Software testing is the process of checking if software satisfies its expectations.
To test a software, testers execute it under controlled conditions, across a wide range of scenarios, environments, and user interactions to see if there are any defects arise during the process.
Detect bugs: the primary goal of software testing is to identify bugs before they impact users. Since modern apps rely on interconnected components, a single issue can trigger a chain reaction. Early detection minimizes the impact.
Maintain and improve software quality: testing ensures the software is stable, secure, and user-friendly. It also identifies areas for improvement and optimization.
Build trust and satisfaction: consistent testing creates a stable and dependable product that delivers positive user experience, which translates into user trust and satisfaction.
Identify Vulnerabilities to Mitigate Risks: in high-stakes industries like finance, healthcare, and law, testing prevents costly errors that could harm users or expose companies to legal risks. It acts as a safety net, ensuring critical systems remain secure and functional.
There are two major types of software testing:
There are many other testing types:
Testers have two approaches to software testing: manual testing vs automation testing. Each approach carries its own set of advantages and disadvantages that they must carefully consider to optimize the use of resources.
Manual Testing: Testers manually interact with the software step-by-step exactly like how a real user would to see if there are any issues coming up. Anyone can start doing manual testing simply by assuming the role of a user. However, manual testing is really time-consuming, since humans can't execute a task as fast as a machine, which is why we need automation testing to speed things up.
Automation Testing: Instead of manually interacting with the system, testers leverage software using tools or write automation scripts that interact with the software on their behalf. The human tester only needs to click the “Run” button and let the script do the rest of the testing.
Many software testing initiatives follow a process commonly known as Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC). The STLC consists of 6 key activities to ensure that all software quality goals are met, as shown below:
In this stage, software testers work with stakeholders involved in the development process to identify and understand test requirements. The insights from this discussion, consolidated into the Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM) document, will be the foundation to build the test strategy.
There are 3 main people (the tres amigos) involved in the process:
After thorough analysis, a test plan is created. Test planning involves aligning with relevant stakeholders on the test strategy:
After defining the scenarios and functionalities to be tested, we'll start writing the test cases.
Here's what a basic test case looks like:
|
Component |
Details |
|
Test Case ID |
TC001 |
|
Description |
Verify Login with Valid Credentials |
|
Preconditions |
User is on the Etsy login popup |
|
Test Steps |
1. Enter a valid email address. 2. Enter the corresponding valid password. 3. Click the "Sign In" button. |
|
Test Data |
Email: validuser@example.com Password: validpassword123 |
|
Expected Result |
Users should be successfully logged in and redirected to the homepage or the previously intended page. |
|
Actual Result |
(To be filled in after execution) |
|
Postconditions |
User is logged in and the session is active |
|
Pass/Fail Criteria |
Pass: Test passes if the user is logged in and redirected correctly. Fail: Test fails if an error message is displayed or the user is not logged in. |
|
Comments |
Ensure the test environment has network access and the server is operational. |
This is a test case to check Etsy's login.
When writing a test case, make sure your test cases clearly show what’s being tested, what the expected outcome is, and how to troubleshoot if bugs appear.
After that comes test case management, which is simply tracking and organizing your test cases. You can do this with spreadsheets or tools like Xray for manual tests or use automation tools like Selenium, Cypress, or Katalon for faster results.
Setting up the test environment involves preparing the software and hardware needed to test an app, like servers, browsers, networks, and devices.
For a mobile app, you’ll need:
Development environment for early testing:
Physical devices to catch real-world issues:
Emulation environment for quick tests without physical devices:
With clear objectives in mind, the QA team writes test cases, test scripts, and prepares necessary test data for execution.
Tests can be executed manually or automatically. After the tests are executed, any defects found are tracked and reported to the development team, who promptly resolve them.
During execution, the test case goes through the following stages:
Read More: A Guide To Understand Test Execution
Finally, you need a test report to document the details of what happened during the software testing process. In a test report, you can usually see 4 main elements:
Software testers will then gather to analyze the report, evaluate the effectiveness, and document key takeaways for future reference.
The evolution of the testing model has been in parallel with the evolution of software development methodologies.
In the past, QA teams had to wait until the final development stage to start testing. Test quality was usually poor, and developers could not troubleshoot in time for product release.
The V-model solves that problem by engaging testers in every phase of development. Each development phase is assigned a corresponding testing phase. This model works well with the nearly obsolete Waterfall testing method.
On one side, there is “Verification”. On the other side, there is “Validation”.
As technology advances, the Waterfall model gradually gives way to the widely used Agile testing methods. Consequently, the V-model also evolved to the Test Pyramid model, which visually represents a 3-part testing strategy.
Most of the tests are unit tests, aiming to validate only the individual components. Next, testers group those components and test them as a unified entity to see how they interact. Automation testing can be leveraged at these stages for optimal efficiency.
