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Testing is an integral part of the development process and arguably could be the most important aspect due to the role they play in shaping the final product.
In the past, a manual approach to testing reigned supreme, but now with automated alternatives available, some herald the demise of manual testing. So, is this really the case, or will manual testing remain relevant even in the age of automation?
Automated tests make a lot of sense
There are many reasons why test automation is growing in popularity and redefining the way developers build their projects.
First, test automation platforms like TestProject.io make it much more accessible than it ever has been, lowering the barrier to entry and meaning that even smaller-scale developers can justify paying. take the plunge without having to worry about spiraling costs.
Second, the emergence of cloud-based automated testing solutions has also helped alleviate many efficiency and accessibility issues, meaning that even teams scattered around the world can collaborate on the creation and deployment. while allowing remote data centers to do the heavy lifting.
Finally, there is the increased precision and repeatability that test automation innately offers. While manual testing by flesh and blood testers can be prone to human error, no such pitfall exists when everything is automated. And since the testers themselves are aware that they might find themselves in a precarious position, there is an increased likelihood of unforced errors.
There are limits to keep in mind
So far, it may appear that there is little hope for manual testing, and that the merchants of doom are right in predicting its imminent downfall. However, there is a big picture to appreciate and some aspects of the testing process that automation currently cannot handle.
Perhaps more importantly, you can only really use automation to find the expected errors; those that you can foresee and anticipate, but that you may not be able to pinpoint particularly quickly on your own. Errors in the way the code was written, for example, are ideally eliminated with automated testing, as there are parameters set for what can be searched.
On the flip side, manual testing is always unbeatable when it comes to identifying issues that you might not have thought of, or that might not be able to express and quantify. a way that automated services can interpret. If a project’s design and functionality isn’t up to par, it may be something that a human tester picks up almost immediately, but automated testing software wouldn’t report if it was the only one. solution used.
It all comes down to the idea that at the end of the day most software applications are created with the intention of appealing to end users. So even if a project is able to tick all the boxes from a test automation perspective, it won’t be ready for release if it doesn’t meet users’ expectations.
A mixed approach will work best
Now you might think that things have shifted in favor of manual testing and that test automation will certainly remain a niche interest, but again, this is really a false dichotomy. In reality, the future of testing lies somewhere in between.
Many developers take a hybrid approach that uses manual testing in conjunction with automation to get the best of both worlds.
For test automation to work best, you first need testers to determine what issues need to be looked for so that the test can be created and automated. Then there are those puzzles that test automation just can’t pick up on, as we’ve seen before; members of the human team will have to pay attention to UI issues, accessibility issues, odd color palette conflicts, etc. which means their role is preserved.
Ultimately, it’s about merging manual and automatic testing to ensure that QA teams are able to work more efficiently and avoid many of the most tedious and time-consuming tasks they do. had to do it by hand, and instead focus on the more interesting aspects of troubleshooting during development.
Along with the efficiency benefits, it should also allow developers to build more robust and reliable applications from day one of launch, and also implement more testing phases without extending development time.
Wrap
There is no doubt that automation is causing upheaval, not only in software testing, but in many industries.
However, digging a little deeper reveals that the best way to harness these technologies is in conjunction with a human workforce, so manual testing will certainly be a boon for the foreseeable future.
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