Software testing is an integral part of the software development process designed to ensure that every product feature is dependable and high-quality. Teams that conduct software testing do it in such a way that it provides comprehensive info about errors in the architecture, sees that it meets the stated product requirements, and performs as intended. This article will consider the concepts and terminologies commonly associated with software testing.

What is the purpose of Software testing?

Software testing is done by the developers/product teams to detect and rectify errors or faults early in the software development process. The early detection significantly minimises the risks of issues arising in the finished product. Proper software testing brings the following advantages:

• Software testing ensures that the software program meets users’ needs.
• It ensures that the software operates as designed.
• It ensures that the software maintains peak performance under varying testing conditions.
• It ensures that the final product has minimal errors.
• It ensures that applications conform to specifications.
• It ensures increased dependability.
• It ensures increased usefulness.
• It guarantees high-end quality.

Types of Software Testing

There are different types of software testing, each serving a unique process for quality assurance. Some tests scrutinise individual components or modules, while others encompass the entire system. There are scenarios where the interplay between multiple components demands evaluation. The choice of test type hinges on the testing objectives specific to a given product. In this article, we’ll delve into five key software testing types.

1. Functional Testing

In functional testing, QA isolates each component/feature of the software and tests them to see if they function as they should. 

For instance, when designing a website’s login portal, you can test to determine if the “Sign In” process works. Usually, the page may require providing an email address and a password. It is the role of functional testing to see that after a user provides the required details, the feature proceeds to sign in to the user as it should without any issue whatsoever. If the feature doesn’t operate as expected in the process, e.g., it displays a login error, then the case is logged for fixing.

2. Integration Testing 

Integration testing assesses how one software component interacts with another. For instance, let us consider the feature of a bank/fintech app that displays a customer’s account balance and the withdrawal or deposit feature within the application. An integration test determines the dashboard’s responsiveness, where the balance is displayed for every deposit or withdrawal action. So, if a user makes a deposit, the amount shown should increase, while if they withdraw, the balance should decrease by the same amount. Other things that may be examined in this process are the performance in terms of speed and user-friendliness. In other words, it evaluates how several components work smoothly together.

3. Regression Testing

Regression testing is like double-checking your work. When you update your software, you want to ensure you didn’t accidentally break something that was working perfectly before. That’s what regression testing does. It retests the old stuff to catch any unexpected issues caused by new changes. This is a type of software testing that helps maintain the quality and stability of your software.

4. System Testing/Validation

System testing is any test that evaluates the entire software at a go. This type of software testing detects any major problem that may affect the system.

5. Acceptance Testing 

Acceptance testing ensures that the software meets the user’s requirements and expectations. It is a series of tests that simulate how an intending user can benefit from the app and determine their challenges in using the software.

Manual Software Testing vs. Automated Software Testing

There are two primary ways to conduct testing. Testing can be manual or executed using test automation tools technology.

Manual testing involves using human testers to achieve different test cases using a software testing application. This type of testing is best conducted for User-facing test cases. It is an exploratory means of testing, and development teams often simulate user scenarios using human intuition.

An Automated test requires tools like Scandium, a no-code test automation tool, to execute pre-scripted tests on specific components or the whole system. The no-code testing tool doesn’t just allow users to conduct tests without any coding requirements; it enhances the efficiency of the testing process and provides for repeatability of test cases, especially in regression testing.

Terminologies Used in Software Testing

• Test Case: When discussing a test case, we mean a collection of inputs and expected outputs necessary to validate if a software component is functioning as it should.
• Test Suite: A series of test cases of the different components of the same software, when grouped, form what is known as a test suite. It allows for complete testing of all the features in every possible scenario.
• Test Plan: This focuses on the scope of the test, its approach, available resources, time of testing, and the deliverables. It becomes the pattern that the testing process follows.
• Test Strategy: This comprises the strategy devised for testing the entire project. It considers the test level, entry and exit criteria, and the test type.
• Defects and Bugs: These terms are equivalent to one another. They represent the deviation of any software component or the entire system from the intended function. Everything we do in software testing is designed to identify, record, and fix these deviations. These issues may range from a barely noticeable irregularity to a software breakdown.
• Regression Analysis: A working software that has passed the testing phase and deployed to end users may often develop unexpected complications. This is most common whenever software developers introduce new improvements or features to the software. These new additions may affect the UI or the performance of the software. Testing the software to ensure it does not negatively impact the existing functionalities is essential. This type of test is known as Regression testing. However, manual testing for regression testing is costly and laborious, which is why many product teams use automated tools. Scandium’s no-code automation system further simplifies the process of testing for team members who cannot code, such as product managers and quality assurance experts.
• Black Box Testing:  This form of testing examines how a system functions without foreknowledge of its internal code structure. It applies to tests that cover user-facing features such as the user interface and the behaviour of the software components.
• White Box Testing entails inspecting the code structure and its fundamental logic. It requires the knowledge of the internal workings of the software.
• Performance Testing: This type of testing assesses software’s stability, responsiveness, and scalability in different relevant scenarios. Performance testing can be subdivided into stress testing, load testing, and scalability testing. All these tests are designed to see how the product performs under heavy pressure, a simulation of how it would perform in real-world settings. If the software is to be used by 1000 users, then the tests will be conducted in a scenario replicating the expected load on the system at that level. When this kind of test is conducted, you can assess the software’s speed, its UI’s responsiveness, and feedback from specific features.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) – The end users ultimately validate if the software is satisfactory. The satisfaction level they get will be determined by how well the product meets their expectations and requirements. The process in which this is carried out is known as User Acceptance Testing, often called Beta Testing. It is the final stage before software is determined to be ready for market release. To ensure this works, development teams must allow a critical feedback loop to get users’ opinions and make necessary changes to ensure client satisfaction.

Conclusion

Everyone involved in the process of building software needs to understand these components and terminologies. Your software testing process is just about to get much better. With the help of a no-code test automation tool like Scandium, you have a friendly and handy tool that removes the burden of coding from your testing process and simplifies the testing process. It not only aids in issue identification and resolution, but it also contributes to the overall success of producing dependable, high-quality software products over time as your software undergoes improvements.