The Honeycomb model is a modern approach to software testing in which Integration testing is a primary focus, while Unit Testing (Implementation Details) and UI Testing (Integrated) receive less attention. This software testing model reflects an API-focused system architecture as organizations move towards cloud infrastructure.
|
Aspect |
Manual Testing |
Automation Testing |
|
Definition |
Testing conducted manually by a human without the use of scripts or tools. |
Testing conducted using automated tools and scripts to execute test cases. |
|
Execution Speed |
Slower, as it relies on human effort. |
Faster, as tests are executed by automated tools. |
|
Initial Investment |
Low, as it primarily requires human resources. |
High, due to the cost of tools and the time required to write scripts. |
|
Accuracy |
Prone to human error, especially in repetitive tasks. |
More accurate, as it eliminates human error in repetitive tasks. |
|
Test Coverage |
Limited by human ability to perform extensive and repetitive tests. |
Extensive, as automated tests can run repeatedly with large data sets. |
|
Usability Testing |
Effective, as it relies on human judgment and feedback. |
Ineffective, as tools cannot judge user experience and intuitiveness. |
|
Exploratory Testing |
Highly effective, as humans can explore the application creatively. |
Ineffective, as it requires human intuition and exploratory skills. |
|
Regression Testing |
Time-consuming and labor-intensive. |
Highly efficient, as tests can be rerun automatically with each code change. |
|
Maintenance |
Lower, but can become tedious with frequent changes. |
Requires significant maintenance to update scripts with application changes. |
|
Initial Setup Time |
Minimal, as it does not require scripting or tool setup. |
High, due to the need to develop test scripts and set up tools. |
|
Skill Requirement |
Requires knowledge of the application and testing principles. |
Requires programming skills and knowledge of automation tools. |
|
Cost Efficiency |
More cost-effective for small-scale or short-term projects. |
More cost-effective for large-scale or long-term projects with repetitive tests. |
|
Reusability of Tests |
Limited, as manual tests need to be recreated each time. |
High, as automated tests can be reused across different projects. |
Read More: Automated Testing vs Manual Testing: A Detailed Comparison
Automated testing takes software testing to the next level, enabling QA teams to test faster and more efficiently. So is it making manual testing a thing of the past?
The short-term answer is “No”.
The long-term answer is “Maybe”.
Manual testing is always needed because only humans can evaluate the application’s UX and supervise automation testing.
However, AI technology is gradually changing the landscape. Smart testing features have been added to many automated software testing tools to drastically reduce the need for human intervention.
In the future, we can expect to reach Autonomous Testing, where machines completely take control and perform all testing activities. Many software testing tools have leveraged LLMs to bring us closer to this autonomous testing future.
Katalon allows QA teams to author web, mobile, and desktop apps and UI and API automated tests, execute those tests on preconfigured cloud environments and maintain them, all in one unified platform, without any additional third-party tools. The Katalon Platform is among the best commercial automation tools for functional software testing on the market.
Download Katalon and witness its power in action
Check out a video from Daniel Knott - one of the top influencers in the software testing field - talking about the capabilities of Katalon, and especially its innovative AI features:
Selenium simplifies testing by reducing manual effort and providing an intuitive interface for creating automated tests. Testers can use scripting languages like Java, C#, Ruby, and Python to interact with the web application. Key features of Selenium include:
Website: Selenium
GitHub: SeleniumHQ
Appium is an open-source automation testing tool specifically designed for mobile applications. It enables users to create automated UI tests for native, web-based, and hybrid mobile apps on Android and iOS platforms using the mobile JSON wire protocol. Key features include:
Appium simplifies mobile app testing by providing a comprehensive solution for automating UI tests across different platforms and devices.
Website: Appium Documentation
Ultimately, the goal of software testing is to deliver applications that meet and exceed user expectations. A comprehensive testing strategy is one that combines the best of manual and automation testing.
The most common type is functional testing, which checks if the software works as intended. Other popular types include unit testing (by developers) and regression testing (to ensure new changes don’t break existing features). The testing type depends on the project needs.
It depends. Manual testers usually don’t need coding. Automation testers do, using tools like Selenium or Cypress to write test scripts. While coding isn’t mandatory for all testers, it’s becoming increasingly important in automation roles.
Agile is the most widely used as it supports continuous testing and fast feedback. Waterfall suits projects with fixed requirements. DevOps is great for CI/CD pipelines. The best choice depends on the project.
SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) outlines steps from idea to release, including testing at every stage to ensure quality. Testing happens in phases like requirement analysis, development, testing, and maintenance.
Yes, QA is an IT job that ensures software meets quality standards. QA roles involve both technical skills (like using testing tools) and soft skills (like attention to detail). Automation QA roles are more technical.
Manual testing doesn’t require coding. Automation testing does, as testers write scripts to automate tests. While coding isn’t always needed, it’s becoming a valuable skill for QA professionals.