by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Manual Testing, Blog, Latest Post |
Manual testing is the act of executing a software application with the intent of finding software bugs. While there may be the option to use automated testing, manual testing has its own advantages.
In this article, we talk about the importance of manual testing. We also discuss when it should be performed and who can perform it.
What is Manual Testing?
Manual testing is a process that consists of checking the functionality of a product by the evaluator. The purpose of this activity is to find errors or defects in an application before it is deployed in the production environment.
Why is Manual Testing Important?
This kind of testing is important because it helps detect bugs before releasing a product to the public. The better the quality and quantity of your testers, the higher probability you will find all possible errors and shortcomings in your product before release.
It can also help identify bugs that automated tests cannot. If we don’t do manual testing we may miss important bugs and problems which could lead to costly customer support calls and lost revenue.
Who Can Perform Manual Testing?
Manual testing can be performed by almost anyone who is knowledgeable in using similar softwares. However, most of the time, it is preferable to be done by someone who has a background in programming and software testing. This is important to identify enhancements that cannot be found by an average user.
What are the Types of Manual Testing?
There are several types of manual testing. They are as follows:
1. Unit Testing
The developers often perform a type of testing for the individual components and modules. This is referred to as unit testing—this ensures that each component is working properly without having to wait for it to be lost in a bunch of codes unable to detect it.
2. Integration Testing
This is usually done after unit testing. The purpose of this is to ensure that the modules work together after they are working individually. Some components are collaborating to keep the software running, so they must be able to work together without any hitches.
3. System Testing
As the name suggests, this means to test the system in its entirety. This means testing the final application with all components integrated to ensure that it is all working properly.
4. Acceptance Testing
This testing is done by the client to check if all requirements that have been agreed upon are met by the developers. This is done before the deployment of the application into the market to avoid any losses.
5. Black Box Testing
This is a blind type of testing where the users are doing the testing. They do not know the structure of the code or how it is built. They just know what inputs and outputs should be occurring and what functionalities should be taking place.
6. White Box Testing
This testing is done by someone who is aware of the build of the codes. The goal of white box testing is to give input about the code and to strengthen its security and functionality as an app.
Conclusion
While automated testing is useful and also necessary, manual testing has its own advantages and the need to be used. For the manual testing to be successful and fruitful, you do not only need a strong team of developers, but also a great quality assurance team to work through it with you.
If you need manual testing services to ensure the quality of your application, we at Codoid are glad to help. We are an industry leader in QA services, offering the best testing you will encounter in the USA and not letting any defects or flaws out of our sight. Book an appointment with us today for your QA and manual testing needs.
by admin | Dec 28, 2021 | Manual Testing, Blog, Latest Post |
It is an undeniable fact that automation testing has greatly improved the efficiency of the software testing process. But that doesn’t imply that automation testing alone is sufficient to achieve maximum quality. Despite being a top-tier automation testing company, we are also experts in delivering the best manual testing services as we believe that manual testing can never be replaced. We feel understanding this fact plays a huge role in helping us deliver comprehensive software testing solutions to our clients. If you feel otherwise, we believe we can make you cross the aisle by the time you finish reading this blog. If you already believe that manual testing is important, then great. We’ll jump straight ahead and explore the various factors that explain Why Manual Testing is Important.
The 8 Reasons Why Manual Testing is Important
- 100% Automation Isn’t Possible
- There is Scope Beyond the Pass and Fail
- The Human Touch
- Automation Isn’t Easy
- Automation Isn’t Inexpensive
- Repeatability Isn’t the Only Ruling Factor
- It is Hard to Keep Up with Changes
- Automation Isn’t the Purpose of Testing
100% Automation isn’t possible
Right off the gate, we want to establish the fact that not all tests can be automated as per the needs. Even before analyzing if it’ll be wise to use automation or not, one must consider if it’ll be possible to automate the test. For example, mobile app test cases can be very much complicated. Even the smallest of issues like excessive touch inputs or an incoming call might disrupt the performance of your app. If you are testing an infotainment system that depends on external hardware to be plugged in, you wouldn’t be able to completely automate that too.
The biggest obstacle would be compatibility across different devices. You might use a tool like Selenium to test your web application in various browsers, but you can’t be sure if your webpages are rendered correctly as per your design. That is why your goal shouldn’t just be to get your automation test to pass.
