Software failure is a financial threat to businesses. In 2017 alone, 314 companies lost over $1.7 billion due to software failure.
Unknown to many, businesses can eliminate this threat by carrying out software tests.
A software test is an essential process in software development. This is a process of running software under controlled conditions and monitoring its operation.
The main goal is to find software bugs before the product reaches customers or end-users. Methods used include analytical techniques, empirical testing strategies, and statistical analysis procedures. There’s also the use of human intellect in the form of software testers.
In this blog post, we will discuss what you need to know about software testing.
Software Testing Methods
Software testing can be manual or automated. But software testing must always involve a person who understands the software’s functionality and purpose.
Manual Software Testing
This test involves executing an application using user interaction to find bugs. Testers, like Quality Logic, can use their knowledge about how the software should operate. They can also use any previous experience they have had with the software.
Automated Software Testing
A computer program does this test with or without human interaction to find software errors. This method has become more popular than manual software tests in recent years. Some tools require little programming knowledge, while others are designed for experienced coders.
Let’s look at individual software testing methods.
Unit Testing
This method checks if individual units of the source code are functioning as expected. This test will not find any bugs outside the unit being tested. It can be done quickly and usually requires no special skills.
Integration Testing
Integration software testing is performed at the level of code integration and regression. It involves linking together all components of an application to ensure that they work well together.
Integration software tests are a lot more complicated than unit software tests. It requires knowledge about how each module interacts in order to test them properly for errors.
Acceptance Testing
The project stakeholders perform this method for final approval before software releases. It’s a lot like quality assurance. However, it does not involve checking bugs or performance issues as much as usability and compliance.
Regression Testing
This method involves retesting software after changes have been made. The goal is to ensure that the software still operates as expected.
Performance Testing
Performance software testing tests how an application performs under a certain amount of load. It ensures hardware requirements are met for various potential use cases.
Usability Tests
These tests determine how easy the software is to use. They typically focus on following the software’s instructions. It also about finding what you’re looking for and performing tasks with as few errors as possible.
Compatibility Testing
This method ensures that software is applicable across various operating systems, browsers, and devices. It might include running a program on different computers or with other software.
Security Tests
These tests uncover vulnerabilities in the application software before it becomes public knowledge. This test often involves trying to break into an application using automated tools.
User Acceptance Testing
This test evaluates if a software product is acceptable to its intended users. These tests are typically done with prospective end-users in mind. They may include examining usability features, exploring possible user errors in navigation, and instruction reading.
Alpha Testing
It’s also known as early release software testing or alpha test phase. Developers test the software before releasing their work to consumers.
Recovery Testing
This is a form of software validation that checks an application’s ability to recover from failure. Developers use intentionally inserted fails or bugs for a security test. These tests gauge how well different parts of the application recover from problems.
Black Box Testing
This is a software test where the tester doesn’t know anything about the application. The software may be provided to testers in an incomplete state or even after release.
White-Box Testing
This technique involves a developer who knows how the software works. Thus, they can test the software from a perspective close to that of an end-user.
Component Testing
This method involves testing individual components of a product. Component tests typically test an interface between two software modules. It can also check that a particular function works correctly.
GUI Testing
GUI software testing is a software test that evaluates an application’s graphical user interface. The software tester, called the GUI monkey, performs tests using screen scraping to simulate end-user actions on the UI. Tests might include:
- Moving through dialog boxes or menus
- Selecting items from lists and making selections in radio buttons and check
- Clicking on buttons or links
- Entering text in fields and comparing the input to what is displayed
Beta Testing
Software testing for beta software is the process of testing software to detect and correct any errors in functionality before it is released.
A common form of software beta test involves releasing a product into the end-user environment (typically called “beta”), letting them use it on their own hardware. Users then give feedback about software usability problems or bugs that they find, and software developers can make corrections before releasing the software product.
Beta testing is a relatively inexpensive way to find bugs in software that are too difficult or expensive to detect through manual testing.
A Software Test Process Is Important for Business
Software testing is an essential skill for any business that relies on technology to drive its revenue. You should now clearly understand how software test works and how companies can use it. If this is a new concept to you, consider hiring a software testing company.
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