can quickly find the bug while keeping the context of where the bug is located.
Common mistakes to avoid when writing a bug report
1. Vague descriptions
An effective bug report should be as specific as possible to prevent confusion. Avoid vague descriptions such as, “The button doesn’t work.” A better description would be, “The red button displays an ‘Error 404’ message after clicking it.” This clarity ensures the entire team has a strong understanding of the issue.
2. Missing steps to reproduce
The developers may need steps to reproduce the bug to understand or fix the issue. Clear and precise steps will save the developers time and frustration. Consider taking a video recording of yourself walking through the steps to reproduce.
3. Forgetting visual evidence
A common mistake in bug reports is not including any screenshots or videos. There is nothing more effective than the visual proof of screenshots in speeding up the understanding and fixing of the bug.
Snagit can be used to quickly and easily capture screenshots and screen recordings. The Snagit Editor can annotate your screenshots, clearly highlighting the relevant information. Any sensitive information from the final screenshot can be blurred or redacted. Screen recordings are another versatile form of evidence.
Bug reporting tools and tracking systems
Why use a bug tracking system?
A bug-tracking system helps the development team organize, track, and prioritize bugs across different teams and stages of development. It assigns unique tracking information, such as a title bug ID. It helps QA teams understand how frequently users encounter a bug and helps product stakeholders see when work to fix a bug is complete. These systems can provide insights segmented by type of bug and bug priority.
Who uses bug tracking tools?
Software development teams use these tools to identify and fix bugs during the development lifecycle:
- Quality Assurance (QA) teams formally track defects found during the test phase.
- Project Managers leverage these systems to monitor risks of timely delivery.
- Customer Support logs issues reported by end-users to ensure they are addressed.
Key features of bug tracking tools
- Bug capture – Ability to log new detailed bug reports
- Bug reporting – Ability to find bugs based on severity levels or other metadata
- Custom workflows – Support for team-specific rules that fit with their internal processes like status progression and governance
- Bug prioritization – The ability to prioritize, pull, and defer bugs
- Bug assignment – The ability to assign a bug to a team member
- Integration capabilities – Seamless integration with other development tools, typically version control systems or project management tools
- Automated notifications – Support notifying team members about status changes through push alerts
- Dashboards – Visual insights into bug trends and overall team performance
Comparison of bug tracking systems
Popular bug tracking tools include Jira, Bugzilla, Trello, and GitHub. These tools enable the creation of bug reports and collaboration between team members. Other common tools include Redmine, MantisBT, Zoho Bug Tracker, and Asana.
Most of these systems offer limited or no support for screenshot and screen recording capture. Customers typically use an additional product like Snagit for robust screen capture.
- However, there are third-party tools available for some of these platforms, such as Capture for Jira by Zephyr, BetterBugs for Trello, and a third-party Chrome extension called Trello Capture.
| Feature/Tool | Jira | Bugzilla | Trello | GitHub |
| Custom Workflows | Yes | Limited | No | Yes |
| Agile Support | Strong | None | Limited | Yes |
| Integration Options | Extensive | Moderate | Moderate | Extensive |
| User Interface | Complex | Basic | Simple | Developer-friendly |
| Cost | Paid (with a free tier) | Free | Free (with paid options) | Free (with paid options) |
Best practices for creating bug reports
1. Provide detailed reproduction steps
Clear, step-by-step instructions for reproducing the bug are crucial for an effective bug report. This helps ensure everyone on the team has a clear understanding of the issue. Developers will follow the steps to reproduce the bug and then investigate potential solutions. Multiple people, including QA or different development teams, need the information to reproduce the problem.
2. Always include screenshots and visuals
Every bug report should include screenshots, screen recordings, or video clips. Snagit is the ideal tool for gathering and sharing visual information with the development team. Arrows, shapes, callouts, and much more can be added to a screenshot to highlight important information.
3. Test on multiple environments
Testing in multiple environments can provide valuable information—did the bug only happen on a specific application version, device type, or operating system? These details can help developers determine when a bug was introduced and how to fix it.
4. Update and review bug reports regularly
It’s important to review and update bug reports regularly. When the QA teams find new information about a bug, they should include it in the existing bug report. This ensures the developers have the most accurate details when fixing the bug.
Collaborating with QA teams and developers
Clear communication is key
Effective software development requires clear communication between the QA teams and developers. Fixing a bug requires the developers to understand the issue and be able to reproduce it. Developers should feel comfortable asking the QA teams for testing techniques, and the QA teams should be able to ask the developers for their technical expertise.
How Snagit can help collaborate with visuals
Snagit is a powerful tool for helping QA teams and developers collaborate more effectively. Snagit can quickly create and share visual reports, ensuring clear communication and collaboration between development teams.
Conclusion
Effective bug reports are crucial to software development and help ensure high-quality products. When writing a bug report, include detailed reproduction steps, screenshots and video recordings, system information, and expected vs. actual results.
Snagit is the best product available to create high-quality visuals and help improve understanding and communication in the bug-fixing process.
Speed up your screenshot workflows
Stop wasting your time with built-in snipping tools, and try Snagit!
Learn More
Share