User Experience
Acceptance Criteria
Plain English
What needs to be true for something to be done.
Definition
Acceptance criteria are the conditions that must be met for a piece of work to be considered complete.
In practice
Used to define expected outcomes and ensure shared understanding between teams.
In context
They are worth writing before the work starts, because that is when they are still cheap to argue about. Written afterwards, they describe whatever was built.
The reality
Often too vague or incomplete, leading to misalignment and rework.
Compared with
Acceptance Criteria vs Definition of Done
Acceptance criteria are specific to one story: what this glossaryFeatureA feature is a specific piece of functionality within a product that delivers value to users. It represents something users can do or experience as part of the overall product.Open glossary term must do. Definition of done applies to all work and covers standards like testing, serviceAccessibilityFind accessibility issues early, improve usability, and build products that are more inclusive, usable, and compliant.Open service and documentation. One is functional, the other is quality.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this term.
What are acceptance criteria?
Conditions that define when work is complete.
Why are they important?
They ensure glossaryClarityClarity is how easily users can understand what is happening and what they need to do.Open glossary term and glossaryAlignmentAlignment is a shared understanding of goals and priorities across teams and stakeholders, strong enough that people act consistently without checking first. It is not the same thing as everyone agreeing.Open glossary term.
Who defines them?
Usually product owners with input from the team.
What happens if they are unclear?
Work may be incomplete or misunderstood.
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