Interface test automation tool
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Software Test Automation Problem

Software development is not possible without tests and quality assurance. Software engineers use various testing methods to perform control of their job. There is a number of approaches, called automated testing, which involves methods that don't require human action.

Software test automation involves automating a manual testing process that uses a formalized testing procedure. Test automation involves the use of software in order to control the execution of the tests, setting up the pre-conditions for the test, comparisons of the predicted outcomes to the actual outcomes and many more test reporting functions.

A number of test automation tools are now available which allow testers to test the codes in less time. These tools also provide a record and playback feature which allow users to record the actions and then replay them a number of times to test the codes. All this sounds simple and easy but, reliance on test automation tools can result in a number of problems.

One of the problems associated with test automation is the cost. Automated testing is an expensive process as special tools are required for performing the tests, creating test cases automatically and even for making comparisons. In addition to this, software test automation is not a replacement for the manual testing as it not easy to automate complex tests. Automated testing saves time but manual testing is still required for carrying out complex tests and so, automated testing seems to be an addition to the testing process and not the replacement.

Test automation requires more resources when compared to other testing methods. Sometimes, it is not easy to decide the correct tool required for the testing and sometimes it is not easy to maintain the test execution. Skilled people are required to carry out automated testing and it can take some good amount of time to train the testers. Being an expensive process, an automated test needs to be well-planned or else there will be a risk of losing time and money. In addition to planning and skilled resources, test automation requires sufficient preparation before carrying out the tests. Compromising on any of these will lead to failure of the automated test.

So, test automation is a useful process as it saves time but it has its disadvantages as well. It can be a huge success with skilled people, careful plans and good preparation but it can cause a disaster as well.

Record and Playback Test

Record and Playback test comes under automated testing as it uses record and playback tools to simply record a set of test activities and then playback them repeatedly to carry out the testing process.

In this testing method, a separate file is created for recording the different keystrokes entered by the user along with the timing information. One you’ve saved the keystrokes in the file, you can play the file against an application to test it and a log file is maintained which is analyzed accordingly to see if the application performs correctly or not. Record and playback test speeds up the testing process as the process can be repeated a number of times once you’ve recorded the testing steps appropriately.

It might seem pretty easy to carry out test cases with this method but there are certain drawbacks associated with this method. Usually, the scripts used for this purpose contain hard coded values which must be changed if some change is made to the application. This adds the overhead of updating the script. Also, the cost of maintaining these scripts is at a higher side. In addition to this, all the tests must be re-recorded if some changes are made to the application being tested.

Record and playback method is something that doesn’t work well in a real-world situation as changes are made to the application at regular intervals to improve the performance and the reliability. However, if intelligent tools are used then this method can work in some cases but it is not one of the most efficient testing methods.

At the end, record and playback test might work in some simple situations but it is not the best method to go with when compared to other available automation testing processes and tools.

Software Interface Testing

Interface testing is one of the most important tests carried out during any Quality Assurance process. Human beings interact with hardware via an interface and interface testing is carried out to validate the functionality and the accuracy of the interface to the written specifications. Several companies use interface testing to ensure that customers don’t face any problem in using the software once the software is delivered to them. The need for the interface testing comes from the fact that developers want to support more than one language in their products and this makes it very important to understand the interface so as to offer a reliable, easy-to-use interface to the customers around the world.

In interface testing, feedback from the end-user is very important as developers introduce changes to the application on the basis of user’s feedback. As a part of the interface testing, users are asked to complete a specific task. This is done to see if the program’s flow matches with the user’s natural strategy or not and how easy is it to navigate within the application. Interface testing is also done to see which areas of the application are first accessed while solving a problem and how easy it is to use the software.

While an end-user is testing the product, a moderator remains silent and keeps documenting the user’s reaction to the application. At the end of the session, users are interviewed and appropriate changes are made to the application. The changes made are based on the feedback received from the users. Interface testing allows developers to see the real-time reactions of the users and make suitable changes so as to make the product more user-friendly. So, interface testing helps developers to improve the product’s overall acceptance and it also helps them to improve the user experience.

Manual Software Testing

Software testing is a process to test the product against the specifications. It involves interaction with the product to detect the available bugs and also to check the reliability of the product. In manual software testing, a team of testers interact manually with the application so as to test it against the well-written specifications.

Various test combinations are prepared by the testers and tests are executed manually with an aim of detecting bugs. The results are then compared with the expected results. A deviation from the expected results is a sign of presence of a bug and more test cases are formed to detect the bug. Manual software testing helps the developers to improve the quality of the product before it is delivered to the users. However, skilled testers are required to perform the testing process.

Manual software testing is one of the best testing practices but it has some disadvantages as well. Sufficient domain knowledge is required to understand the requirements and the organization’s process. So, skilled testers with sufficient domain knowledge are required for carrying out different types of tests efficiently. Lack of skilled testers is one of the serious problems associated with manual software testing. Manual software testing is a time consuming and a costly activity as everything is performed manually. Deciding the tests to validate the product is also a difficult task as there are a number of test combinations which can be carried out to validate a product. However, this won’t be a problem if you have experienced testers in your testing team.

Despite of its drawbacks, manual software testing is still a recommended activity as no other testing method can replace it. If you manage the test activities accordingly and if you’re thorough in the test design and documentation then you’ll definitely see great results with manual testing.

Black Box Testing

Black box testing is a type of testing in which the system is considered as a ‘black-box’ and the testers don’t use their knowledge of internal structure or code to validate the application against the specifications. Black box testing is also termed as ‘behavioral testing’ as it mainly focuses on the functionality of the system as a whole. However, the tests can be non-functional as well. The black box testing method is applicable to all the levels of the software testing i.e. unit, integration, system, functional and acceptance testing.

Some of the common black box test design techniques are:

  • Equivalence Partitioning. In this, the input domain of a program is divided into classes of data which can then be used to derive the test cases.
  • Boundary Value Analysis. In this technique, the extreme boundary values are chosen as the systems have a tendency to fail on the boundary. The extreme boundary values include minimum, maximum, typical, just inside/outside and error values.

Some of the advantages associated with black box testing are:

  • Once the functional specifications are complete, it is fairly easy to design the test cases.
  • It is simple to check the contradictions present between the specifications and the actual system.
  • Even a non-technical person can perform black box testing as internal structure knowledge is not required to carry out the black box testing.

Some of the disadvantages associated with black box testing are:

  • Writing test cases is a slow process as it is difficult to identify all the possible inputs in a limited time.
  • Black box testing requires the test inputs to be from large sample space.
  • Since the internal structure knowledge is not required to carry out the black box testing, there’s every chance of having some un-identified paths during the testing which can lead to degradation in the performance.

To conclude, black-box testing is recommended to test the functionality of the system as a whole and it comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
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