Bug reports developers actually want: anatomy of a great defect

The cost of a bad bug report

Picture this: A tester files a bug titled "Login broken." The description says "Can't log in, please fix."

The developer sees the ticket. They try to log in. It works fine. They add a comment: "Works for me, need more info."

Two days pass. The tester responds: "It's broken on mobile Safari." The developer tries mobile Safari. Still works. Another comment: "What version? What account?"

A week later, the bug is still open. Multiple people have spent time on it. The actual issue—a specific authentication flow failing with certain password characters on iOS 16.3—remains undiscovered.

This cycle happens constantly. According to BrowserStack's bug reporting guide, well-written bug reports help developers "recreate the bug, locate the underlying cause, and implement a fix without ambiguity."

The inverse is equally true: poorly written reports waste everyone's time while bugs persist in production.

What developers actually need

The minimum viable bug report

That's it. If your report has these five things, a developer can start working immediately. Everything else is helpful context but not essential.

Let's break each down.

Element 1: Clear, specific title

The title is the first (and sometimes only) thing developers scan. It should communicate what's broken without requiring them to open the ticket.

1Bug in checkout
2Page doesn't work
3Error
4Please fix

1Checkout fails with 500 error when applying coupon
2Password reset email never arrives for Gmail
3Cart quantity can be set to negative via keyboard
4Search crashes on Safari with emoji in query

According to Marker.io's bug writing guide, a good title lets developers quickly assess severity and relevance during triage.

Title formula

[Component] + [Verb describing failure] + [Condition/trigger]

Examples:

• "[Login] fails silently [when password contains special characters]"
• "[Search] returns no results [for queries with accented characters]"
• "[Cart] shows wrong total [after removing items on mobile]"

Element 2: Steps to reproduce

This is the most critical section. TestDevLab's bug reporting guide states: "The most crucial aspect of effective bug reporting is ensuring the development team can consistently reproduce the reported issue."

If developers can't reproduce it, they can't fix it.

How to write steps

Number each step clearly. Include every action, even ones that seem obvious.

Too vague:

"Go to checkout and try to pay"

Clear and reproducible:

1. Log in with test account (testuser@example.com / TestPass123)
2. Add any product to cart
3. Click "Proceed to checkout"
4. Select "Credit Card" as payment method
5. Enter card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242
6. Enter expiration: 12/25
7. Enter CVV: 123
8. Click "Pay now"

Aqua cloud's 2024 guide emphasizes: "Number the steps clearly from first to last so that the developers can quickly and exactly follow them to see the bug for themselves."

What to include in steps

• Starting point (which page, what account state)
• Every click, input, and navigation
• Specific test data used
• Timing considerations (if relevant)
• Order of operations (sometimes sequence matters)

Element 3: Expected vs. actual results

Developers need to know two things: what should happen, and what does happen.

According to Intellisoft's bug reporting guide, clearly stating both "helps developers understand the deviation from the expected outcome."

Format

Expected result:

After clicking "Pay now," user should see a confirmation page with order number and "Thank you for your purchase" message.

Actual result:

Page shows error message "Something went wrong" with no details. Payment may or may not have processed (unclear). User is left on checkout page.

Common mistake: Assuming expected behavior is obvious

Never assume developers know what should happen. They might be:

• New to the team
• Working on an unfamiliar area
• Checking if current behavior is intentional

Always state expected behavior explicitly, even for "obvious" functionality.

Element 4: Environment details

The same code can behave differently across:

• Operating systems
• Browsers (and browser versions)
• Devices
• Screen sizes
• Network conditions
• Account types
• Feature flags

Software Testing Help recommends including: "the operating system, browser version, device, and any other relevant software configurations."

Environment template

Browser: Chrome 119.0.6045.105
OS: macOS Sonoma 14.1
Device: MacBook Pro 14" (2023)
Screen resolution: 3024 × 1964 @ 2x
Account type: Free tier
Logged in: Yes
Network: WiFi (stable)

When environment matters most

• Visual bugs (browser rendering differences)
• Mobile issues (touch vs. click, viewport size)
• Performance issues (device capability, network)
• Authentication bugs (browser storage, cookies)

Element 5: Visual evidence

Screenshots and videos eliminate ambiguity. Bugasura's guide notes: "Visuals can provide a clear understanding of the problem and help developers identify the issue faster."