Beyond the Pass and Fail
Let’s say you can automate most of the tests. Should you do it? Just because you can automate, doesn’t mean that you should implement it immediately. We all know that one of the software testing principles says that “Absence of errors is a fallacy”. Likewise, just because your automation test passes, it doesn’t mean there are no issues. As of now, there is simply no alternative to testing user experience manually.
Apart from that, the functionality might work and still not fulfill its purpose or function effectively. If you check if all the buttons on a webpage are working, your automation script will pass if it simply works. But what if the button is not in a comfortable position for the user to click easily? Or what if the color of the button doesn’t make it easily visible as it blends with the background? The results no longer matter in such scenarios. Even integration and localization issues will easily fly under the radar if you rely solely on automated tests. Since the user experience is a very important criterion that affects the success factor of products, you simply can’t afford to neglect the human touch that manual testing provides.
The Human Touch
If applications have only the bugs that we anticipate, then software testing will become very easy. If you have been a software tester for at least a short period of time, you will know that bugs tend to come in the most unexpected ways. Yes technologies like A.I and machine learning have made automation more effective over the years. But beating the human mind’s analytical thinking, experience in the subject matter, and strategizing would be very hard. That is why techniques like exploratory testing are very critical in unearthing the bugs that can’t be detected easily.
Exploratory Testing in an Agile Environment is also important as it will help you understand the product better with the high-quality data you gather from it. So you’ll be able to keep up with the constantly changing requirements that come in Agile. Even if you’re not in an agile environment, manual testing will definitely help you understand the product a lot better. But you have to make sure to test it from a user’s perspective and not just with the motive to get the tests done.
Automation Isn’t Easy
You also have to understand that Automation testing is not a cakewalk. You have to be clever enough to use it effectively by following the various Automation Testing Best Practices and Tips. Without the right personnel who are capable of handling automation and the right tools that you would have to know to use well, effective automation might become very hard to achieve. So if you start without proper planning and begin to fall behind in every sprint, then automation testing will soon start to become a nightmare for you.
Automation Isn’t Inexpensive
At times the cost of something might outweigh the benefits it brings to the table. Likewise, automation on a large scale will be ideal as it would be better to get a return on your investment. But what if you had a small project at hand? The chances of you getting a return on your investment would be very slim. Automation isn’t done once you’ve written the scripts at first, you have to maintain them as well.
So following a concept called ‘Tripwire Testing’ can be used to get the best return of investment in your automation testing. Tripwire testing is nothing but using the smallest number of automated tests that will be needed for the testers to detect where they will be able to find critical bugs in the system.
The Repeatability Factor
Even if you had to perform tests like smoke tests on a large-scale project, it would be wise of you to automate them. If the tests are not repetitive in nature, then automating will not make much financial sense. Likewise, if there are any bugs that are detected post-release, then manual testing can be employed to quickly recreate the issue and generate a bug report. You can’t be sitting around and writing an automation script for such simple demands.
Though repeatability is important, it isn’t the only factor as variations are also a key aspect. Like how Albert Einstein said that “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” You just can’t keep repeating the tests over and over again.
Hard to keep up with Changes
If you are working in an agile environment, then it is extremely hard to keep up with the various changes that could impact the User Interface, the features, or the product flow. Each change will mean that you would have to make changes or even rewrite automation scripts. Testing at the early stages of software development can definitely help us detect issues at the early stages and solve them with ease. But this is the phase of the software development lifecycle where constant changes keep happening. Updating your automation script for every change will become a cumbersome task that will not yield you much use as early phase scripts don’t last long.
Automation isn’t the purpose
By now you would have understood that automating your tests isn’t the purpose of testing. So if you’re too held up on automating your tests even though it wouldn’t be financially viable or good for your product, then you would be able to focus on delivering quality. There is so much more to testing than just detecting bugs or passing the tests for that matter. You should never lose track of the big picture in the pursuit of automating your tests.
Just because an ingredient makes a dish taste really well doesn’t mean you should use only that ingredient and leave the other required ingredients out. Since it is clear that both manual and automated testing are important ingredients needed to attain quality, you must understand that the purpose of automation shouldn’t be to just make it mimic human behavior. As stated earlier, automation’s purpose should be to enhance the overall product quality. Focus on aspects like quality assurance based on what you’ve learned with the help of manual testing to create a much larger impact.
