Now-a-days, when any discussion lands on the sustainability and consistency of the GenZ, “The Attention span of the new generations is becoming lesser” is a commonly heard sentence. Even if some of us belong to this younger lot, we will agree upon it because deep inside we all know that it’s true. The world is a different place now. On that will sell which succeeds to engage the target customers.

In this cultural shift, it is even harder to keep up if you have a company and an application in the software market. Interestingly, around 26% of the apps that has been installed from various app stores like Google Play store, App Store etc. are uninstalled within an hour’s period. So your app should be enough interesting and engaging to make its own place in a Millennial’s mobile for at least more than a month. If that kind of reach is possible, then only your company will survive in this world. After all, that app is the face of your company in everyone’s pocket and mind.

So to make it to the top bunch, what should one do?

Performance seems to be the key! And to test the performance Load testing is necessary. Let’s go a bit further here to know about Load testing!

Load testing is basically a method where one creates artificial environments for the respective app, which are heavily loaded. This enables the tester to examine the stability of the app in these conditions.

How to do Load Testing?

1. Checking the variables and Creating a Model
Below are the variables which affect the testing.
• Response Time:
  The time code in which the app responds to certain inputs is the response time.
• Communication Rate:
  The rate at which the software can send and receive requests is the communication rate.
• Resource Utilization:
  While the test is going on, when the system interacts with the app, it takes load. The quantity of that load should be regularly noted.
• User Load:
  Simultaneous user load the application can tolerate.
2. The Work Load Model

This is basically a work load model which ensures that the app is being administered with appropriate load variables at different points of time.

The Load test is done in different time periods.

Quite clearly, first, one has to create test cases. While doing it, on needs to check that the anticipated result should have a Pass or Fail column for ticking it. It will be of use later in the process.

• Actions and scenarios of the testing procedure are in place.
• Customization of the test case for various inputs has been done.

Also, replay test cases several times for checking the simulation.

While running the test, confirm that the increment of the load is gradual against the user profile. In the time between two tests, ensure the breathing time for system to stabilize. Don’t rush! And lastly, while increasing, check that the output of the test is being recorded.

The gradual increment of the load ensures that the threshold point is noted well.

Perform the test in cycles so that each cycle should have an increase in the load. After each study, results should be verified.

Detecting the bug in an application is like an art. Precise artwork is needed to do it for the good health of the app. To do this, an experienced testing engineer or an established software testing company is required. Only these guys can do the chart analysis and various other forms of mathematical data interpretation that are needed.

To have a more clear idea, the result of the test should be compared with the respective industrial standard benchmark.

• Validation of all the features of the app
• Measurement of speed and stability.
• Guaranteed user experience.
• Rectification of the issues before the deployment.
• Improvement in load capability.

• App Loading time
• Consumption of power
• Integration with other apps
• Consumption of memory
• Behavior of the app if its retrieved from background
• Hardware /software integration

• Transfer of data between app and the server
• Number of app calls generated to the server
• Server switch time

• Delay time in receiving information from network
• The request to the server should be resent, in case of packet loss.
• Network speed

• Device fragmentation.
• Cell phones come in various sizes. It’s hard to organize them. Different operating systems is also an affecting variable.
• Different app types such as native, web app and hybrid app can be challenging to test.
• The cloud server’s security (which performs testing)

• Gatling:
  Having around a million users throughout the world, this tool is written in Scala based DSL.
• Jmeter:
  Currently, one of the most used open source modular GUI oriented tool.
• Locust:
  Known for its User friendly nature, this one is written in Python. It is quite developer friendly.

So, these were our few tips and tricks to perform Load testing. The world is at a stage now that if the users of your app have any bad experience while using your app, they will immediately uninstall it, review it badly and what not.

Though automation testing is the method of the new era, many techno-geeks and testers prefer the old-school manual testing method. We know that it’s hard to get around the new method and get adapted to the Automation but if not done, it’s your loss.

Automation testing provides many benefits which one cannot achieve through manual testing. Instant feedback, more frequency of the test execution, more test coverage to the development team, quicker releases are a few of them.

