Businesses from all over the spectrum, from micro-startups to multinational conglomerates, rely on web applications to deliver content to their consumers regardless of the browser, the operating system, or the device they use. Web developers work hard to ensure that their websites are secure, usable, and perform properly on a wide range of platforms. But the onus to maintain quality doesn’t fall on them alone.
QA Selenium automation engineers test all facets of a web application under different kinds of conditions and communicate the data they collect to the web developers. Advancements in web technology have made websites more complex than ever, and QA testers have to ensure that no aspect of the app is left unturned.
Following best testing practices can make the process easier and more reliable. Here are a few things you should bear in mind when testing web applications:
1. Perform exploratory software testing
Many professional testers make it a point to incorporate exploratory methods in software testing to accelerate the testing time and reveal more deficiencies in the app. This type of approach requires testers to approach testing with a creative mindset and write and execute test cases at the same time.
However, even the most seasoned testers can make mistakes when using the exploratory approach. To overcome this obstacle, they can integrate exploratory methods with more conventional software testing techniques. Combining both methods allows them to cover more bases, resulting in more reliable data, and accelerating the testing process.
2. Remember to execute sanity testing
Regression testing is a routine type of testing to check whether existing features still hold up after changes to the code. But one kind of test that many testers forget to do is sanity testing. Sanity testing should part of any regressive testing process.
It allows you to check the functionality of the web app if there isn’t enough time to run all test cases. This test also ensures that all bugs have been fixed, and no new issues have been introduced as a result of the code changes.
3. Test all third-party extensions
Today, no web application is truly standalone. Most web applications on the Internet today utilize a wide variety of external applications and extensions, and for good reason: Third-party plug-ins and extensions allow developers to introduce new features to their applications without writing new code. However, overreliance on third-party resources can also affect the quality of the application.
To start, you need to make sure that each plug-in and extension is app-compatible with little to zero issues. You also have to check if the website quality is affected by any third-party plug-ins. Finally, you also need to consider whether the social media element affects the performance of the app.
More and more development teams are adopting project management methods to streamline processes. Many of these methods entail unifying software development and testing to accelerate the development process. In the future, testers may need to coordinate with analysts and end-users during the development lifecycle. To ensure a seamless transition, you need to learn how to work alongside a web development team.