Conclusion
It can be very easy to forget that software testing is a process of discovery and just focus on automation. Instead, automation must be used to swiftly repeat whatever we know so that we will have enough time and resources to discover what we don’t know. And manual testing is one of the best ways to explore to unknown. So as one of the best QA companies, we are confident that manual testing will not be going away anytime soon. We started by saying that 100% automation isn’t possible and we want to make sure you don’t take it the wrong way and opt-out of automation as soon as there is a challenge. So it would be better to look at it from a different perspective and move forward by saying that 100% of the tests that should be automated to get the maximum quality, should definitely be automated.
by admin | Oct 6, 2021 | Manual Testing, Blog, Latest Post |
If you have a basic understanding of what Software Testing is, you will know that it can be done either by using automation or by manual efforts. Testing is commonly misunderstood and assumed to be just checking. But in reality, testing is so much more than what it seems on paper. So be it manual testing or automation testing, one should be equipped with the appropriate skills and should use the best practices to achieve the goal. With the growth of automation in the domain, it is very common to feel that manual testing is in the past and that it is no longer necessary. As a leading manual QA testing company, we understand that manual testing is still a vital part of software testing. So in this manual testing guide, we will be going through the basics you have to know to get started with manual testing.
An Introduction to Manual Testing
The ultimate goal of software testing is to verify the actual behavior of the software against a predefined set of expectations. People always tend to look at manual testing as an option only when they are unable to automate the scenario. Though automation plays an integral part in helping us meet the software needs of today, it shouldn’t always be the first choice for all scenarios. We have covered this exact same topic in another one of our blogs, so make sure to read that to find out how to strike the perfect balance between manual testing and automation testing.
To give you a gist of it, manual testing is usually preferred to perform exploratory testing and usability testing. The reason here is that manual testing helps us get deeper insights about the product from the end user’s perspective. This is a vital aspect that we simply cannot achieve through automation.
Types of Manual Testing
We will not be exploring all the types of manual testing that there is in this manual testing guide. Instead, we would briefly take a look at the 3 basic types of testing. They are namely white box testing, black-box testing, and grey-box testing. If the QA team is aware of the internal code that is used, then it is white box testing. But if the team is unaware of the internal code and performs the tests purely based on the interaction of the software, then it is black-box testing. A combination of both of these types is what makes grey-box testing.
Stages of Manual Testing
Let’s now focus on the different stages of manual testing in the software development lifecycle. We know that the software is built from the ground up. So each block that makes the software work will be developed one by one. These blocks or modules should work together as a system to be used by the end-user. So let’s take a look at the different types of testing that will happen in all these stages.
Integration Testing
In this stage, we would integrate the multiple units that we have already tested to see how well they work with each other. If we take an e-commerce app as an example, then a good way to explain would be clubbing the ‘Add the Cart’ portion and the payment gateway. Both these modules have to work well together for a customer to complete the purchase without any hassle. So it would spell trouble for your business even if one of these modules has any issues.
We have to consider the functional aspects and non-functional aspects like performance, reliability, and stability here. So it is not just about verifying if these modules work, we have to make sure they are on par with the defined expectations in terms of performance and so on.
System Testing
As the name suggests, in this stage of testing we would be testing the system on the whole as one product. Eventually, the software will be used by end-users and so at this stage, we will be performing end-to-end testing that covers everything from functional aspects & non-functional aspects to the expectations & experience of an end-user. So there will be a lot of regression tests performed to verify that the recent changes made to the code have no adverse effects on the parts of the software that were working fine. Stress testing should also be a part as the software could be used by power users as well. By performing stress testing we can ensure that the software can handle usage that is more than expected. On the whole, all critical business requirements will be tested in this stage.
Acceptance Testing
The final leg of testing is verifying how well the software performs in real-world conditions. Acceptance testing is actually performed both internally and externally. The people who are testing the application from within the organization are the alpha testers. The external testing will be done through beta testing programs that involve having actual end-users use the product to see how well it works.
