Software and mobile app testing are essential to software development and launch. However, testing an application can be extremely time-consuming and requires the use of human software testers that evaluate each click and response in new software. These tests must be repeated various times using different platforms and various devices to ensure the product is ready for market.
Now, automation testing services can take an enormous burden off of in-house QA staff by using testing tools to simulate manual inputs that humans would likely give as they navigate the program. Each time the source code is revised, the software or app must again go through this same extensive quality assurance testing.
One of the main benefits of automating these quality tests is that they can be repeated many, many times, and the results are automatically recorded. Any software bugs, unnecessary clicks, or delays in response can be analyzed for improvement by software engineers.
It is the program’s coding that is being tested for execution, performance, and maintenance. Here, we look at some of the guidelines and attributes that dictate what good manual testing tools should have and must accomplish.
Automation Testing Guidelines
Reusability
Reusability in programming code refers to chunks of code or subroutines that are coded in such a way that these packages can be used elsewhere in the program. For example, a single and unique variable should be used instead of hard-coded variables or multiple representations of the same variable or function. This will allow for the same chunks of code to be used throughout the program, which helps to manage code packaging, maintenance, distribution, and, most importantly, upgrades.
Reliability
Automation testing can assign a pass or fail grade to make sure that false test results are minimized. This is accomplished with built-in code mechanisms that detect errors and automatically cause the program to recover.
For example, if the automation test causes a program to crash, built-in reliability features should detect the type of error, send an appropriate error message to the user, and then reset the system to its previous state instead of waiting indefinitely in failure mode.
Simplicity
Most automation testing routines will have a single objective with a limited number of steps assigned to each test case. This is necessary because when a complex test fails or leads to a system failure, it can be nearly impossible to isolate the specific reason for the failure. Also, the program or application being tested should be subjected to simple tests. Cumbersome and difficult software is a thing of the past, as users prefer easy-to-navigate and easy-to-learn apps.
Maintainability
Programming code should be easy to maintain, troubleshoot, and upgrade. This means the code should be tested for standard coding formats and routines. Maintainability also refers to how future software revisions will be executed, and a version control system should be in place to track each change made to each version of the software, along with an approval verification system to minimize random changes to the code.
Documented
Each automation test case should have the test steps clearly documented and assigned a unique identifier. Pertinent information should follow each test, which includes the test creator’s name, date of creation, and the last time the test was administered and documented. These traceability features are critical to test case quality control, especially when a pass-or-fail test is being executed.
Benefits of Automated Testing
Automated testing technology eliminates the need for manual testers to record and share test results manually. Also, it reduces the number of test scripts that must be written and executed by software testers, all of which are prone to human error. Even more importantly, automated testing offers analytical insight that can guide software technicians in making plans for overall improvements in the software or app.
These testing insights have taken software development into new realms of creativity and complexity, giving users a better experience and much more functionality. Not only are software development companies experiencing a faster quality feedback cycle that reduces the time it takes to present a new app on the market, but consumers are happier with apps that are bug-free, easier to navigate, and simpler to learn.
Automation testing allows for today’s software rollouts to be offered with multiple platform compatibilities. This is all due to automated testing, which assured the software developers that the software’s code could run on different browsers, different operating systems, and different devices.
With automated testing services, the test data and verification information are stored for historical reference. This saving of data-driven test scripts also enables the reuse of many test functions and input actions over and over again. The data-driven analysis offers critical insight into software performance, creating a vault of future automation scripts that can be used for testing individual yet similar units of an application.
Automated Software Testing Applications
A wide range of industry software can be tested using data-driven, automated testing services. Some industries require fast-tracked app testing due to high consumer demand, like the media and entertainment industries. Social media-type websites are extremely popular and profitable website launches. But it takes constant innovation to keep consumers engaged and happy.
The best consumer applications for automated software testing include:
- Social media and dating websites
- Media and entertainment
- Retail and e-commerce
- Online fitness
- Education and nonprofits
However, there are many technical and professional industries that also benefit from automated testing services. These include:
- FinTech
- Telecommunications
- Smart Energy
- Imaging and 3D Printing
- Marketing and Design
All these industries are supported by a vast IT infrastructure that includes computer software and mobile applications. The implications of a crashed website or a loss of data can be far-reaching.
QualityLogic provides automation testing tools to help all these industries protect their brands and provide online services that are free of software bugs. Our goal is to help each of these industries provide the best online or mobile services to their customers. And we help software developers go from coding to market faster and easier than ever before.
To learn more about QualityLogic and our automation testing services, visit our website to view case studies and white papers that support the use of automation testing to improve software development and rollout.