Staging tester guide

Test real work journeys, step by step.

Use these guided cases to explore PayProof Trades as a UK tradesperson would—from first sign-in and shift booking through hours, invoices, payment and account controls.

8 guided journeys About 60 minutes for the full pass Android and iPhone where available

Before you start

Complete the cases in order on a staging build where possible. If a case cannot be completed, record it as blocked rather than passed.

Use test dataUse fictional agencies, sites, rates, invoices and notes. Do not enter customer or employer information.
Keep access privateUse sign-in details from the approved tester channel. Never add a phone number or one-time code to a report.
Capture contextRecord the device, operating system, app version, case ID and time whenever something goes wrong.
This is a staging service.

Features, data and availability may change. Do not rely on staging records for real work, tax, payroll or payment decisions.

Do not share sensitive evidence.

Hide phone numbers, one-time passcodes, invoice details, message bodies, tax identifiers and personal information before sharing evidence.

Core user journeys

Each case describes the goal, actions and visible evidence that counts as a pass. Wording may vary slightly between builds.

PP-T01

Sign in and complete first-time setup

Proves that a new tester can access the app, set normal work preferences and reach the main Today screen.

8–10 min

Start with: A fresh app install or a signed-out app, an authorised UK test number and a working connection.

Steps

  1. Open PayProof Trades and enter the UK mobile number supplied for your test.
  2. If you were given a referral code, expand “Got a referral code?”, enter it and check that the result is clear. A referral must not prevent sign-in.
  3. Request and enter the sign-in code received through the approved tester channel. Never include the code in evidence.
  4. On “Your usual work”, select a trade and enter a realistic fictional day rate.
  5. Select at least one agency. If it is absent, choose “Add my agency” and enter a fictional name.
  6. Choose a travel-between-sites buffer, select “Finish setup”, then close and reopen the app.

Pass when

  • Invalid phone or code entries show safe, useful guidance without losing the whole flow.
  • Today opens and the bottom navigation shows Today, Diary, Money and Agencies.
  • The selected agencies and signed-in state remain after restart.
PP-T02

Add shifts and resolve a booking clash

Proves that bookings can use hourly, daily or fixed-price terms and that overlapping work is brought to the user’s attention.

10 min

Start with: At least two agencies in your list. Use fictional sites and postcodes.

Steps

  1. From Today or Diary, select “Add a shift”.
  2. Choose an agency, add a fictional site, then select Hourly, Daily or Fixed price.
  3. Enter a positive agreed rate, the first and last dates, and the working days.
  4. Turn on “I know the times”, enter start and finish times, and save.
  5. Create another timed shift for a different agency that overlaps on the same date, and save through the warning.
  6. Open the clash warning from Today and choose “Keep both” or decline one shift. Check the date and agency filters in Diary.

Pass when

  • The shift shows the correct agency, site, time and agreed rate.
  • The overlapping pair gives a clear clash warning.
  • The chosen resolution remains after leaving the screen and reopening the app.
PP-T03

Log today’s and backdated work

Proves that actual hours are captured against the intended shift day, including work logged later.

7–9 min

Start with: One shift today and one on an earlier date. Add them first if needed.

Steps

  1. On Today, choose “Log today”, or open today’s shift and choose “Log hours for this day”.
  2. Choose base hours and overtime, then save.
  3. Open the same shift, edit the hours and check that the entry updates instead of duplicating.
  4. In Diary, open an earlier shift, choose “Log hours for this day” and verify the historical date before saving.
  5. For fixed-price work, log actual time. On the final entry, mark “Job complete” and review the warning about remaining booked days.

Pass when

  • Hours and overtime remain correct after reopening.
  • Historical work is attached to the selected historical date, not today.
  • Fixed-price work retains the agreed job price while logged time supports comparison.
PP-T04

Create an invoice, record payment and chase safely

Proves the money journey from eligible logged work through an invoice and payment record.

10–12 min

Start with: Logged, uninvoiced work. Use fictional amounts and a tester-controlled contact number.

Steps

  1. Open Money and review the outstanding total plus All, Pending, Overdue and Paid filters.
  2. For an agency with eligible work, choose “Create draft invoice” and check the amount and period.
  3. While online, choose “Issue invoice online” and confirm issued totals become read-only.
  4. Choose “Record payment” and check the invoice moves to Paid without exceeding its total.
  5. On an unpaid test invoice, choose “Chase payment”. Review the message before handing it to WhatsApp or SMS.
  6. Return to Money and check each filter includes only matching invoice states.
Messaging can leave the app.

Only use a tester-controlled destination. PayProof prepares the message and records a hand-off; WhatsApp or SMS controls whether it is sent.

