Every application that you are currently using on your phone has gone through various stages of development and testing until it has reached its final step of being a deliverable virtual product to a customer; to you. This is not only important for its initial success but also helps provide stakeholders and employers with a method to gauge system performance, thereby creating a feedback platform which is necessary to improve a product.
It ensures development of the software as per previously set guidelines followed by a set of step by step verifications and flag tests, leaving minimal room for errors and misconceptions regarding the software. The process utilizes SDLC (Software Development Life Cylce).
Quality is a comparatively very important factor, ergo Quality Engineering is an aspect of testing that cannot be ignored, particularly in the IT industry. This involves:
- Performance Testing: Speed is the variable that is being tested here. Both offline as well as online. The software is run on multiple platforms and operating systems and various quantitative tests such as response time, bandwidth, and efficiency are measured. This helps generate a comparison chart which in turn helps customers check if manufacture standards and specifications are met.
- Security Testing: Loopholes in a product usually become a target for other malicious softwares/users, some of which are competitors which could pave the way for the downfall of a service, if not, a considerable loss. To overcome this, before releasing a software on the public domain, various methodologies are utilized to check the software against cybersecurity threats. The various types are Vulnerability Scanning, Security Scanning, Penetration Testing, Risk Assessment, Security Auditing, Posture Assessment, and Ethical Hacking.
- GUI and Functional Testing: These testing methods go hand in hand. The two main types are “Analog Recording”, which tests user compatibility with the software based on recordings of on-screen mouse movements, clicks as well as keyboard presses which are stored in a file for look-backs. The second method is “Object based” GUI testing. Here the testing tool is directly connected to the software that is being tested which records all user operations. Functional testing, focuses on specific functions to check performance of various functions, both stand alone as well as in conjunction with other functions.
Digital testing: In order to generate a large customer base (rather than a visitor base), online and e-commerce companies set up digital testing techniques which involve software testing, integrity testing and experience testing that takes into account user feedbacks to improve current specifications.
The various advantages of Testing can be culminated as follows:
- Leads to flagging of defects and loopholes in a product or service before release in the market which drastically reduces risks associated with failure and generates a smooth user experience too. UI/UX testing is pivotal here as well
- Softwares run on platforms that are an integration of various other softwares. Hence other than stand-alone performance, an effective software runs simultaneously and efficiently with other softwares present on the device.
- It generates a path for software development since various functions might need to be revamped or developed at various stages of testing
- Automated testing is now being used for faster and more efficient testing, to improve user satisfaction
- From a non-technical aspect, employment rates in the IT industry have escalated due to software testing. Since it involves collaborations between various departments and groups, business and professional relationships improve as well.
