As correctly tested software product guarantees reliability, high performance, robustness in functionality and safety which further results in cost-effectiveness, time-saving, and client contentment. Moreover, we, as testers are aware of the several types of software testing techniques, for example, a/b testing, functional, non-functional, smoke testing, regression testing, agile testing, and much more types.
Also, each type of software testing has its unique features, benefits, and drawbacks. Nevertheless, in this article, we will cover different software testing strategies and the main categories of testing.
Let’s start our discussion!
Different Types of Software Testing
There are countless categories of software testing. Every type is specific and unique in its characteristics. Let’s make a list of some commonly used software test strategies such as:
Functional Testing types contain:
- Unit Testing
- System Testing
- Sanity Testing
- Interface Testing
- Smoke Testing
- Integration Testing
- Regression Testing
- Beta/Acceptance Testing
Likewise, non-functional testing forms contain:
- Performance Testing
- Load Testing
- Volume Testing
- Stress Testing
- Install Testing
- Security Testing
- Compatibility Testing
- Recovery Testing
- Localization Testing
- Reliability Testing
- Usability Testing
- Compliance Testing
What Is A/B Testing?
If we talk about the testing, then one question arises in our mind that what is A/B testing, and how it does work? Let us tell you, and the main objective of this type of testing in this write-up. Normally, it is the technique of matching two versions of a webpage/ app against each other to decide which one executes better and has better user acceptability.
However, A/B testing is testing where two or more variants of a webpage expose to users at random. And the statistical study applies to decide which variation performs well for a certain conversion goal. Commonly, A/B testing in software is known as bucket testing or split testing.
How Can We Use A/B Testing Process?
So here is an A/B testing setting/process that you can use to start running your tests.
Let’s Have a Look!
1: Collect Information
Your analytics will frequently provide the understanding and real-time information so you can initiate optimizing. Moreover, it helps to initiate high traffic zones of your website or app, as that will permit you to gather information quickly. Always look for pages with low conversion rates and the ones that can be upgraded.
2: Pinpoint Goals
Goals can be everything from clicking a button or connection to product purchases or e-mail signups. Perhaps, these are the metrics that are useful to determine the variation success as compared to the original version. Know what your need is and address that through this testing technique.
3: Make a Hypothesis
When you have identified an objective you can start making A/B testing designs and hypotheses. Make a list of ideas/hypotheses to overcome the implementation difficulty.
4: Create Variants
Using your A/B testing in software, make the preferred variations of the targeted element(s)/sections of your site.
These changes or variations can include the
- Altering the color of a button
- Hiding navigation features
- Exchange the order of features on the page
- Changing the UI/UX in a way to showcase important information at the top
- Or other custom changes
5: Run Experiment
Afterward, run your experiment and wait for people to join. At this point, users coming into your website/app can be arbitrarily assigned to either of your created app sections’ variations. The user behavior is thoroughly analyzed via the nature of their navigations and activities.
6: Analyze Results
Similarly, once your test is complete, it’s time to evaluate the outcomes. Furthermore, your A/B testing software will present the statistics from the experiment. And, show you the alteration between how the two versions of your app’s sections are executed. In this way, you can analyze the significant statistical difference between the two variants. Then lastly, finalize the version and keep it within your app that has more user acceptance.
Top Three Testing Techniques for Stable Functioning Software
Now we will discuss the three main software testing strategies that are highly essential for stable functioning:
- Smoke testing
- Stress testing
- Regression testing
What Is Smoke Testing? How does it Work?
Smoke testing, also known as build verification testing. Usually, it’s a kind of software testing that involves a non-exhaustive set of trials. Also, this test aims at ensuring that the most important functions work.
The outcome of this analysis is used to determine if a build is stable enough to continue with further analysis and ongoing development. However, it can also be practiced to decide whether to reveal a production release or to regress.
Moreover, smoke testing came to software testing from analogous hardware testing. It means that the device passed the experiment if it did not catch fire or smoked the first time it was used. Besides, it covers the core functionality of a module/ system to decide whether it functions suitably before planned testing initiates.
The conclusion of this examination is used to determine whether to continue with more testing. If the test passes, go forward with additional testing. Otherwise, if it flops, stop further tests and ask for a different build with the vital fixes. If the outcome from this testing technique results in buggy software then further comprehensive testing can be a waste of time and effort. This technique is very helpful to quickly conclude if a given software is OK or otherwise.
Role of Smoke Testing
This test aids in revealing integration and main glitches early in the cycle. You can conduct this test on both freshly created software and improved software. Correspondingly, you are able to execute it manually or with the support of automation implements/scripts. If builds are organized regularly, it is best to automate smoke testing. Generally, a smoke test can be used at:
- Integration testing level
- Acceptance testing level
- System testing level
Ordinarily, smoke software testing is conducted by the Black Box Testing method. And its execution can be either automated or manual. In Black Box Testing, you don’t care how the application is being built or what its structure is. All you do is to feed certain inputs and then expect specific outputs. If both I/O matches as per your expectations then it’s all good.
