Software

Manual Testing vs Automation Testing

manual vs automated software testing

Before officially releasing a new website or mobile app, you first need to subject it to a series of QA tests. You need both manual and automation testing to ensure that your site or app is optimally developed. Among the services that testing software offers are the following:

  • Functionality testing
  • Compatibility testing
  • Graphic User Interface (GUI) testing
  • Acceptance testing
  • Regression testing
  • Integration testing
  • System testing
  • End-to-End testing

In a nutshell, manual testing services are an integral component of software testing before automation testing. In this type of testing, the assessor acts as an end-user using the website or mobile app. This manual test can help you identify bugs and flaws in your site and fix them right away. 

Difference Between Manual Testing and Automation Testing

The main distinction between manual and automation testing is in the way the test is conducted. For manual testing, a real person carries out the test while artificial intelligence (AI) tools and scripts conduct automation testing.

Manual Testing

The following are the fundamental features of manual QA testing.

Human Assessor 

In manual testing, a person, called a QA analyst, will test the various attributes of your website or mobile app. In this type of test, the QA analyst will assume the role of an end-user and explore the website or app without using tools. The examiner will then take note of any errors and bugs that he encounters while using the software.

Real-time Feedback

Since manual testing is hands-on, it is very human-centered. You can immediately generate feedback from a real user — the QA analyst. Based on his experience, you can gain insights as to how your target audience will receive and interact with your software. 

Slow and Time-Consuming

Relative to testing that uses technology, manual testing can take up more time. This is mainly because the QA analyst has to conduct testing for the different features of the app or website. 

Less Test Coverage

Because manual testing is performed manually, there is no guarantee that the analyst can sufficiently test the coverage. As a result, the results may not be enough to thoroughly assure the quality of the app or website you’ve developed.

Possibility of Human Errors

Humans can commit mistakes, and so QA analysts are at risk of making errors in their tests. They may also miss or fail to execute some parts of the test. Due to this, manual testing is less accurate than automation testing.

Automation Test

The other type of testing, automation testing, has the following features.

AI Tools and Scripts

Automation testing is like further testing to ensure the quality of your website or mobile application. Instead of a human, automation testing employs artificial intelligence through tools and scripts to further analyze the software. Test scripts refer to coding or testing instructions based on the particular result and attribute specified.

Faster Testing

There’s no doubt that technologies are better and more productive than traditional methods. The same is true for QA testing. At a given time, AI tools and scripts can perform more tests than QA analysts can. This means that automation testing can finish testing all the features of your software in a shorter period. 

While that is the case, developing the codes for the automation testing will take up more time. The QA testers will have to invest a significant amount of their time and energy to create a script for the automation testing.

Efficient Testing

In manual testing, the QA analyst sometimes performs the same tests to obtain accurate results. This makes the process more time-consuming. However, in automation testing, the AI tools and scripts eliminate this redundancy, making the test more efficient.

Real User Simulation

Although automation testing does not involve real people in the testing phase, the test script can imitate real users. QA analysis tools utilize advanced human simulation technology such as facial identification, fingerprint, location, and image and voice. Thus, you can still get insights into how an actual user will use your website or mobile application. 

Greater Test Coverage

Because automation testing is automated, it can guarantee more coverage of the different tests. This makes it better than manual testing since the latter may not sufficiently cover assessing the various software features. Hence, automation testing can provide more accurate data and results about your app or website’s performance.

Highly Reliable

Automation testing is more accurate and reliable compared to manual testing. This is because it eliminates the commission of human errors since it depends on artificial intelligence. Thus, automation testing is more reliable. 

Conclusion

Manual and automation testing both have their advantages and disadvantages. You don’t have to choose between the two because you need both of them to ensure the quality of your software. To achieve optimal results, you should start with manual testing and follow up with automation testing.

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