Webmail Evaluation - Spring 2000 - Draft Test Script

User / Interface Issues

1. Send the following simple message to yourself (with typo's):

   "Nancy and David wwent to the library to study, but the books they needed were checkedout."

   Now correct the typos and exercise the following techniques:

   1. While you are creating the message, see if you can do all of the following with both the mouse and with keyboard commands:
      • Move to end/beginning of line
      • Move to next/previous word
      • Move to top/end of message
      • Page up/Page down
   2. Are the following possible within the message composition area?
      • Delete one character
      • Delete one word
      • Delete one line
      • Copy and paste
      • Cut and paste
      • Word wrapping
      • Re-aligning paragraphs (Justify)
      • Spell checking
      • Search for and replace a word
2. Examine the message you receive.
   Is its text intact?
3. Send yourself a message with an ASCII text file as an attachment.
   Examine the message you receive. Can you read it?

4. Send yourself a message with a non-text file attached (e.g., an ordinary, unconverted word processing or spreadsheet file). Examine the message you receive.
   1. Can you read it? Can you at least determine what kind of file it is?
   2. Does the package tell you what to do with the attachment?
   3. Does the package automatically process your attachment (i.e., automatically launch an application, store the file, etc.)?
   4. How much control does the reader/sender have over the processing of an attachment when it is received?

5. Receive attachments on the mail systems we are testing inter-operability with.
   Make sure you can open and read mail sent in html format.

6. Create two distribution lists (multiple recipients)

7. Create some aliases (nicknames)

8. Look up an address; add it to a distribution list.
   
   1. Could you add the address without retyping or copying and pasting it?
   2. Could you copy and paste the address without retyping it?

9. Invoke message handling capabilities (especially through gateways):
   1. Delivery receipt
   2. Read receipt
   3. Priority sensitivity

10. Send a single message to everyone on two distribution lists.

11. Send a message to a personal alias.

12. Create some folders.
    Create some sub-folders.

13. Save some messages in some folders.
    
    1. Copy a message from one folder to another
    2. Move a message from one folder to another

14. Search a folder for a message containing a word.
    1. Search all folders for messages containing a word.
    2. Search selected folders for messages containing a word.
    3. Search just the headers or just the body text

15. Reorganize the way messages are listed in a folder:
    1. - By date received/sent
    2. - By priority
    3. - By sender
    4. - By recipient(s)
    5. - By subject, etc.
    6. - Reverse order

16. Delete a message.
    What impact does this have on the contents of the folders on the IMAP server (does it expunge the message or do something else?)

17. Print a message.
    1. Print several contiguous messages
    2. Print several non-contiguous messages
    3. Request "2-up" printing (and repeat 21.)

18. Reply to a message.
    1. Can you include the text of the original message?
    2. Can you edit that text?

19. Forward a message.
    1. Can you change the subject?
    2. Can you edit the forwarded message?
    3. Does it foul up MIME or PEM encodings?

20. Redirect (or Bounce) a message.

21. Can you do cc: and bcc:?
    Is it clear on the message you receive whether you were addressed in the To:, Cc: or bcc: lines?

22. Can you set a different reply-to address?

23. Save a message as a separate (probably text) document external to your mail system.
    1. Open the message in your desktop word processing package.
    2. Was the message easy to locate and open?

24. Does the application have a Help facility?
    1. Look up a topic in the Help facility.
    2. Was the program sensitive to your context?
    3. Was the help clear?
    4. Was the help system easy to use (especially to escape from)?

25. If the system offers it, try to authenticate a message (this feature may be referred to as a digital signature).
    1. Send the authenticated message to the following mail systems (insert
    2. list of mail systems we are testing interoperability with).

26. Receive the authenticated message on each of the systems to which it was sent.
    How does each system preserve or not preserve the authentication?

27. If the system offers it, try to encrypt a message.
    1. Send the encrypted message to the following mail systems (insert list
    2. of mail systems we are testing interoperability with):

28. Receive the encrypted message on each of the systems it was sent to.
    Can the message be decrypted?

29. If the system allows anonymous mail to be sent, send some to yourself.
    1. Read it.
    2. Can you determine who sent the message from anything in either the body or headers of the mail? (Make sure that mail system is displaying all mail headers.)
    3. Can you send a message as coming from someone else?

30. Create a message, body and headers, but don't send it.
    1. Save the message without sending it.
    2. Send the (saved) message.

31. On messages you receive, can you see the header information?
    1. Can you display both basic or extended headers?
    2. Are there any typical headers that are not displayed?
    3. Can you send the full mail header to another account?

32. Enable filtering to route incoming mail to specific folder.
    1. Can you create a filter that can be triggered by the sender's identity?
    2. Can you create a filter that can be triggered by the text of the message?

33. Quit the browser. Restart the browser and try to re-establish your session without actually logging in.
    Does the browser retain any memory of your previous session?

34. After quitting the browser, open your mail with Elm.
    Ascertain that the inbox truly reflects all testing.

35. Test mail account utilities
    1. Can you change password?
    2. Can you set forwarding?
    3. Can you set vacation message?
    4. Can you get current quota status?

36. Can the user set IMAP preferences?
    1. Purge/deletion method
    2. Folder creation
    3. Subscription
    4. Manipulation of messages between folders

37. What other features are supported that have not already been noted in our comments on the product?