What is the difference between verification and validation in testing?

What is the difference between verification and validation in testing?

• A. Verification ensures the product meets user needs; validation ensures design outputs meet inputs.
• B. Validation checks that design outputs meet inputs; verification checks that the product fulfills user needs.
• C. Verification is for hardware; validation is for software.
• D. Verification and validation are the same process.

Answer: (B)

Verification is about building the product right. It asks whether the design outputs and implementation faithfully translate the specified inputs and requirements into the final result. Validation, on the other hand, is about building the right product. It asks whether the finished product actually meets user needs and the intended use in real-world conditions. In practice, verification includes activities like design reviews, requirement-to-design traceability, and tests that confirm each part aligns with its specification. Validation includes user acceptance testing, field trials, and usability evaluations that show the product delivers the expected value to users. So, checking that design outputs meet inputs is verification, while checking that the product fulfills user needs is validation. These are distinct goals and apply across hardware and software; they’re not the same process.

Verification is about building the product right. It asks whether the design outputs and implementation faithfully translate the specified inputs and requirements into the final result. Validation, on the other hand, is about building the right product. It asks whether the finished product actually meets user needs and the intended use in real-world conditions.

In practice, verification includes activities like design reviews, requirement-to-design traceability, and tests that confirm each part aligns with its specification. Validation includes user acceptance testing, field trials, and usability evaluations that show the product delivers the expected value to users. So, checking that design outputs meet inputs is verification, while checking that the product fulfills user needs is validation. These are distinct goals and apply across hardware and software; they’re not the same process.