Introduction
At Lightflows, we take quality assurance (QA) seriously. Every product we develop undergoes rigorous testing to ensure it meets both functional and presentational requirements before reaching our clients. Like many software teams, we’ve relied on Jira, Atlassian’s industry-standard bug tracking and project management tool. Jira enables teams to log, track, and resolve software issues in an organised manner, making it indispensable for software and product teams.
Jira is a fantastic system for tracking development, but we found that traditional text-based QA reports were creating bottlenecks in our process. Testers would write detailed descriptions of bugs, developers would interpret them (sometimes incorrectly), and then we’d have follow-up questions before getting to a fix. It was a slow, sometimes frustrating cycle.
So, we decided to experiment with Loom—a video-based communication tool—to see if it could improve our QA workflow. What started as a small test quickly became integral to our process. In this post, we’ll share our experience using Loom and why it has become an essential tool for our team.
The challenges of traditional QA processes
Before introducing Loom, our QA process looked something like this:
- Testers manually logged bugs in Jira, often writing lengthy descriptions.
- Screenshots were added and or marked up, but these only provided a snapshot, not the full context.
- Developers read the ticket and sometimes needed further clarification, leading to unnecessary back-and-forth.
- Project managers tracked progress, but without a way to see the issue directly, miscommunication occasionally led to inefficiencies.
One of our team members summed it up well:
“Manually writing notes about what you’re seeing, what element you’re interacting with on the page, and turning that into words is time-consuming.”
And from our developer’s perspective:
“Interpreting someone else’s notes in Jira can be tricky. Sometimes, the wording isn’t precise enough, and we have to guess the issue.”
While Jira provided the structure, the way we logged issues wasn’t as efficient, and it could be frustrating. Project timelines can be delayed if multiple iterations are needed to clarify an issue, and testers and developers may become frustrated.
How Loom changed our QA Workflow
When we first started using Loom, it was mainly for internal documentation and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). We quickly realised that if video was such an effective tool for training, it could also be a game-changer for bug reporting and QA feedback.
Instead of writing paragraphs of text, testers could:
- Record their screens while talking through the issue, making it immediately clear what the problem was.
- Show mouse clicks, interactions, and animations, which are difficult to capture in screenshots.
- Explain their thought process in real-time, adding valuable context for developers.
And from the developers’ side, the impact was immediate:
“With Loom, I see exactly what the tester sees. It’s like having them sitting next to me explaining the problem, which is much more helpful.”
This approach significantly reduced miscommunication and made it much easier for developers to understand issues without follow-up questions.
Our workflow now looks like this:
- Record the bug report with Loom (capturing screen interactions and verbal explanations).
- Generate an AI transcript (Loom automatically provides a text version of the video).
- Summarise key points using AI (we use ChatGPT or another AI tool to extract key takeaways).
- Attach the summary and Loom link to Jira(so project managers still have a written record).
This approach provides the best of both worlds—detailed visual explanations and structured tracking within Jira.
This simple workflow has transformed our QA efficiency, reducing unnecessary back-and-forth and making bug reports clearer and more actionable.
The impact on our QA team
Since adopting Loom for bug reporting, we’ve seen major improvements in our workflow:
- Faster bug logging – Testers spend less time writing reports.
- Quicker issue resolution – Developers understand the problem immediately.
- Better collaboration – Non-technical team members and stakeholders can review issues without confusion.
One of our testers summed it up:
“Since switching to Loom, I spend way less time logging issues and more time actually testing products.”
From our project managers’ side:
“We still use Jira as our single source of truth, but having Loom videos attached to tickets makes it so much easier to track what’s happening. It speeds everything up.”
The future of QA at Lightflows
We’re always looking for ways to improve our processes, and Loom has been a massive win for our team. Moving forward, we’re exploring:
- More automation – Could AI help generate even better summaries?
- Integrations with Jira – Are there ways to streamline Loom further in our workflow?
- Best practices – We’re refining our Loom recording techniques to ensure every video is clear and actionable.
If your team struggles with slow or unclear QA processes, we highly recommend trying Loom. For us, it’s no longer just a nice-to-have—it’s an essential part of delivering high-quality products efficiently.
Learning and useful tips
We discovered that our video feedback was most effective when we followed a set of best practices for using Loom in QA.
✔ Speak clearly and logically when recording.
✔ Work through the issue step by step to provide a clear context. We try to focus on a handful of issues at one time and generally only on a single page.
✔ Summarise key actions at the end of each video to highlight main takeaways.
Key takeaways
- Loom enhances bug reporting in Jira by making them more visual, reducing the need for lengthy written descriptions.
- Our Developers understand and resolve issues faster with video-based feedback.
- By using Loom and Jira together, we create an efficient, streamlined QA workflow that speeds up development cycles.
- Using Video communication minimises miscommunication, making it easier for our cross-functional and remote teams to collaborate.
Final thoughts
Loom hasn’t replaced Jira for us—it has enhanced it. By adding video to our bug reports, we’ve removed ambiguity, improved collaboration, and saved time across the board.
If you’re looking for a way to make your QA process faster, clearer, and more effective, give it a try. It has certainly made a difference at Lightflows.