In spite of these, there are certain common misconceptions about automation testing. Today, we have decided to clear out these myths from your mind and to make sure that your work flow will get faster and efficient.

So, come on, let’s clear them out.

• Deciding which kind is better is, in this case, an irrelevant discussion. The purpose and intention of both the methods is different. First of all, we cannot say that automation testing is testing as such. It’s a process of checking facts. Facts about the system. When we have to tally our knowledge of the system, we perform automation testing, to confirm that understanding with the truth.

Well, Software testing is like an investigation. It gives away new data and knowledge about the respective system. So, as said earlier, it will be rookie mistake to choose only one. For quality results, it is an unavoidable decision to use both methods for a more efficient work ethic.

• It’s hard to achieve 100% test coverage. Almost impossible. It’s same for the test automation. Though we can increase test coverage by utilizing more data, configurations, covering various operating systems and browsers, 100% is an unachievable target.

Unfortunately, it’s a false equation that more the number of tests, better the quality. Quality of the test is directly dependant on how precise and good your test design is. So, rather than trying to get full coverage, the prime goal of your test should be to concentrate on the more prominent areas of functionality of the product.

• When you execute a test automation result, a clear development of the precise regions of interests is important to support operations. This Framework creation can be useful and will give more meaning to test case selection, reporting etc. This is supposed to be considered as a project in itself. Due to this treatment, it requires multiple skilled developers and takes a lot of time.

Even with a fully working framework, making scripts of automated checks takes more time at the start. So, to have a quick result or feedback of the new feature, one should check it manually.

• Even if it is true that vendor-supplied or home-made test automation solutions are greatly capable of performing complicated operations; it’s quite impossible that they will ever replace a human tester. A tester’s capabilities are much beyond and precise. She can detect the most invisible anomalies in the application.

Though it is called an ‘automated’ test, an automated check is not automatic until written. It will only perform according to the program written. Hence, the programs are only as good and precise as the person who wrote them. So it should be quite clear to you guys that if any automation program is not written properly, it can directly ignore some prominent errors in the systems. In essence, Automation testing can see if there are any errors in the system but can’t confirm that they are the only errors present. There might be more undetected defects due to bad program writing.

• This is a quite common misconception. But one should get it clear that a unit test only identifies programmer’s errors. It does not show his failures. A much larger element of testing comes ahead when all the components are joined together to form a system. Many of the organizations have their automated checks at the system UI layer.

The process of writing scripts of the automated checks is a complicated task because the functionalities during the development are absolutely volatile. So, don’t spend your precious time on automating a functionality which might not be a part of the final application. It can create problems later.

• It’s a mistake to depend solely on automated checks, that to at UI layer. The period of development comes with a number of changes in the UI in various forms like enriched visual design and utility. A fallacious impression about the application’s condition is noted in the checks if a similar change hasn’t taken place in the functionality.

The automation checks in the unit and API layers have a higher execution speed than the UI layer. Hence, the feedback process becomes slow. And because of the exact location of the error is yet unknown, the analysis of the root cause takes much longer. Hence, identifying the layers where the utility of automated tests may become helpful becomes a must.

All in all, if you decipher these misconceptions as we did, you will notice a dynamic shift in your working. It will become more fast and efficient.

Understand that automated checks are not something which you do once and you are done. It’s a constant process of updating and monitoring. Make sure you are aware of the limitations of it and have targets which are realistic.

After all, you must not stick only to manual testing and get the most out of automated checks too!

For obvious reasons, all you testing geeks indirectly give more preference to Functional testing of your software products. Though it’s true that it makes the product easier to use and responsive, it is not enough. A fine tester always gives equal importance to the Non-Functional testing.

There are so many aspects of non-functional testing which affect the health and performance of your software product in the long run.

Beware! It can ultimately become hazardous to the success of your product.

Out of those various aspects, Compliance testing is one of the fundamental elements of Non-Functional testing and also testing in general. It is the technique that validates if the product is considering the organizational standards or not. So to have a long run with your product, Compliance testing is a must.

Here we discuss the theory in regard to Compliance testing.

