Reaching an almost-finished product is worth celebrating. But, hold your horses just yet. You must complete software testing before you can fully say that it is ready for production and release.
Software testing pertains to assessing whether the product works appropriately as its purpose dictates and analyzing whether it meets the written standards set by the developers and stakeholders.
The primary purpose of software tests is to identify 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 improve the overall quality of the product, bringing about multiple benefits to the company and 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 assessing the functional details of a software product. The testers monitor the performance of each feature to test its 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. This subtype is only done a few times during one testing process because it requires a significant amount of time and resources to complete.
Unit Testing
It is a functional testing subtype in which each component undergoes a thorough assessment. Programmers must have in-depth knowledge and training in programming to perform this testing, which they do 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 inspection of what users can see in the interface. Its goal is to assess whether the interface meets the specifications set by the client and other stakeholders. It also checks whether the software UI will be user-friendly and visually pleasing to its users.
Regression Testing
This subtype involves testing the functionality of the software’s features after specific modifications. This may be after code changes or bug elimination. Whatever the changes, whether 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 are only required to see if all the features work well without errors or glitches.
White-Box Testing
White-box testing occurs under the supervision of the development team and requires in-depth knowledge of the software’s coding and structure.
Acceptance Testing
This functional testing subtype entails extensive involvement with the client who purchased the software. The goal is to assess whether they are satisfied with the product 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 product’s non-functional characteristics, such as reliability, security, and 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 achieve it. 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 these 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 a Windows app. The testing team needs to check if it will run correctly through various versions of the Windows OS. 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 from a disaster. In this scenario, a disaster is when a system crashes, which can occur at any time. 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 need to be satisfied.
Load Testing
Non-functional testing 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 software’s performance rating. 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 whether the software is highly reliable. It verifies whether the system can run without any glitches that a user can entirely rely on. For example, users will perceive the software as unreliable if a user’s data gets lost after months of inactivity or coding error.
Scalability Testing
It is non-functional testing that checks whether the software can be scaled. Scalability means understanding whether the software can run well, even with the increase in 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 the protection of 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 software’s security. Developers can fix the errors, which can significantly increase the software’s data protection.
Usability Testing
It is where the software’s user-friendliness 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 navigate the system and its features without confusion about 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 of 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 are different from those of others. 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, have 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 death in specific situations.
Moreover, whatever type of testing your software needs, choose the best test management tools to eliminate problems in the future.
Author’s Bio
Patrick is an IT expert with a specialization in software development and testing. He has been significantly involved in various software testing projects and writes articles on software testing and its importance to various organizations.
You can read here about – AI in Content Management System