Conclusion
This manual testing guide is more of a walk-through of the basics you should know. There are so many more aspects of manual testing that you should focus on to get better at it. As one of the best manual software testing companies, we have years of experience in the software testing arena that have helped us master both manual and automation testing in an optimal manner. Once you have a better understanding of software testing, you will definitely understand the importance of manual testing as well.
by admin | Jun 2, 2021 | Manual Testing, Blog |
Despite the rise of automation testing in recent years, manual testing still remains to be a reliable way of testing that has its own advantages. Though automation tests might seem like the obvious choice in pretty much every scenario, there are many scenarios where manual testing would be the better choice. As a leading manual software testing company, we strongly advocate that test automation is just an addition to the manual testing process and not a replacement. That is why acquiring knowledge on Manual Testing is still important. In this Manual Testing guide for beginners, we will be exploring topics such as why we opt for manual testing, the basic skills you require to perform manual testing, types of manual testing, and also a general procedure to perform manual testing. Let’s get started with the reasons as to why we pick manual testing over automation.
Why we go for manual testing:-
- Manual Testing can be used to detect and remove bugs even if your software is still under development.
- In general, manual tests are preferred when crucial functionalities have to be tested. Manual testing provides a better probability of finding critical defects which would have gone overlooked otherwise.
- Exploratory testing and random testing where use cases have to be performed or executed can’t be accomplished using automation and would require manual testing.
- The manual testing activities can be prioritized based on the changes done by the development team.
- Manual testing helps ensure that the software is user-friendly.
You might be wondering where is the comparison about the accuracy of both these types of tests. Conventionally we would feel that automation would have fewer errors as it requires less or no human effort. But interestingly, the Peltzman Effect suggests that if there is any reduction of risk, then the user will tend to become more careless and create new risks to compensate for the reduced risk. So automation testing will not necessarily make the testing scot-free if the tester becomes lethargic due to the advantages the improved methods bring to the table. So let’s focus on the skills that every tester would require to perform manual testing in the next topic of this manual testing guide.
Skills Required:-
Few of the skills we have mentioned here in this manual testing guide are not exclusive to manual testing, but would also be applicable for automation. So let’s get the ball rolling with the very first skill.
Testing is a task well suited for people with keen observation skills. Though that alone is not the only required skill, it surely is very important as oversight can never be an option when it comes to quality testing.
-
Understanding Project requirements
Understanding the project requirement is a must before you start writing test cases because you might end up performing unnecessary additional tests. We should be aware that manual testing is a necessary method that has to be implemented only wherever necessary.
Risk analysis prior to manual testing is fundamental as the Pareto Principle states that 80% of the consequences arising from 20% of the causes. The principle implies that only a small number of modules might contain the defects that cause most errors or failures. Now that you have understood the project requirements and performed risk evaluation, it is time to write effective test cases.
-
Write test cases based on the requirement:
Now we have all the necessary data that we need to perform the actual process of testing. But the process of testing itself is done based on test cases. So all the above information is used to create optimal test cases that will guide you throughout the process.
-
Knowledge about defects/bugs
Having in-depth knowledge about the various bugs and defects is also essential, as oversight can be the biggest challenge you face while performing manual testing. So make sure you will be able to identify a bug or a defect when there is one. It will also prevent you from making any assumptions when you come across different bugs.
It is not possible to predict all the areas of risk at the very beginning. So if you are coming across an unpredicted error or even a predicted one, make sure to trace it back to its root cause. By following this method, you will be able to save a lot of time during execution.
This is pretty much a no-brainer as any type of testing does require domain knowledge. But it is more pivotal when it comes to manual testing as the tester would be doing everything on a first-hand basis. The tester must be able to assess and understand everything that is happening while testing and shouldn’t be just a person logging results. Speaking of results.
-
Meticulous Record Keeping
Maintaining a proper log of your testing process is vital. You wouldn’t want to miss out on any of the important data or waste your time by tracking unnecessary data as well. If the test passes, then it can be marked easily, but if the test fails, then things get complicated. You have to make sure to not miss out on any vital detail. So make sure you are well worse in handling a lot of information as you would want to be up for the challenge of testing any project irrespective of its scale.
-
Following the Agile methodology
We had already seen how manual testing doesn’t need a fully completed application to begin testing. So it is quintessential to be fluent with the agile working methodology to yield the best results.
-
Adapting to the test environment
The test environment is nothing but the type of devices (Mobile, Computer, Tablet, etc.) and software combinations (Android, iOS, Windows, etc.) we would be using to carry out the testing. So it is necessary to adapt to the different environments and handle everything fluently. We wouldn’t want to spend more time testing by being slow to adapt to an OS you have never used.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Manual Testing:-
We wanted to make sure that even a quick skim of our manual testing guide should be helpful. So here we have listed the primary aspects to keep in mind before you start testing.