It is basically the validation or evaluation of your software product with respect to the Regulations and standards that it has to be in boundaries of. An assessment of a sort. An Assessment of whether the product is completing the requirements and specifications that it has to complete. As it confirms the validity of the product, it’s also commonly known as, Conformance testing. As it is a type of non-functional testing, it is quite an auditable test.

Compliance testing is done for various aspects. As there is a deviation in the defined standards, many elements of the software get affected. Through Compliance testing, those can be assessed.

• Performance
• Functions
• Rigorousness
• Interoperability
• System Behavior

For performing this test, first we need to understand that why is it important. Our mind should be clear about why do we need it? To answer this question, following points are to be considered.

• Validation of the product about completing all the requirements of the system and the standards.
• Assessment of the documents.
• Authentication of the software design, development, and to again evaluate the product as per the standards, guidelines, specifications and norms.
• To check if the system maintenance is defined as per specified standards and suggest approach.
• Making sure that your product is free from any kind of complaints from regulatory organizations.

Generally, companies do not implement compliance testing. It isn’t considered as compulsory. But the Application of Compliance testing is largely dependent on the company’s management. If the management decides to do the compliance testing, they get a tester from outside or sometimes they just ask the company team to execute it.

Many of the companies also arrange a board of experts in the field to evaluate and authenticate different policies, specifications, regulations and guidelines.

The testing is started by the managing board of the company. They first try to completely understand the team considering different regulations, specifications, guidelines, etc.

To make sure the results are best and to assure the quality, all the Standards and guidelines must be clearly stated to the team to avoid any vague steps.

• Scope of requirements
• Call of the software to be developed
• Requirement objectives
• Execution Standards

Whenever one needs to check the comprehensive ability and reliable nature of the software along with assessing how accurate the product is with respect to the requirement specifications.

As stated earlier, the Compliance testing is more like an audit. It does not require any specific method.

It can be done easily like we the other testing processes. Though here is not a specific method to it, we tried to break down the process for you in the following points.

• The initial stage is to get hold of all the precise data regarding all the rules and regulations and other standards and norms.
• Secondly, one needs to document all the collected data in first step properly.
• After that, a clear and precise assessment of all the development phases against the documented standards and norms id required. It should be done to detect and note any deviations or errors in the executed process.
• Next, a report should be made including all the errors to the respective team.
• And finally, a re-verification is required to authenticate the affected areas after the errors have been fixated. It is to make sure the conformance of the standards required.
• This is not a mandatory step but if needed, provision of a certificate can be made for the compliance

To make things easy for you, there are many tools available in the market to execute the compliance testing. You can choose any tool based on your system typ and required standards.

Check them out! After all, anything which saves time and efforts is worth a try. Right?

• MAP2.1 conformance testing tool
• Software Licence Agreement OMS Conformance Tester 4.0
• EtherCAT conformance testing tool
• CANopen Conformance test tool

Though Compliance testing is not a compulsory element of the SLTC, but it is recommended to execute it to make sure your software is performing better and overall software compliance.

1. It guarantees proper application of required specifications
2. It authenticates interoperability and portability
3. Authentication of whether the required standards and norms are properly obeyed to.
4. Validation of the workings of the interfaces and functions.
5. Helps in detecting the areas which are yet to be confirmed with those which are not to be confirmed like Semantics and Syntax

Yes, Compliance testing does not have a specific methodology. Yes, It can be performed like any other testing. But still, there are challenges. It is not as easy as it seems. But the challenges are not vague. They are known and test the strength of the tester’s abilities.

1. Identification of the class of the system and then testing according to the class by going through a suitable methodology. This will promise you the best of results.
2. Specifying specifications into Profiles, Levels, and Modules.
3. Having a complete know-how of different standards, norms and regulations of the system which is to be tested.

In closing, Functional testing of your software product is necessary but it would not be fair to the subscribers of your product if you ignore the Non-functional testing. To have a smooth and uninterrupted experience for a long time, Non-functional testing is as important and Compliance testing assures that the user will be satisfied. So, Test it ASAP!

