The product quality model
The ISO/IEC 25010 standard (part of the SQuaRE family) defines a software product quality model organized into characteristics and sub-characteristics. It serves as a common reference to specify, measure and evaluate the quality of a system.
| Characteristic | What it evaluates |
|---|---|
| Functional suitability | That functions do the right thing |
| Performance efficiency | Response times and resource use |
| Compatibility | Coexistence and interoperability |
| Interaction capability | Ease of learning and use (formerly "Usability") |
| Reliability | Availability and fault tolerance |
| Security | Confidentiality, integrity, authenticity |
| Maintainability | Ease of modifying and fixing |
| Flexibility | Adaptation to other environments (formerly "Portability") |
| Safety | Avoiding harm under hazardous conditions (added in 2023) |
For functional manual QA, 'functional suitability' is the central characteristic, but a good tester also observes interaction capability, reliability and security during testing.
Which ISO 25010 characteristic evaluates that functions do the right thing?
A user cannot learn to use the app without constant help. Which quality characteristic is failing?