Enterprises today aim to deliver high-quality software that can be scaled and Quality Assurance(QA) automation has become a keystone of modern SDLC. A recent survey by dogq.io shows that automation is a key part of the QA process for more than 40% of the companies.
Successful QA automation needs a full-proof strategic approach that grows with an application’s complexity. From laying the foundation with unit tests to achieving comprehensive coverage through end-to-end testing, here’s a guide to scaling QA automation effectively. Let’s get into it.
A Guide to Test Automation Pyramid Implementation
Did you know? The most time-consuming activity in the testing cycle happens to be manual testing with around 14% of companies aiming to eliminate it completely. Luckily, test automation has helped to automate over 50% of the manual testing efforts in more than 46% of the cases.
Also, 24% of companies who invested in test automation had immediate returns on investment (ROI) realization, while another 24% observed an increase in ROI within six months, and 28% within a year. Additionally, automation can boost defect detection by up to 90% compared to manual testing! These significant advantages clearly underscore the efficiency of automated testing in DevOps.
Now, the Test Automation Pyramid popularized by Mike Cohn, is a concept that advocates for a balanced approach to automated testing, highlighting the need for a wide base of low-level tests, a moderate amount of medium-level tests, and a small number of high-level tests. This structure provides a framework for structuring test suites efficiently, which ultimately helps to achieve effective, efficient, and maintainable test automation.
The 3 main layers of the pyramid are:
Unit Tests (Base)
This layer is the foundation of the pyramid and happens to represent the smallest, fastest tests, focused on validating individual functions or modules. These isolated tests, which are the easiest to write and maintain, are written in the codebase and help identify issues early in the development process.
Service/Integration Tests (Middle)
This middle layer has tests that focus on interactions between components, modules, or external services, ensuring functional correctness without relying on the UI layer. These tests, while typically slower than unit tests, are still automated and should run frequently.
UI/End-to-End Tests (Top)
This layer constitutes the smallest and most expensive layer of tests. These tests simulate real user interactions with the application, checking overall system behavior. They also happen to be slower, more fragile, and prone to failures due to environmental changes, and should be used sparingly for critical workflows alone.
By following this structure, teams can maintain fast feedback loops and cut down their maintenance overheads.
The Art of Cross-Browser and Cross-Platform Testing
Let’s talk about cross-browser and cross-platform testing and how they help in scaling QA automation.
These methodologies are very important in the current application development cycle. They facilitate a web application to maintain consistent output to users on different browsers, OS and devices. Cross-browser testing entails validating a given web application to ensure that it works as intended across multiple browsers, which includes Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Internet explorer for minor differences in rendering engines, CSS support or JavaScript functions. Cross-platform testing, however, includes an array of testing that spans different operating systems, for example Windows, Mac, and Linux and mobile platforms such as IOS and Android.
As the number and types of devices and browsers users are using increase, such testing strategies assist in early detection and rectification of user interface, speed, and functionality irregularities. Selenium, Playwright, and Cypress are some examples of tools used for the automation of browser testing. They enable developers to write scenarios in which users interact with applications, such as pressing buttons, filling out forms, and going through sites so that it is tested that the web application works in all scenarios as anticipated. Platforms like BrowserStack and Sauce Labs, for mobile & cross-browser compatibility testing, give access to real-device testing environments without dependency on physical hardware. They also support parallel testing and integrate with popular CI/CD pipelines, making them invaluable for ensuring quality across diverse user environments.
By implementing thorough cross-browser and cross-platform testing, teams can confidently deliver applications that work seamlessly across a broad spectrum of user environments, ultimately improving the application’s reach, user satisfaction, and overall product quality.
Elevating Quality with API Testing Automation
API testing automation is another crucial practice for scaling QA automation and an essential skill that every tester must be familiar with. By enabling teams to ensure the reliability, performance, and security of APIs that power applications, it allows for more efficient testing of complex workflows across multiple systems.
By automating API testing, organizations can quickly validate functionality, detect defects, and assess integration points without manual intervention. Based on a survey, 97% of responders suggested that API testing is crucial for their operational success! According to QASOURCE, a company can complete 3000 API tests in about an hour as opposed to needing more than a day to run the same number of GUI tests in parallel execution!
A comprehensive approach to API testing involves validating critical aspects of API functionality like verifying response formats to ensure they meet specifications, maintaining data integrity by checking the accuracy of data exchanges, and analyzing performance metrics like response times under varying loads. Additionally, a thorough testing of error-handling scenarios is imperative to check if the system can safely handle unexpected inputs or failures. These validations help developers pinpoint potential bottlenecks or vulnerabilities, ensuring APIs are foolproof and keeping up with user expectations. Further, to maximize the impact of API testing, organizations should incorporate it into CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous testing, thus providing early detection of integration issues while ensuring that APIs work seamlessly with other system components.