Software testing has a massive impact in our lives today. Its indirect and Invisible but it affects our world in a huge way. Its present and growing fast like a bamboo in every sector that the world consists of. Its almost impossible to work efficiently in this digital world, if one is not fully taking benefit of the perks that the digital platform offers. For managing their businesses, many companies already use different web-systems and IT solutions. But every coin has two sides. Though the digitalisation makes it easy to do business like ease of method of Payment and banking related procedures, Stocks, Sales and Purchases of the products etc., it surely has a big danger of the security breaches. That’s why it is important for companies and businesses today to test their securities and tighten the ropes for the dangers to come, Making Security testing one of the most prominent aspects of software maintenance. So, come on, let’s check these basics of security testing.

Everywhere in the world, where there is security, there is always a question of accessibility. It should be the primal goal to make sure the accessibility of the security is bound in fair rules and good hands. It’s for your own customers’ good. It includes two main factors, Validation and Authorization. Authorize a person who will access the security and make sure to confirm how much accessibility have you given to the person. To help ensure that the information and data is safe from external as well as internal breaches, conduct the accessibility test. For this test, you need to test the responsibilities and roles of employees in your company. Getting a tester who is good at what He/she does is always preferable. The tester is supposed to generate multiple user accounts, consisting of various roles. Those accounts will then help you know the security status from the Accessibility point. This test can also be consisting of the Default login feature, Captcha test, Password Quality and strength, and other login and signup related tests.

Your data’s security is dependent on the following factors:

• Data usability and transparency
  It is about how much data on your website your users can see. How much of it is visible.
• Data storage
  This is about the security of your information database.

After testing and noting the vulnerabilities, Proper security testing measures are needed to get assurance about the effectiveness of the storage of the data. If a tester is professional, he /she could surely test the database for every type of critical and prominent data such as passwords, billings, user accounts, etc. There should be end-to-end encryption while the data is being transmitted. Also, the database should have all the important data. Checking the ease of decryption of the encrypted data is also one of the signs of a fine tester.

Most of the times, Hackers use SQL and XSS injection to hack a website. They do it by injecting a malicious script into the system of the website allowing them to manipulate and take control of the hacked site. A tester makes sure that your website is safe from these harmful practices. This can be solved by the tester by adding a restriction on the maximum length of characters allowed in the input fields. This avoids the entry of malicious scripts from hackers.

Human mind can’t work without collaboration. We need other human to survive. And this reflects in our behaviour. One business needs the other business to survive in the market. Hence collaboration becomes one of the prominent factors of this large pit of Businesses. Let’s take an example. If there is a Stock trading app, it has to constantly give access to the users to the latest information and database and to the upcoming users as well. But, as we know, this open access gives way to another big problem known as unwanted breach. Checking the entry points for the app and making sure that the access requests are coming from reliable IPs and applications is what a tester does to avoid these kinds of problems. And if not, The System of your app must have the capacity to cancel and reject those requests.

Session management test is also another important aspect. A session on the web consists of the response transactions between the browser and your web server. The testing involves various actions such as maximum lifetime of termination, expiry time of the session after a certain idle period, session end time after a user logs out etc.

As a user, you must have seen websites going down with errors like Error:404, Error :408 etc. A bit annoying right? Error handling tests are the tests where these kinds of error codes are handled. Here, the tester performs directed actions to ultimately reach such pages and makes sure that the visible page is not having any important piece of data or information. It also involves checking up the Stack traces. Basically, making sure that the hackers will get disappointed!

Though this is the last “etc.” test, it should not be ignored. Features like Payments, File uploads etc. require vigorous testing as any breach can harm the website, ultimately harming the business. Here tester should be careful on testing the delicacies related to payments like insecure storage, Buffer overflows, Password guessing etc. And Obviously, Malicious files must be restricted.

Well, these are the few tests that we suggest. Obviously, if the tester recommends and suggests other tests for your particular business model, you should do them. Anyway, The more the merrier. Afterall, every business model has its own needs and requirements. So, Start your testing now. Conduct the tests and tighten the security of your software. Because as we all know, one who owns the digital market, owns the market. And to own it, one should take care of the security of his/her Digital persona.

