Recently, various new methodologies like Agile and DevOps are replacing all the conventional waterfall models of software development. This is one of the primary reasons why software developers are witnessing an increase in demand for thorough testing. The software testers also have to work in close coordination with software developers. Automation Testing has begun to replace manual testing in various parts of the application development life cycle. Naturally, the software developing companies have high expectations from their testers in this segment. However, the testers should have proper knowledge about Automation Testing before beginning this process. So, in this article, we are going to discuss certain facts about this technology that can help improve your knowledge. These facts can also help to increase the standards of your Automation Testing environment.
1. Automation Testing Requires a Definite Knowledge About Various Programming Languages
Many manual testers lack definite knowledge of various programming languages. In Reality, the developers must have the basic knowledge about programming languages to create the test scripts for automation testing. Using the knowledge of programming languages, the developers can also interact properly with the testing team. The knowledge about various programming languages can also help the testers to perform an in-depth analysis of various application parts along with unit testing. To get the required amount of knowledge, the testers need to analyze their role in the testing team. This data will help them understand exactly how much they need to know about programming languages. Now let us look at some of the aspects that the developers must know about different programming languages:
- Designing the Testing Framework
- Developing the Test Scripts for Automation Testing
- Understanding the Basics of the Web Application
2. The Testers Must have Complete Knowledge About Manual Testing Skills
To utilize the full potential of automation testing, the developers must have proper expertise in manual testing. Manual testing is highly essential to maintain the standards of any application development process. For instance, whenever there is a visual error, the human eye can immediately detect it. The developers must remember that it is almost impossible to automatically test every aspect of the development process. Therefore, they have to create a proper collaboration between the automation and Manual Testing processes. Moreover, it is an important process to look at the software from the perspective of the end-user. Using this process, the developers can find out various critical errors related to the user interface and proper app functioning. In simple terms, the developers must remember that Automation testing is only a piece of code. So, they must expect some minor errors in the testing process.
3. Testers Need to Increase their Knowledge About Automation Testing Tools
In this competitive world of application development, the end-users expect both speed and high quality from the companies. Moreover, the stakeholders of your company would expect you to develop bug-free and high-quality applications in a short time. This is one of the primary reasons why Automation Testing has become so popular in the current generation. However, the developers must have proper knowledge of all the automation tools and platforms to meet the expectations of the customers. Let us look at some of the popular platforms for performing automation testing.
LambdaTest
LambdaTest is a platform to perform automatic cross-browser testing with the help of a safe and Secure Selenium grid. Using this platform, the developers can check the functioning of the web application on thousands of browser and device combinations at the same time. This platform also helps the testers to check the functioning of all the locally hosted websites as well. The testers can also use this platform to check the proper functioning of all the visual elements on the web page. Using the simple bug-logging feature, they can detect all the errors present in the core framework of the application. Lastly, LambdaTest helps various teams of the company to work together to create a high-quality application in a short period.
Appium
In the current Software Development Industry, mobile applications are receiving higher priority compared to their desktop counterpart. Moreover, a recent survey suggests that more than 50% of total internet traffic is dominated by mobile users. So, the developers must pay proper attention to creating mobile web applications. Appium is an open-source framework that helps developers to create Complex hybrid mobile applications. The developers can use this framework to create applications for Windows, Android, and iOS platforms. Lastly, it is a very simple and easy-to-learn application for beginners in the automation testing industry.
4. You Have to Understand the Business Requirements for your Company
In the Software Development Industry, a tester cannot solve a problem without knowing much about it or the factors that are causing it. Before starting the software testing process, the developers must know everything about the web application and its development process. So let us take a look at some of the factors that the testers must know before beginning the testing process:
- The programming language that has been used for the creation of the web application. The testers should also have proper knowledge about the platform and device requirements for the users.
- All the databases that are responsible for the storage of all back-end information and user data related to the web application.
- All the functions and features of the web application before it goes live and is available to the end-users.
- Various parts of the application like the visual aesthetics that requires manual testing.
- A proper idea about the expected time to complete the testing process. The testers should also have an idea about the maximum deadline for the delivery of the application.
5. Testers Have to Learn Automation Tools Troubleshooting
As we already discussed in the previous parts of this article, automation testing and automation tools are not perfect. This means that the testers are likely to encounter various errors while performing automation testing. In certain cases, these errors can also be related to the automation tool itself. So, the testers must know how to troubleshoot automation tools. This process will save a lot of time as they do not have to wait for the technical team to come and solve these issues. In some cases, the automation testers might encounter errors in the test report even if the application is working perfectly fine. These situations are known as false positive and false negative errors respectively. Many experts believe that these errors occur due to the insufficient technical knowledge of automation testers.
6. Automation Testing Requires Proper Knowledge of Test Management Tools
The primary goal of Automation Testing is to reduce the total time involved in the testing process. However, the testers must have proper knowledge of the test management tools to utilise the full potential of automation testing. There are certain factors that all testers must consider before introducing test management tools in the testing environment. For instance, they must remember that test management tools are very flexible and allow companies to record every error for the sorting process. The scalability of test management tools helps the developers to share critical testing data with all the teams of the company. Lastly, the test automation tools provide various features to help the lead member of all testing teams. In simple terms, the software testers must consider the test automation tools and test management tools as two sides of the same coin.
7. You have to Learn Various Methodologies for Software Development
There was a time when the knowledge of testing different software was enough to become a software tester. However, considering the standards of the current competitive industry, the testers should start pushing their boundaries as soon as possible. It is a good idea for the testers to have some sort of knowledge about the working mechanism of various testing methodologies. For instance, if your company is using Agile or DevOps for application development then, you must have some idea about the working mechanism of these frameworks. Using this knowledge, you can also answer various questions of your company’s stakeholders. Lastly, the software testers can use this knowledge to elevate their testing standards in the coming years. So, you can easily relate the importance of this data to the success of a company.
8. The Certification Process
The certification process is vital for a web developer to secure his career in the industry. For instance, the certificate can help the developer to make his profile stand out from the masses. The certification process also helps testers to increase their knowledge base that eventually improves their innovative side of application development and testing. In automation testing, this process plays a key role in securing the career of the new testers. For instance, it encourages beginners to find new boundaries for application development. As we all know, Automation Testing is still in its beginning phase according to the current market standards. So, the testers should try to use all the possible ways to improve their testing processes. This process will also massively contribute to the quality of the applications that are about to come.
9. Thinking About Automation Testing as a Long-Term Investment
Many companies see the massive investment related to automation testing and consider it a waste of time and resources. However, they need to change their point of view to realize the huge potential of automation testing. Automation Testing indeed has a massive investment for introducing it in the testing environment. On the other hand, it will continue to benefit the company and its testing mechanism for multiple years. So, if the developers and testers consider automation testing as a long-term investment then, they can realize its real potential. This is one of the primary reasons why most of the massive development companies have been transforming the testing environment in recent years. Many experts believe that Automation Testing will become one of the key factors for successful web development in the coming years.
The Final Verdict
So, in this article, we discussed various facts that can help the developers and testers improve their ability in automation testing. We would like to advise the developers that they should never get too influenced by automation testing and neglect the importance of manual testing. As a developer, you should always remember that your primary goal is to ensure that customers can seamlessly interact with your website and web applications. Lastly, we would like to emphasize the importance of that automation tool selection process. The companies must choose the perfect tool to utilize the full potential of the testing environment. So, the developers can consider their business ideas and project requirements to make the perfect decision.