- Expose integration problems
- Reveals glitches earlier
- Provides a level of confidence
Do not consider smoke testing to be a substitute for regression testing or functional testing. Otherwise, the smoke is sure to turn into fire.
What is Stress Testing?
It is a type of software testing technique that confirms the stability and consistency of software applications. Mainly, in the field of software engineering, stress testing is also recognized as endurance testing.
Also, the most noticeable use of stress analysis is to define the limit, to which the software or hardware halts. It also determines whether the system reveals effective error management under risky situations or not.
Goals of Stress Testing
This testing aims to measure software’s sturdiness and error handling abilities under exceptionally heavy load situations. It even checks beyond normal functioning points and estimates how the software operates under extreme circumstances.
Furthermore, it analyzes the performance of the system after a failure. For stress testing technique to be successful, a system should show an appropriate error message while it is under extreme conditions. The core purpose of stress examination is to make sure that the system recuperates and restores itself after failure which is termed as recoverability.
Types of Stress Testing
Following are the different types of stress testing technique:
- Application Stress Testing
- Exploratory Stress Testing
- Distributed Stress Testing
- Transactional Stress Testing
- Systemic Stress Testing
How to Conduct Stress Testing Process?
As far as the process is concerned, the testing procedure can be performed by the following steps.
- Planning the Stress Experiment
- In this step, you collect the system data, examine the system, and define the test goals.
- Produce Automation Scripts
- At this stage, you make an automation script and produce the test information for stressful situations.
- Script Implementation
- In this phase, you run the testing automation scripts and store the results.
- Results Analysis
Here you can analyze the test results and recognize bottlenecks.
Alteration & Optimization
In this step, you tweak the system, alter the code base alongside code optimization with the goal meet the preferred level. Finally, you again run the complete cycle to analyze that the tweaks have made the desired results. For instance, it’s not uncommon to have to 3-4 series of the testing process to attain the performance goals.
Tools Suggested for Stress Analysis
- Neo load
- Stress Tester
- Selenium Webdriver.
What is Regression Testing?
A regression testing can be defined as a testing technique to check that a new database or code alteration has not badly affected existing features. Essentially, it is a full or incomplete selection of previously performed test cases that you can re-execute to confirm current functionalities work well.
Generally, we can perform this testing to ensure that new code variations should not have negative effects on the present functionalities. It confirms that the old code still functions when the newest code changes may possibly finish.
Need for Regression Testing
Primarily, the need for regression testing strategy arises when there is a need to change the code. Also, we want to test whether the altered code affects the other part of the software app or not. Additionally, regression testing is required, when a fresh feature is introduced to the software application. Basically, it is for fault fixing and performance problem fixing.
How to Conduct Regression Test Analysis?
To do this analysis, we have to first fix the code to detect the bugs. After detecting the bugs, apply compulsory alterations to patch your codebase. At that moment the regression testing may be completed by choosing related test cases from the test set. Hence, it covers both changed and affected parts of that particular code.
Nonetheless, software maintenance is an action that contains improvements, error adjustments, optimization, and deletion of present features. Thus, these changes might cause the system to operate falsely. Therefore, the regression technique becomes essential. One can perform this test by using different custom-made strategies or techniques and these test cases/techniques vary from software to software.
Indeed, Retest All is the method to conduct the fully-fledged testing. In this technique, all the trials in the existing test cases should be re-executed. Though, this is very costly as it needs huge time and money. Regression Testing is a subset of the Retest All testing technique.
Regression Test Selection
Nevertheless, it is a method in which you can perform some particular test cases from the test suite to test the altered code. And also you can observe the influence of code on a software app by this process. Unquestionably, test cases are classified into two parts such as
- Reusable test cases: can be used in a further cycle
- Obsolete test cases: cannot be used in subsequent regression cycle
Choosing Test Cases for Regression Testing
If your software experiences regular changes, regression testing expenses will increase. In such circumstances, manual implementation of test cases enhances execution time as well as expenses. Consequently, automation of test cases is the smart option in such conditions. The extent of mechanization depends on the number of test cases that remain re-usable for succeeding regression phases.
You can choose various test cases to conduct effective regression experiments such as:
- Test cases that have regular faults
- All Integration Test Cases
- All Complex Test Cases
- Boundary value test cases
- A model of successful test cases
- A model of failed test cases
- Functionalities that are more evident to the customers
- Test cases that validate the core properties of the product
- Test cases of functionalities that have experienced enhancements and customizations
There are following are the highly significant tools. You can use these tools for both regression and functional testing in software engineering.
- Quick Test Professional (QTP)
- Rational Functional Tester (RFT)
Hence, all the software testing strategies are highly effective and operational to detect the system’s bugs. These testing types can save money and time for various organizations, hence saving you from the problems that you may face while developing an app. Everyone can implement the software testing scheme according to his requirements and the extent of the problems. A good phase of Software testing ensures a reliable Software application. So no matter if you have an MVP or a full-scale app, always conduct the needed software testing technique.
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