Do’s of manual testing:
- Do strictly follow the testing standards and guidelines.
- Keep track of the Entry and exit criteria of all the testing activities.
- Do update test cases regularly.
- Learn and analyze the defects or bugs to perform root cause analysis.
- Write your test cases in the requirement analysis phase and design phase itself.
- Execute all non-functional testing.
- Communicate more with developers.
- Do keep test cases and reports in bug handling tools.
- Raise bugs against the requirement.
- Do reserve time for Exploratory testing and Adhoc testing.
Don’ts of manual testing:
- Don’t update the test cases during execution.
- Make sure you don’t track bugs in many places like excel sheets as it consumes more time.
- Testing features that are not part of the current release is not needed.
- Never assume that any bug is invalid without clarifying it with your team lead.
- Make sure that you don’t spend excessive time on non-critical areas and negative scenarios.
How to perform Manual Testing?
Now that we have seen the skills required for manual testing and its do’s & don’ts in our manual testing guide. Let’s see how manual testing can be performed. We would have to follow the general Software Test Lifecycle (STLC). The STLC is a step-by-step procedure or standard procedure for testing any new software. Software test life cycle is a part of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
Phases of STLC:-
- Requirement Analysis
- Test Planning and Control
- Test Case Development
- RTM
- Test Environment Setup
- Test Execution
- Test Cycle Closure
Requirement Analysis:-
In this phase, based on the client’s requirements, the technical team consisting of both developers and test engineers will be made aware of the expectation. Based on the understanding, developers will start writing codes, and test engineers start planning. The document name may vary depending on the organization. It is usually called a business requirement document (BRD) or VRS.
Test Planning and control:-
Test planning is one of the most important activities in the test process as it involves defining the test specifications needed to achieve the project requirements. Here the resource allocation for carrying out testing, the number of test cases to be created, testing duration, and the cost get finalized.
Test control includes continuous monitoring of the test process with a fixed plan along with the option of escalating any deviation to the concerned stakeholders.
Test Case Development:-
This phase involves the actual creation of test cases. Based on the requirement and risk evaluation, test engineers identify all possible scenarios to create test cases. Once the test cases are written, they will go through refinement stages, where they will be reviewed and revised until it is approved. Once the test cases are green-lit, they will be stored in the test cases repository tool.
RTM (Requirement Traceability Matrix):-
It is a document that ensures that each and every requirement holds a minimum of test cases against the corresponding requirement specification. Either the senior test engineer or testing lead will prepare the RTM, or test management tools like QC and ALM would be used by the respective test engineer to prepare this document. Mapping the requirement to test cases is called forward traceability matrix. Likewise, mapping test cases to requirements is known as backward traceability.
Test Environment Setup:-
The test environment is set up based on the hardware and software requirement list using which the test team tests the whole application with different types of testing.
Test Execution:-
This phase involves the manual execution of the test cases. During the test case execution, any and all deviation from the expected result has to be reported as a defect in defect management tools like Jira, Bugzilla, etc.
Test Cycle Closure:-
Once the overall testing has been completed, and the software has been deployed in production, test closure activities will be carried out. Documents like scope, out of scope, test cases, test execution summary, test results, defects, deployment status, etc., are given to the teammates, as they will help maintain that particular software in production.
Guidelines for testing the application:
- Whenever any application has to be tested, we have to perform positive testing to determine whether the application is good enough for further testing or not.
- If the application clears the smoke test, then we can test the application further using the various aspects we have discussed in this manual testing guide.
Positive Testing:-
Providing a valid input to verify the functionality of the application is known as positive testing. Positive tests verify if the intended results are obtained when providing the correct input.
Negative Testing:-
Negative testing is done by providing invalid data as input and checking the functionality of an application. This is done to test whether the application does anything that it is not supported to do even when unintended inputs are given. For example, if an input field to enter an email id is filled without an extension, then the application must not proceed further even though an input has been given.
Over Testing:
Providing inputs of the same kind and testing the application negatively is called over or exhaustive testing. For example, if we go back to the email id input field. It is sufficient if we test it with a sample text that has no domain extension. It is not required to test using a variety of similar data and get the same results.
