Reaching an almost finished product is worth celebrating. But, hold your horses just yet. Until you complete software testing, you cannot fully say that it is ready for production and release.
Software testing pertains to the assessment if the product works appropriately as its purpose dictates. It is also to analyze if it meets the written standards set by the developers and stakeholders.
The primary purpose of software tests is to identify the coding errors and remove bugs to improve the software’s overall quality. It is to boost software performance and enhance user experience and data protection at the very least. Reliable testing can ultimately improve the overall quality of the product, bringing about multiple benefits to the company and to its users. QA automation testing tools can resolve problems like repetitive tasks in order to free up your team’s time to do more complex or more creative problem-solving.
The Types: What You Need To Know
Software testing has two primary types: functional and non-functional testing. Some developers sometimes recognize maintenance testing as a general type, too.
Functional Testing
This type of testing entails the assessment of the functional details of a software product. The testers monitor the performance of each feature to test their functionality. An in-depth analysis will occur to see if the expected results of each function happen or not. What’s best with functional testing is that testers can use both manual and automated testing techniques.
Functional testing has its subtypes. Eight of the most prevalent subtypes include:
- End-to-end testing
- Unit testing
- Integration testing
- User Interface testing
- Regression testing
- Black box testing
- White-box testing
- Acceptance testing
End-to-end Testing
It happens when testing involves the entire software system. It is only done a few times during one testing process because this subtype requires a significant amount of time and use of resources to complete.
Unit Testing
It is a functional testing subtype wherein each component undergoes a thorough assessment. In-depth knowledge and training on programming is a requirement to perform this testing. Programmers perform this test in tandem with the testers, who oversee the process.
Integration Testing
Software products are often integrated with various sets of modules. Integration testing is necessary to check if the combination of modules will affect the performance of the software or not.
User Interface Testing
This testing subtype allows the inspection of what users can see in the interface. Its goal is to assess if the interface is at par with the specification set by the client and other stakeholders. It also checks if the software UI will be user-friendly and visually pleasing to its users.
Regression Testing
This subtype involves the testing of the functionality of the software’s features after specific modifications. It may be after code changes or bug elimination. Whatever the changes may be, whether it is in a component or module, regression testing is always a must.
Black Box Testing
This testing type is under the responsibility of the company’s QA team. It is an approach that checks software functionality without the technicalities. The testers do not need to check the software structure and coding. They only require to see if all the features work well without errors or glitches.
White-Box Testing
White-box testing happens under the supervision of the development team. It needs in-depth knowledge of the software’s coding and structure.
Acceptance Testing
This functional testing subtype entails high involvement with the client that purchased the software. It is to assess if they are satisfied with the product or not based on their specific standards or criteria.
Functional testing shows better results when done using a test management tool for test cases. Test management tools allow proper handling of the entire process, including the documentation of test runs and report generation for the developers and stakeholders.
Non-Functional Testing
It is the second primary type of software testing. Non-functional testing involves assessing and analyzing the non-functional characteristics of the product, like reliability, security, and many more. Testers perform non-functional testing once functional tests conclude.
The goal of non-functional testing is to enhance the software’s quality. While functional tests’ final result is geared towards the same goal, non-functional testing provides a better environment to push the goal. It allows developers to polish the rough elements of the software based on the tester’s report. Basically, it is not about the software’s capability to run but how well it performs.
Additionally, take note that this type of software testing runs only via automation. Therefore, it is best to search for and acquire the best test management tools to help you run the tests manageable.
There are many subtypes under non-functional testing. Some of which are:
- Compatibility testing
- Compliance testing
- Disaster recovery testing
- Efficiency testing
- Endurance testing
- Failover testing
- Load testing
- Localization testing
- Performance testing
- Reliability testing
- Scalability testing
- Security testing
- Stress testing
- Usability testing
- Volume testing
Compatibility Testing
It is a non-functional testing sub-type that requires testers to assess the compatibility of the software with different OS, internet browsers, hardware, etc. Testers will run the software through different configurations to see if it will work well on specific environments. i
For example, the product is created as an app for Windows. The testing team needs to check if it will run correctly through various versions of the Windows OS. Or, if it runs as an Android app, the software must be compatible even with the lower versions of the Android operating system. Testers should also check if the software can be accessed using popular web browsers, which is a must for web applications.
Disaster Recovery Testing
It involves the assessment of how well the software can recover through a disaster. In this scenario, a disaster is when a system crashes, which can occur anytime. Testers monitor if the software can work properly again once the cause of the error is fixed. Keep in mind that even if your software has promising features when it cannot recover after an error or glitch, users still become unsatisfied.
Load Testing
It is non-functional testing that examines the load that a system can carry before its performance starts to decline. Through this test, the testing team will understand the limitation of the software’s load capacity.
Performance Testing
It is a non-functional testing subtype that shows the performance rating of the software. The testers can evaluate if the software’s performance can pass the standards set by the stakeholders through the assistance of testing tools. Moreover, performance testing tools can also provide recommendations on improving the software’s performance concerning the results of the testing.
Reliability Testing
It is a testing subtype under the non-functional category that confirms if the software has high reliability or not. It verifies if the system can run without any glitches that a user can entirely rely on. For example, users will perceive the software as non-reliable if a user’s data gets lost after months of inactivity or coding error.
Scalability Testing
It is non-functional testing that checks if the software can be scaled or not. Scalability means understanding if the software can run well, even with the increase of transactions and users every day. This testing is significantly essential to business software, which may process hundreds of money transactions every minute.
Security Testing
This kind of testing is a requirement to increase protection for your application. It can help avoid security breaches, tarnishing the company’s reputation, and the user’s confidence in the system. Security professionals perform tests to assess if the system can ward off attacks and how much they can handle them.
A security test will also allow testers to pinpoint loopholes in the security of the software. Through it, the developers can fix the errors that can significantly increase the software’s data protection.
Usability Testing
It is where the user-friendliness of the software is assessed. It requires an analysis of whether a user can easily understand and navigate the app system. Usability testing will show if a user can go through the system and its features without confusion on what to do next.
One approach to do usability testing is to gather a few people to use the software. You will monitor if they can swiftly use the features without your assistance.
Final Thoughts
Refreshing your knowledge on the different types of software testing highlights how all software must undergo one. Remember that every software project is unique. Therefore, the types of testing that it needs to have is different from another. It will depend on various factors, such as structure type, purpose, interface category, and many more. Moreover, as software testing is significantly vital, you must be able to search for the best test management tool that will surely bring a successful testing process.
Keep in mind that almost everyone now relies on software. All industries, from healthcare, trade and commerce, banking and finance, government transactions, and many more embraced digitization and the utilization of apps to connect more to users worldwide. Skipping the testing process can bring danger to the organization and its users. It can cause a data breach, loss of finances, and even deaths in specific situations.
Moreover, whatever type of testing your software needs, be smart on choosing the best test management tools to eliminate any problems in the future.
Author’s Bio
Patrick is an IT expert with specialization software development and testing. He has significant involvement in various software testing projects. On the side, he writes articles on software testing and its importance to various organizations.
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