QA checklist for solo founders

Shipping fast is good. Shipping blind is not.

Solo founders do not need an enterprise QA process to stop shipping on vibes. They need a short list of evidence-producing checks that match the product’s real buyer journey.

The checklist

Run these before a public post, email launch, Product Hunt launch, paid ad, or investor demo.

1. Homepage promise

Open the homepage and confirm:

• the hero renders
• the primary CTA is visible
• the top navigation links move somewhere real
• no broken image or layout issue blocks trust

2. Pricing clarity

Open pricing and confirm:

• plan names and prices are correct
• the recommended plan is obvious
• CTAs route to the right signup or trial path
• private tester credits are not exposed as public discounts

3. Signup or lead capture

Submit safe test data and confirm:

• the form accepts a real-looking work email
• success or next-step copy appears
• errors are readable
• the lead or user is visible in admin

4. Onboarding first screen

After login, confirm:

• the app loads without runtime errors
• the first action is obvious
• empty states explain what to do
• the user can recover if they are not ready to pay

5. Support path

Click contact, FAQ, help, or docs and confirm:

• the link works
• the page is readable
• the user can ask for help without guessing

What proof looks like

A screenshot alone is not enough. A useful proof page shows:

• the goal
• the steps
• the screenshots after browser movement
• the pass or failure status
• the exact URL tested

That makes the result shareable with a cofounder, contractor, customer, or QA reviewer.

What not to test first

Avoid risky flows until you have a safe setup:

• real checkout payments
• destructive admin actions
• private customer data
• production-only flows without permission

Public, non-destructive paths are enough to catch many launch-killing issues.

The founder rule

If you would be embarrassed for a customer to see a broken path, run a proof check before you send traffic to it.