Automating API testing is made efficient with robust tools like Postman, RestAssured, and Karate. These tools empower development teams to design, execute, and manage tests with ease, covering a wide range of scenarios. Postman, known for its user-friendly interface, facilitates quick test creation, while RestAssured offers powerful scripting capabilities in Java for complex scenarios. Karate, on the other hand, simplifies test automation by combining API testing and validation in a single framework, making it ideal for teams seeking simplicity and power.
By embedding API testing into the development lifecycle, teams can reduce risks and costly post-deployment issues, while deliver reliable, high-performing software faster, and improving user satisfaction.
Perfecting the Mobile Experience: Proven Testing Strategies For Mobile Applications
It is old news that mobile applications are at the very center of the digital world today. Based on Statista’s Report, the number of smartphone subscriptions has crossed 6 billion and is projected to reach around 7690 million by 2027!
To keep up with the growing demand and deliver top notch user experiences, effective mobile application testing strategies are the way to go. This process involves validating a mobile app for its functionality, usability, and consistency before its release, to verify the app’s potential to meet the expected technical and business requirements.
Let’s look at the top 5 mobile application testing strategies:
1. Functional Testing
Functional testing is meant to ensure that the core features of a mobile application work as intended. It involves validating user flows like login, navigation, and transaction processes, to guarantee a seamless and error-free experience. Edge cases, like unexpected user inputs or unusual actions, are also tested to unearth hidden bugs. By focusing on the app’s functionality, this testing strategy ensures the app meets its requirements and delivers the intended outcomes for the end users.
2. Performance Testing
In this process, the app’s speed, stability, and responsiveness is put to test under different workloads. This strategy involves simulating real-world scenarios like high traffic loads, limited network bandwidth, or prolonged usage, to uncover potential bottlenecks. By identifying and addressing performance issues, performance testing can help applications accept upgrades and changes, making them more scalable and ensuring a smooth user experience even under challenging conditions.
3. Compatibility Testing
Compatibility testing ensures the app functions seamlessly across multiple devices, operating systems, network conditions, and screen sizes. The goal is to deliver a consistent and flawless user experience no matter which device the user is accessing it from. It addresses variations in hardware configurations, OS versions, and resolutions to prevent inconsistencies. It is crucial to conduct the testing on both popular and legacy devices used by the target audience to be more thorough and achieve broader user satisfaction.
4. Security Testing
Security testing identifies and fixes vulnerabilities in a mobile app’s architecture to safeguard sensitive user data and prevent unauthorized access, weak encryption, and improper session management. It involves assessing the app’s code, checking for data encryption, backend services, APIs, and data storage methods to protect against common threats like insecure access, data leakage, SQL injection, or malicious attacks.
Key techniques encompass static and dynamic analysis, penetration testing, and testing for compliance with security standards like the OWASP Mobile Security Guidelines. By prioritizing security, developers foster trust with users and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
5. Usability Testing
This strategy is about evaluating the app’s design, functionality, and overall user experience to ensure it meets the needs and expectations of its target audience. It starts with evaluating the app’s responsiveness, navigation, interface design and overall ease of use through real user interactions. This way, adjustments are made based on user feedback and real-world scenarios. Ultimately, usability testing helps identify pain points, refine user interfaces, and improve engagement, resulting in a more satisfying and enjoyable user-experience
Stride Digital Partners revolutionizes QA automation by combining tailored AI models with comprehensive DevOps strategies to deliver unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. From unit tests to end-to-end testing, our custom automation solutions ensure seamless integration into a company’s existing systems, streamlining software development and quality assurance. With phased DevOps implementation, automated configuration management, and continuous integration pipelines, we empower businesses to achieve faster, risk-free software delivery while reducing manual errors. By identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks, Stride Digital Partners helps teams maintain agility and scalability, ensuring their software meets the highest quality standards and drives exceptional business outcomes.
Concluding Thoughts
Quality at scale is not just about catching bugs, but about building confidence in your software and delivering exceptional user experiences. Scaling QA automation is a journey that evolves with an application’s complexity and user demands. According to KPMG, the global test market crossed $40 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7% to 12% between 2021 and 2025.
From unit tests that validate individual components to end-to-end testing that ensures the smooth functioning of complex workflows, automation empowers teams to deliver robust and scalable applications. Ultimately, adopting a holistic approach to automated testing fosters collaboration, reduces risks, and helps developers consistently meet and exceed user expectations.