Under Testing:-
If you provide an insufficient number of inputs that do not meet with the requirements or test the application with only valid or invalid inputs, it is known as under testing. Not meeting with the requirements is never an option. So make sure to not skip any step or scenario under any kind of assumption.
Optimal testing:-
As mentioned earlier, we have to make sure to hit the sweet spot when it comes to deciding the scale of manual testing that will be used. So if you test the application by giving the required number of valid inputs and obtain the required number of valid outputs, it is known as optimal testing. We have to make sure that our testing process is neither exhaustive nor underwhelming.
Types of Manual testing:-
You might be wondering why is there a ‘Types of Manual testing’ section in a manual testing guide. We felt that if you are starting out your career in testing, then it is paramount to know all the types of testing we have mentioned in the image and also get introduced to a few of them.
Black-Box Testing:-
It is a type of testing that is mainly done by having professional testing engineers look at the application. The implication here is that they are not given any access to the internal behavior of the code or source. So basically this type of testing is carried out by giving inputs to the application and examining the outputs obtained.
Black-box testing is classified into two types:-
- Functional testing
- Non- Functional testing
Functional testing:-
Testing the individual or independent components of an application is called functional testing. It is a type of testing done based on the requirement of the application, as it is done by integrating the application (or) system to check whether the application works as per the given requirement and functional specifications.
This testing can be carried out manually by executing a test case. So once the development team completes their coding, functional testing can be carried out manually by executing different test cases. Once this is carried out, it is followed by non-functional testing.
Non- Functional testing:-
This type of testing is done based on non-functional requirements. This testing focuses mainly on the readiness of the system from the perspective of an end-user. For example, we would be using nonfunctional testing to find out if things like security, the look and feel of the application, and so on are on point to the expectations.
White-Box Testing:-
White box testing is done by the development team once they have completed the coding process. This testing is carried out by looking at the logic of the program and the flow of the program.
Grey-Box Testing:-
Just like what the name suggests, grey box testing is a combination of both white-box testing and black-box testing. Grey-box testing can be done by the developers, testing engineers, or even by the customers. So the grey box testing engineers will be referring to the documents like design documents, data flow diagrams, and high-level database diagrams to write test cases. Using these test cases they will verify if created the application is working properly or not.
The Future of Manual Testing:-
Despite the surge in automation testing, we have to understand that manual testing can never be replaced. 100% automation is not yet possible, and it will stay that way for the foreseeable future as well. Manual testing mainly involves exploratory testing, usability testing, and Ad-hoc testing that should be performed before any application or any product is released. But when it comes to performance and regression testing, they can be automated to save time.
We hope you have enjoyed reading our Manual Testing guide for beginners, and now have a clear idea about the need for manual testing. As a leading company providing the best manual software testing services, we have made sure to optimize all our manual testing methods to bring about the best results in all our projects. Never miss out on any of our upcoming blogs by subscribing to us.
by admin | Mar 4, 2021 | Manual Testing, Blog |
A great safety net for regression testing is automated testing. Some IT professionals treat it as the one-stop solution to all quality assurance, but that should not be the case. QA professionals are still the best, and even the most sophisticated automation suites require human drivers. Here are a few more reasons why developers need manual testers and what you should consider when hiring software testing services.
Plenty Of Tests Need Manual Work
Manual testing is a vital part of QA because of user experience. There is no replacement for first impressions, and although you can automate things like smoke tests, it is still better to leave this to manual testers. Manual tests can also determine if an app is ready for more stringent tests, and humans can check for localization factors like language use in products intended for multiple regions.
Humans Can Find Bugs They Weren’t Looking For
Testing for specific use cases can yield results like bugs that testers weren’t looking for. At times, testers find things to improve while looking for something else, which is impossible with automated testing. When you automate, you will only get reports on bugs in the parameters you set.
Scripts Need Updating In Agile
Every time a product needs a change to its UI, features, or product flow, it means the automated regression testing script also needs a rewrite. When you’re a small development team or have multiple projects in the pipeline, changes like these are no small consideration. You need to be wise when investing your resources.
Automation Is Not As Affordable
Besides automation software, there are also management and maintenance costs to consider when hiring software testing services. There are also expenses related to rewriting the script, setting up, and processing times. These are perfectly acceptable for long-term projects or ones that involve big products. The return on investment will be worth it. For short or small projects, though, all of these will be impractical.