Building and maintaining a software development company is not an easy task. Even if you are not a big company yet and a start-up with a great software idea, there is much hard work that goes into having a presence in the industry.

At the initial stage, you consider the resources, do the research, and focus on developing the idea into a software. It’s like having a baby. But the difference is that, here, you are creating it with a team of developers and programmers. After this, when you will consider testing the product for giving it a final touch, it is highly probable that you won’t think the testing stage to be important. Here goes the blunder.

The testing stage is as much prominent to the company as the Developing part. It is a common misunderstanding that it is not. As we always say, it is the maintenance that matters. So, while entering into the testing process, consider outsourcing it to a software testing company. Because even if you are a good company in developing apps, there are companies in the world who specialize in testing. They have been a professional in the industry so you might as well ask them to test your app for you.

Now to the main question of this article. What to look for in these companies? What are the qualities to look for while selecting the testing company? Well, don’t worry. We are here for you.

Before discussing the qualities to look for in a software testing company, lets first understand what is software testing?

To be precise, Software testing is a study of the software steered to deliver information regarding its quality. In simpler words, A check performed on the working of the Software.

1. Black box software testing: Professional testing by a tester who is qualified for it.
2. White box software testing: Testing by non-technical end-users.

Quite obviously, A Software testing company is an organization built for the sole reason of testing different software and making quality checks.

Now as the basics are clear, below we discuss 15 things to look for while making this important decision of selecting the company.

The company you are hiring must have some experience in the industry. You can simply check it by going through their portfolio and earlier work. Usability, Delivery of performance, Load balancing capabilities, Design, Marketing, Coding strategies, etc can be the parameters to look for in the portfolio.

Don’t go by the name. Even if a company is popular in the industry, does not mean that it will give you a good service. Check the qualification. Even if it is a small company, if it has qualified professional testers, it can be hired. Look for the qualification of the team of testers and not the fame or size of the company.

The company should have a standard coding system and a pre-set framework in which the testers work. If not, you surely don’t want to lose or corrupt all your hard work by giving it away in a bad testing environment. An organized coding system and a structured framework are the musts for having good code maintainability.

The services that the company is providing should be confirmed beforehand and mainly the scope of the provisions. It will help your collaboration in the long run as you would beforehand know to what extent to expect from the service provider.

It can be a tough choice if you have to choose between a good foreign company or a moderate domestic company. Be careful while choosing a foreign company as there are some barriers like a different language, cultural and technical differences, etc. Be smart in making this choice.

By definition, it is a contract signed between both the Companies. The client and the provider. SLAs, as they are called in the industry, are the defining factor of the expected output. Be alert while signing it and make sure you both know all the aspects of the deal and agree to it completely.

• Business know-how
• Timelines of reporting
• Knowledge transfer
• Process compliance
• Project management
• Quality measures

The company’s approach towards the deal and then work should be flexible. If any occurrence happens which suggests some change or modulation in the contract then the company is supposed to be open for it. Avoid working with people who are rigid and won’t change the policy under any circumstance as anything unpredictable can happen. The verifying factors at this point are Ease of exit, , Capabilities, etc.

It is not wrong if and when you expect from the testing company that the product you are giving to them should come out as better than before. It is the provider’s, and yes, simultaneously your job to improve the quality of the product at the end of the process.

Intellectual Property Protection AKA IP is a term used to describe the intangible property used commercially. Ideas, designs, artistic work, Inventions, and symbols, etc. Make sure to protect your IP while dealing with another testing company.

Continuing with the earlier point, the security of a company is important as the software must be having al the sensitive data about the company. So, decision making should also consider this factor of security. The provider should provide the expected security to the software.

It will make no sense if the company you are hiring for testing is not having the right type of equipment that supports your product. Therefore, you should confirm that the company is having a well-settled infrastructure that matches your product’s compatibility. It must be having all the tools and techniques to run the test. The factors which are to be considered are hardware, backend database systems, platforms, software, operating system, testing tools, etc.

