The software testing industry was dominated by manual testing for decades. It was for a good reason because it’s the most convenient way to imitate the user experience before the consumers actually get to use the product. But with the advancements in technology, as software becomes more complicated, an automated testing process is a cost-effective as well as a time-saving alternative to manual testing ways.
What Is Manual Testing?
Manual testing is the process that involves testing the software manually by a QA Analyst. It determines bugs in software under development. In manual testing, the tester checks all the crucial characteristics and features of the given software or application. He or she performs the test cases and generates the test reports without using any automation software testing tool.
It is an old-fashioned procedure and helps to find bugs in software systems. It is done by an experienced tester to complete the software testing process.
What Is Automated Testing?
It is software testing in which testers write test scripts or codes to automate testing. Testers use suitable automation tools to validate the software and develop the test scripts. The aim is to complete testing in less amount of time.
The automated testing process depends on the pre-scripted test that runs automatically. Its purpose is to compare the real results with the expected ones. It helps to determine whether an application performs as expected or not. It allows performing regression tests and repetitive tasks without the involvement of a manual tester. All the tasks are performed automatically when it comes to automated testing; however, automation does need some manual effort to create initial testing scripts.
The Advantages of Automated Testing
Even if your company has a finely tuned and streamlined manual testing process done by experienced testers. Still, there are a number of significant advantages of automated testing:
Enhanced Test Coverage
There is a limit on how many tests you can perform with manual testing. The tests performed are often highly dependent on the particular skillset and background of the tester. As the process is tester-specific, it becomes tough to replicate the same set of tests every time.
Unlike manual testing, automated testing runs multiple tests simultaneously, follows different parameters, and performs different tests on various configurations. It improves the overall test coverage and enables product owners, developers, and even customer success teams to take part in testing under the quality team. By this, you can create a culture of quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
Reduction in Human Error
The process that involves people has higher chances of human error. A purely manual testing process involves great risks of careless mistakes. For instance, if a person forgets to clear the browser cookies before starting a new test, it can slow the development process and add to the workload.
Automated testing reduces the risks of such errors. As all the steps record automatically, so any issues that arise will be addressed and identified immediately.
Decreased Time on Routine Testing
Manual testing is a time-consuming procedure. A single person can only cover a particular testing ground on a given time period. It makes manual testing hard to scale, particularly when there is software testing. It also means that the tester has a limited time for learning new skills.
On the other hand, automated testing significantly speeds up the QA process. It means that the development teams can deliver products quickly without worrying about bugs getting in the way of production. Automated testing tools have become intelligent with time. They don’t need constant manual intervention for carrying out routine tasks like regression testing and can perform them independently.
Enterprises can also reduce their time spent on testing by 80%. Testers can avail their time to focus on tackling other edge cases like improving test coverage, new features and products, and expanding end-to-end testing. Thus, they can improve the quality of the entire organization along with growing their own skills.
Better Staff Morale
Manual testers have valuable information and knowledge about the product with time and the in-house experts on the customer experience. But they have limited time other than manual testing. Testers will only focus on the pure testing that will limit their ability to contribute to higher-level initiatives, overall quality strategy, and digital transformation. It will result in more turnover as testers will start seeking growth elsewhere.
When you migrate to automated testing, it enables your quality team to focus on more crucial and higher-value activities. The testers will have more time to edge-case testing and learning and for leadership roles. It also maximizes their potential and improves employee retention and morale.
Conclusion
Manual testing will never go away completely. Even for developing an automated test, there is a need for manual processes at some level. Also, there are places where automation doesn’t always make sense. The unpredictability of human behavior is extremely valuable for finding bugs. Manual testing enables you to identify usability issues.
It completely depends on your project requirements, whether you need manual or automated testing. There are many vendors who can help you in making this decision, such as Xavor Corporation. Xavor QA experts can help you determine which is the perfect testing method for your software or application. And we offer both manual and automated testing services for your software.