Automation Tends To Lag Behind Human Test Sprints
It can be challenging to keep automated testing at pace with sprints, and testing outdated fixes are a waste of time. If you plan on automating, you must ensure that you start it early and do not fall behind by more than one sprint. If the development team cannot ensure that happens, it is better to stay with human tests.
Manual Testers Can Provide Insight To UX
Human testers provide more than just knowledge of how the product is performing. They also show you how a human might interact with the end product. A tester helps steer products in directions that benefit the end-user. Exploratory testing helps developers understand what they need to know in the future, and automated tests codify what they must do today.
You Cannot Automate Exploratory Tests
Besides discovering bugs, a developer can also discover large risks and whole use cases through exploratory testing. Upfront strategizing is always valuable, though it is impossible to come up with everything the first time around. Manual testing is a reliable way to catch issues that slip through the first rounds.
Conclusion
Successful testing relies on repetition and variation. Automated tests are great for continual checking, but you need to incorporate variation through human tests. When you combine these two methods, you get the highest chance of covering all bases.
For web application testing, schedule a consultation with Codoid today. We provide software testing services like web service, game testing, mobile app testing, and more. Contact us today for more information!
by admin | Dec 29, 2020 | Manual Testing, Blog |
Automation testing is used across various industries because it saves time and cost, increases efficiency, and produces reliable results. Because of its many benefits, the software development process has become more efficient and innovative. That’s why your business must look to testing and professional QA companies to refine your products, especially as these companies continue to explore automating and profitable advancements.
However, take note that while automation testing offers many advantages, manual testing is still necessary. It’s because manual testing is the gold standard for debugging software under development, differentiating the actual results from mere projections.
Manual testing also works by executing tests naturally through human instincts without using tools or scripts. Doing so gives the software the necessary human ingenuity needed to succeed in your business’s chosen target industry. Here are some reasons why manual testing is still essential to software development:
1. Some highly-specialized domains are best handled with manual testing
Manual testing is preferred over automation testing for most of the system functionality by some domains. For example, the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) Domain is the biggest user of IT services because it involves banking applications that deal with highly confidential financial data. As such, all testing activities performed by banking software must run optimally and error-free at all times to satisfy clients and key stakeholders.
Banking app development also involves data integrity, the application’s security and functionality, concurrency, and total coverage of all banking workflows and business requirements. Manual testing is more preferred over automation because while the technical side is more specialized, the app needs to be optimized for everyday client use and employees’ convenience.
2. Mobile app testing can’t rely entirely on automated scripts
Mobile application testing devices involve compatibility and interactions, such as simultaneously running other apps, making device permissions, leaving and re-entering wi-fi, changing swipe directions from left to right, and receiving calls and texts. It is crucial because they affect the app’s overall performance. They can’t be covered with automated scripts, so you need a manual tester to address them to ensure that your mobile application runs as smoothly as possible.
3. Human design is irreplaceable
How individuals interact with technology for their convenience is not something that can easily be replicated through technological means. That’s why there must be human testers in your software development process that lets you create valid test designs, execute them and get your expected results, and foresee defects. By seeking manual testing services, you can detect elements that look off and anticipate failures that automation testing can overlook.
Simply put, manual testing is at par with automated testing. Remember—software development is done with the end-user in mind. That’s why you need to develop features according to preferences and functionality. That way, the finished software is truly market-ready, ingenious, and created to solve immediate needs and wants.
4. Limitation of a failed automation testing
Unfortunately, failed automation testing only yields limited data based on unsuccessful test cases. It means you can’t perform a workaround to try other areas even if only one area fails. Defects found through ad hoc testing’s results from complicated cases may also not be addressed through predefined automated test cases.
On the other hand, manual testing lets you perform negative testing more accurately. It can be considered a reference point to correct automated testing, granting you the ability to finish your software development!
Conclusion:
While many organizations are pursuing automation processes for convenience, this shouldn’t mean that you have to abandon manual testing completely. Entirely relying upon the automation testing approach doesn’t allow you to test your product like a real user. That’s why human evaluators are essential and necessary in software development for maintaining your program’s quality.
Codoid is your manual testing company equipped with manual testing and other QA services for your convenience. Contact us today to overcome your product’s complex testing challenges!