The managerial approach of both the companies must match. To help establish good communication, the language used and the ethics of the companies should be in line with each other.

No one wants to work with someone irresponsible and unaccountable. Punctuality, Accountability are some of the primary factors to consider while choosing the company. If any blunder happens, the respective people should take responsibility for it.

If all the above-mentioned things go fine, consider deciding the actual cost of working with the company. The provider who is giving you the maximum ROI should be chosen. The aspects on which the ROI is to decide are overall value addition, quality, and timely delivery.

When hiring a software testing company, you must ensure that the company is having all the required documentation standards which are needed. Easy access to the documents and a well-documented deal is the base of a good collaboration. Test plans, scripts, test scenarios, and test results are some of the documents you need to be proper.

Even if you work in a big company or you are a part of a startup, consider outsourcing the testing to a sensible company as it will save you a lot of time and effort. And more importantly, it will be less costly. It also encourages you to have concentrated on your core work, that is, the development.

So, if you consider all these factors and more, you won’t have any trouble later. It is the need of the hour to test any software which exists today but at the same time, the people and companies who are testing also need to be verified. And here we come in to guide you through this verification and selection process. So, Trust the testers and outsource it!

In today’s world, may it be any individual or any organisation, if one needs to mark his presence and reach out to masses, having a website is a must. Its like having a name. That’s how people are going to know about you. It’s all you. Your Mission and Vision, Contact Information, Your work, basically anything and everything about you. Now if people are going to get to know about you through your website, it has to be user friendly and mainly bug-free. This is where this blog will help you. To make your website smooth and sharp to use, Test it! Now, what are the basic factors one needs to consider while testing a website? Is it the same as testing other software? Don’t worry! We will answer all questions regarding this kind in this article.

Naturally, the basic concept of testing remains the same but website testing differs in the way the testing develops. Overall, the process of testing is done aiming at removing bugs and making the website cleaner to use.

Oh! There are a lot of reasons. Check them out below.

• None of us like it when an error comes while we are using a website. Phrases like “Couldn’t load Image” or “Tap to retry” annoy us. It is necessary for a website to be handy to the users in all its aspects, may it be Search box, Form submission or whatever. For that smooth experience, Website testing is necessary.
• Internet is a democratic place from the first click in a way that there are various browsers from which one can browse websites. It is important for a website to work at all the browsers as smoothly as the another.
• Website testing helps in considering how a website is being accessed and how is it performing for the thousands and sometimes millions of users it has.
• For having a go at ranking higher on google, testing the website for web standard compliance is also important.
• We all access various websites from our phones, tabs, computers and whatnot. Its not just the PC. For a website to work seamlessly in all these devices, Website testing is quite a necessity.
• The digital world can also get dark sometimes. It’s the primal need of any website to have a tight security code. Website testing helps for identifying and solving these security related issues.
• Whether the content on your website is comprehendible or not is another problem which can occur if you have a website. Content testing is another aspect of website testing.
• Search Engine Optimization testing also known as SEO testing helps you by assuring your website a high rank on different search engines like Google, Yahoo etc.
• Improvement of your website’s conversion rate can be done through A/B or Multivariate testing. This is another aspect of Website testing.

For Website Testing, follow a proper methodology. Make a list of all the aspects of it and what are the things each aspect needs.

• Confirm HTML usability.
• Validation of various elements like Combo box inputs, text boxes, dropdowns, radio options, check boxes, links etc.
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) verification.
• Validation of the links to appropriately connected to the expected pages of your website as well as external websites.
• Assurance of Email links functioning properly.
• Check that there are no any broken links running on your website.
• Validation of the consistency of the web forms. Also check that they are holding necessary input and output controls. Lastly, check that the data is being captured properly.
• For the data to be effectively processed, Validate the database.
• To make sure that the security is tight, do the cookie testing.
• Check whether your website is displaying expected error messages.
• Check whether the handling of optional and required fields is proper.
• For proper storage of sensitive data, re-confirm the security measures.

• Giving the website different load conditions, test the aspects like Responsiveness, Scalability, Speed, Stability etc.