What to capture

Screenshots for:

• UI bugs (layout issues, styling problems)
• Error messages (exact text matters)
• Unexpected states
• Visual regressions

Videos for:

• Multi-step reproduction flows
• Timing-dependent bugs
• Intermittent issues
• Animation/transition problems

Screenshot best practices

1. Capture the full context (not just the error, but surrounding UI)
2. Highlight or annotate the specific issue
3. Include browser dev tools if showing console errors
4. Show the URL in the browser address bar
5. Capture before/after if showing regression

The complete bug report template

## Title
[Component] [failure description] [condition]
 
## Environment
- Browser:
- OS:
- Device:
- Account type:
- URL:
 
## Steps to reproduce
1. [Starting state]
2. [Action]
3. [Action]
4. [Action where bug occurs]
 
## Expected result
[What should happen]
 
## Actual result
[What actually happens]
 
## Visual evidence
[Screenshot or video]
 
## Additional context
[Frequency, workarounds, related issues]

Example: A bug report developers love

Title: Checkout payment button disabled after validation error, requires page refresh

Environment:

• Browser: Safari 17.1
• OS: iOS 17.1
• Device: iPhone 15 Pro
• Account: Logged in free tier user
• URL: https://app.example.com/checkout

Steps to reproduce:

1. Log in as any user
2. Add item to cart
3. Go to checkout
4. Enter invalid credit card number (e.g., 1234 5678 9012 3456)
5. Click "Pay now"
6. See validation error: "Invalid card number"
7. Enter valid card number (e.g., 4242 4242 4242 4242)
8. Note: "Pay now" button remains disabled

Expected result: After correcting the card number, the "Pay now" button should become enabled, allowing the user to complete purchase.

Actual result: "Pay now" button stays disabled even with valid card number. User cannot proceed without refreshing the page and re-entering all information.

Visual evidence: [Video showing the flow: invalid entry → error → valid entry → button still disabled]

Additional context:

• Reproducible 100% of the time
• Only occurs after validation error, works fine on first valid entry
• Workaround: Refresh page and start over
• First noticed after last week's deploy

What NOT to include in bug reports

Opinions and assumptions

Bad: "The developer obviously didn't test this" Good: "This bug appears in the latest build"

IT Pro Today advises: "Bug reports should avoid personal opinions or assumptions and only include factual information."

Multiple bugs

Bad: "Login doesn't work AND the signup page is slow AND there's a typo on the homepage" Good: Three separate bug reports

Marker.io explains: "Two seemingly similar problems may or may not be connected. Whether they are is a determination for developers to make as they research and fix the issues."

Accusatory language

Bad: "This is broken because someone didn't do their job" Good: "This functionality isn't working as expected"

Software Testing Help emphasizes: "Don't use an authoritative tone in the report. This breaks morale and creates an unhealthy work relationship."

Unnecessary details

Bad: Three paragraphs explaining the feature's importance Good: Stick to what's needed to reproduce and understand the bug

Severity and priority: Getting it right

Most bug tracking systems have severity (how bad is it?) and priority (how urgent is it?) fields.

Severity guidelines

Priority guidelines

Priority depends on business context, not just technical severity:

• A critical bug in a feature nobody uses might be low priority
• A low-severity bug in the checkout flow might be high priority

When in doubt, report severity accurately and let product/engineering set priority based on business needs.

After filing: Stay available

IT Pro Today notes: "The best-written bug report is of little use if the person who wrote it disappears after filing."

Developers often need:

• Clarification on steps
• Verification that a fix works
• Additional testing scenarios
• Confirmation of environment details

Check your bug reports. Respond to questions promptly. The faster you engage, the faster bugs get fixed.

How AI testing improves bug reports

AI-powered testing tools generate bug reports automatically with:

• Exact reproduction steps: Every action recorded
• Screenshots at each step: Visual proof of the flow
• Environment captured: Browser, device, viewport
• Video recordings: Full session playback
• Console errors: JavaScript exceptions logged
• Network requests: API calls and responses

This eliminates the most common bug report problems:

• "Can't reproduce" → Steps are exact and recorded
• "Need more info" → All context captured automatically
• "Which environment?" → Logged at test time
• "Show me the error" → Screenshot attached

Frequently asked questions

How much detail is too much?

If it's not needed to reproduce or understand the bug, it's probably too much. Developers want signal, not noise. Focus on the essential five elements and add context only when relevant.

Should I include what I think the fix is?

Usually no. Developers may misinterpret your suggestion as a constraint or waste time considering an incorrect approach. If you have technical insight, add it as a note, not a directive.

What if I can't reproduce the bug consistently?

Report it anyway, but note the frequency (e.g., "Happens approximately 1 in 5 attempts"). Include as much context as possible about when it does and doesn't occur. Intermittent bugs are valuable to document even if hard to fix.

Who should I assign the bug to?

If you know the right developer or team, assign it. If not, leave it unassigned and let the team triage. Wrong assignment causes delays; unassigned bugs get routed correctly.

Should I follow up if my bug isn't fixed?

Give it reasonable time based on severity. For critical bugs, follow up same day. For low-severity issues, wait a few sprints. If a bug is important but languishing, raise it in sprint planning or with your product owner.

Great bug reports are gifts to developers. They save hours of investigation, eliminate frustrating back-and-forth, and get bugs fixed faster.

The investment in writing a thorough report—maybe 5-10 minutes—pays dividends in resolution time. And when your bug reports are consistently useful, developers take them seriously and prioritize accordingly.

Write bugs like you'd want to receive them: clear, complete, and actionable.