A new report published in April 2024 by Coherent Market Insights points out the growing Software Testing and QA Services Market trend. It is expected to reach $90.39 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 13%, which means more than doubling the market from the value of $38.42 billion in 2023. Meiram Ismagambetov, a Software Quality Assurance Manager at GNC Holdings LLC, describes the current trends of the QA and Testing market as “a steady growth that has no reason to slow down in the following years.” This trend for steady growth opens new opportunities for the industry, but at the same time, it creates new challenges. Meiram Ismagambetov, whose successful career in the field spans over seven years of working in renowned companies such as Computer Enterprises Inc. and Logical Paradigm LLC, shares his perspective on the current state of the industry and its near future.
The Growing Complexity
One of the main factors that push the market ahead is the growing level of complexity of software products and applications. Various industries constantly demand new solutions, and the development process does not end with the initial implementation. In the following period, continuous updates and modifications are often necessary to ensure flexibility and the ability to adapt to new challenges. Moreover, businesses and their customers now often give more value to data security standards. As a result, the demand for QA and Testing services also increases.
“The ability to react to novel challenges is of the utmost importance,” notes Meiram Ismagambetov, describing his participation in a Digital Transformation Program at GNC Holdings LLC, “The necessity to swiftly implement new solutions was recognized by many companies during the COVID-19 pandemic when many needed to rebuild their processes from scratch but is not limited to that”. The pandemic may be one of the most prominent challenges of this type. Still, they continue to arise and various forms, creating a rising demand for developing, supporting, and modifying new solutions.
In the Digital Transformation Project, Meiram Ismagambetov played a crucial role in quality assurance and testing, ensuring seamless integration of critical systems at GNC Holdings LLC. His expertise in testing essential systems such as the Order Management System, Fraud Prevention System, and Payment Processing System significantly improved operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. His meticulous attention to detail reinforced GNC’s digital ecosystem, boosting the company’s resilience and adaptability. This focus on quality and customer experience underscores the growing importance of continuous improvement in software development and maintenance. As industries evolve and face new challenges, leaders like Meiram Ismagambetov exemplify how companies can remain at the forefront by prioritizing flexibility and proactive responses to emerging trends.
The Rising Significance of Mobile Devices
The significance of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, continues to increase, with the share of their users growing steadily compared to the declining number of desktop devices and laptops. As a result, companies try to focus more on mobile solutions, making them a priority. This, in turn, creates a demand for developing mobile-first websites and solutions while catering to the needs of all customers.
“To achieve this and balance out the various aspects of the development process,” explains Meiram Ismagambetov, “careful and thorough strategic planning is required, as the number of issues you need to predict and cover with testing growth along with the market and with the expanding diversity of devices”. Examples of practical usage of this approach can be found in his experience. Meiram Ismagambetov mentions that taking the needs of multiple categories of users and various devices into account remains one of the main priorities in projects for modernizing websites or launching entirely new digital projects. For him, it is not just a theoretical or formal point in the list of necessary criteria; he knows this from practical experience while developing and launching a new website targeted at the Canadian market or redesigning GNC’s US website as part of the ‘Yellowstone’ Project.
In both cases, Meiram and his team placed a strong emphasis on creating a digital presence that catered to the specific needs of their diverse audiences. By prioritizing Quality Assurance and User Acquisition testing, they were able to ensure that the new and redesigned websites were accessible and user-friendly across a wide range of devices. This attention to detail and focus on providing an optimal user experience resulted in increased user acquisition and retention rates for GNC Holdings LLC. Achieved balance of varying needs of different user groups and devices not only brought tangible business results for GNC Holdings LLC but also set a high standard for quality in the industry, demonstrating the importance of strategic planning and adaptability, and proving that a user-centric approach can lead to significant benefits for both businesses and customers alike.
The Expanding Presence of AI and Automation
Another trend, which is hard not to mention, is the expanding presence of AI-based tools in software testing. The various types of automated testing have already established their niche in the market in previous years. Still, they are now enhanced with new powerful tools for data analysis or predicting user behavior. “Implementing machine learning in testing processes is an inevitable next stage which businesses will need to embrace,” states Meiram Ismagambetov, “However, it is important not to overestimate these new approaches and avoid overly relying on them. The best results may be achieved when these novel tools are used with other testing methods, but not as their replacement.”
While exploring the opportunities arising due to the proliferation of AI and automation technologies remains one of the driving factors for the market, many of these technologies are still in their early stage. The businesses that manage to harness them first may expand their position on the market, as they allow improvements to optimize the testing process and free valuable resources while keeping the software quality high. However, these technologies also often create new pathways for risks and cyber threats, which, in turn, need to be covered by thorough testing. Meiram Ismagambetov has encountered issues of this type in practice, for example, when he participated in developing and testing a trading application at Logical Paradigm in 2017-2018 or worked on critical internal applications at Computer Enterprise Inc. in 2018-2019. In both cases, he organized and oversaw testing for tools and applications that deal with sensitive information, requiring, as a result, to account for various cyber threats, including newly emerging ones.
It is no wonder that the current project Meiram Ismagambetov works overlaps with the same field. He explains that the main mission of his company, Tabys LLC, is to elevate the standards of quality assurance for clients in the eCommerce domain, providing software QA and security testing. The impact is expected to be beneficial both for customers who get a smoother user experience and better protection and for eCommerce businesses that mitigate risks of software failures. “Naturally, we have developed our strategy with the current trends and predictions in mind,” comments Meiram Ismagambetov, “and we are constantly exploring and implementing new solutions and approaches, making them an integral part of our processes.” He adds that Tabys LLC strives to not just provide consulting services to their clients but to support progress in the industry as a whole, making digital services safer and more reliable.
An Interdisciplinary Approach
The trends described above promise steady growth of the QA and Software Testing Market, but at the same time, pose new challenges for the companies in the field. “In the environment of rapid changes and emerging technologies, teamwork acquires even more importance,” concludes Meiram Ismagambetov, “To answer these challenges, companies will need to ensure effective collaboration within diverse teams, consisting of professionals with various expertise and backgrounds, from business analysts to developers to project managers.” He adds that one of the strongest sides of the teams he worked with was the ability to collaborate across multiple areas of expertise and align their efforts for the common goal. At the same time, he does everything necessary to support the environment where such collaboration is possible.
While it is hard to predict what exactly the QA and Testing Market will look like in ten years, there is one thing to say for sure: it will continue to grow and expand, answering to the rising level of complexity and new challenges of software development, and the businesses will need to adapt and evolve with it. “It is true that the current developments in the market will create challenges never seen before,” concludes Meiram Ismagambetov, “however, the skills and capabilities required to overcome them and turn them into opportunities remain the same – adaptability, teamwork, openness to new ideas and the ability to support higher quality standards no matter what field you work at.”
