Software Errors

Common categories of errors

1. Functionality Errors

• Software has a functionality error if something that you expect it to do is hard, awkward, confusing, or impossible.
• e.g. if the Cancel button is not clickable

2. Communication Errors

• Anything that the end user needs to know in order to use the software should be made available on screen
• e.g. No Help instructions/menu provided, features that are part of the release but are not documented in the help menu, a button named ‘Save’ should not erase a file etc

3. Missing Command Errors

• This happens to occur when an expected command is missing
• e.g. 'cancel' button missing

4. Syntactic Errors

• Misspelled words or grammatically incorrect
  sentences

5. Error handling Errors

• Any error needs to be handled in a clear and meaningful manner

6. Calculation Errors

• Bad logic, incorrect formulae, data type mismatch, etc

7. Control flow Errors

• Software describes what it will do next and on what condition
• e.g. ‘Save and Close’ button