Pass when

  • Pound values remain exact to the penny through draft, issue and payment.
  • A failed online issue leaves the invoice as a draft.
  • Payment and filter state remain correct after leaving and returning to Money.
PP-T05

Review and compare agencies

Proves that users can understand their work, rates and payment history without a take-home-pay recommendation.

5 min

Start with: Work or invoice history for at least two fictional agencies.

Steps

  1. Open Agencies and review the outstanding amount, effective gross hourly rate and payment-timing indicator.
  2. Open each agency to review days, rate history and contact availability.
  3. Choose “Compare” and check the order, work volume and payment timing.
  4. Read the comparison notices, including how fixed-price work uses logged time.

Pass when

  • Figures agree with the fictional work and money records entered.
  • Reliability is shown as neutral bands or squares, not a public star rating.
  • The app describes gross comparisons and does not claim to calculate take-home pay.
PP-T06

Work offline, restart and sync

Proves that common work records remain usable without signal and safely synchronise when connectivity returns.

8–10 min

Start with: A signed-in app with at least one shift and a device on which you can use airplane mode.

Steps

  1. Open the app online once, then enable airplane mode.
  2. Add a fictional shift or log hours against an existing shift.
  3. Force-close and reopen the app while offline, then find the change.
  4. In Settings, check that local changes are waiting to sync.
  5. Reconnect, choose “Sync”, then reopen the relevant Today, Diary or Money record.

Pass when

  • The offline change survives the force-close.
  • Settings eventually reports “All local changes synced”.
  • Sync does not duplicate the shift, work log or money record.
PP-T07

Check settings, support access and privacy controls

Proves that account, work, notification, export, support and deletion choices are understandable and intentional.

8–10 min

Start with: A signed-in tester account. Only complete destructive steps when the test owner assigns them.

Steps

  1. In Settings, review pay rules, templates, travel and working days. Change one harmless value and save.
  2. Turn one notification category on. Test allowing or denying the system permission and review the result.
  3. Choose “Export my data”, confirm the share sheet opens, then cancel without sharing outside an approved destination.
  4. Open the privacy and account-deletion help links and confirm they load over HTTPS.
  5. Allow read-only support access, read the confirmation, then revoke access.
  6. Choose “Delete account”, read the retention information and choose “Keep account”.
  7. Sign out, sign in again and check that no other tester’s data appears.
Stop at Keep account unless deletion is specifically assigned.

Confirming “Request deletion” signs the tester out, removes local app data and starts server-side deletion. It is not a routine navigation check.

Pass when

  • Saved preferences survive navigation and restart.
  • Notification denial, export cancellation and support-access revocation are clear.
  • No data from one signed-in test identity appears to another.
PP-T08

Check accessibility and everyday resilience

Proves that key tasks remain understandable on different devices, display settings and network conditions.

8 min

Start with: Any completed journey above and permission to change display or accessibility settings.

Steps

  1. Increase device text size by at least one step. Reopen Today, Add shift, Money and Settings.
  2. Rotate the device where supported and check that primary actions and totals remain reachable.
  3. Enable TalkBack or VoiceOver. Move through navigation, one shift, one invoice and a form.
  4. Check that buttons have useful names, selected tabs are announced and money values are understandable.
  5. Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data during a non-destructive sync and review any retry message.

Pass when

  • Text does not hide essential controls or require horizontal scrolling.
  • A screen-reader user can identify and activate the four main tabs and core actions.
  • A short connection loss causes neither duplicate records nor a false success.

What to test on different devices

Record the device used so the UK tester pool builds useful coverage.

Older Android

Prioritise startup, keyboard behaviour, long lists, airplane-mode restart, text size and performance.

Current Android

Prioritise notification permission, app links, background/resume, share sheets and TalkBack.

iPhone

Prioritise code entry, VoiceOver, share and messaging hand-off, notifications and restart.

Poor or changing signal

Prioritise offline records, pending-sync state, retry behaviour and duplicate prevention.

Report an issue testers can reproduce

Use one report per problem. Describe what you observed rather than what you think caused it.

Test case
For example, PP-T04, step 3.
Expected
What this guide says should have happened.
Actual
Exactly what appeared, including the on-screen message.
Reproduction
The shortest repeatable sequence from a known screen.
Environment
Staging, app version/build, device model, and Android or iOS version.
Connection
Wi-Fi, mobile data, offline, or switching between them.
Frequency
Once, sometimes, or every attempt; include the number of attempts.
Time
Local UK date and time, including BST or GMT if known.
Evidence
A redacted screenshot or recording with phone numbers, codes, invoice content, tax information and message text removed.

Need help deciding whether it is a defect? Contact support@payprooftrades.co.uk with the case ID and non-sensitive context.