• Check if the Load-time of your website is appropriate.
• Take a look at the text. Check its different aspects like line spacing, font size etc. The text should be easily readable.
• Make sure the usage of Add-ons and Flash.
• Validation of the correct use of ALT Tags for all the images.
• If the internal link is broke, the error message which is being displayed should be proper.
• Website logo’s and Tagline’s placement.
• Contact details verification.
• Check if the navigation system is easy and understandable to the users and the Labels used there are compact and clear. Also check if the buttons and links used for navigation are working correctly.
• As you know, it is a common practice to connect the link of company logo to the Home page. Though it’s not mandatory, you may do it.
• Validate the usage and proper positioning for the Search button.
• The heading should be understandable but still illustrative.
• Validate the usage of heading tags like H1, H2, etc.
• Make sure that the critical content is being shown in average screen resolution at the start.
• Check if the font styles and colors used across your website are consistent.
• Use words and phrases which are easy to comprehend. Don’t hesitate to use slangs if needed to engage the users.
• The titles should be accessible and relevant.

For this, Check the mutual workings of your website with the following platforms.

• Various browsers and their versions
• Various Operating systems and their versions.
• Hardware configurations.
• Network environments.
• Screen resolutions.

• Validation of password cracking of your website.
• Checking and testing the threat exposure of the website.
• Validation of URL management.
• SQL injection verification.
• Cross Site Scripting (XSS) validation.

There are various ways and parts of the process of Website testing.

1. Functional Testing
   This is where you ensure the functionality of your website according to the requirement.
2. Browser Compatibility Testing
   As mentioned earlier, every other person is using a different browser, so it is necessary for your web site to work smoothly on various browsers. Hence, to make sure it does, Browser compatibility testing is a must.
3. Usability Testing
   The layout, navigation design and in hand experience of your website must be smooth for you user. These things come under the Usability Testing.
4. Accessibility Testing
   This is a sub-type of Usability testing. This testing takes into account the niche user experience of people with disabilities. This specifically considers them as a user and makes sure that the experience is smooth.
5. Performance Testing
   Every website performs under its own average load. It is a necessity that you test your website’s Performance considering its average load. This is important for the stability and responsive nature of your website.
6. Stress and Load testing
   Continuing earlier point, if and when your website will take heavy load, it should work as smooth as earlier even in those conditions. Testing of your website in those heavy load conditions is called as Stress and load testing.
7. Site Monitoring
   Constant monitoring of your website for analysing its downtime should be done. This avoids the regular down times and gives your users a good experience.
8. Conversion Rate Testing
   One of the favourites of the current generation, this testing is a kick to marketing minds. This is where the testing for converting visitors into users is done.
9. Security Testing
   To avoid hacking and other security related issues, Security testing is a must.
10. Word proofing
    Its still annoys us if we see a nicely designed website having crushed the impression it made by having wrong grammar and spelling mistakes in the copy. Thorough Wordproofing should be done.

Implement these techniques to reduce your work load while testing.

• Automated testing
  As implied in the name, Automated testing lets you work on the creative and innovative part of the process by taking the work load of manual execution of every test case.
• Mobile emulators and simulators
  As discussed earlier, it is a necessary but still so much work to test your website’s workings with different mobiles and Browser. First checking individually and then by combining various browsers with various handsets, it becomes so much extra work load. Mobile emulators and Simulators are an easy help to do this.
• Live web testing
  By doing the testing through cloud, Live web testing allows you to make a website bug-less on various operating systems and browsers.

Tips!

At last, here are some quickies to make testing a good journey for you!

1. Integration of Exploratory testing and Conventional testing methods
   Though it needs less preparation and attractive in executing, exploratory testing can have a few disadvantages. One can easily get over those by combining different testing methods. Also, you get two more advantages, Reliable test results and Reduced testing time!
2. Sanity testing
   To reduce ore testing time, don’t forget about sanity testing!
3. Validation of All Plug-ins, Extensions and Third-party apps
   Check the compatibility of the Plug-ins and Extensions. If any defects found, debug them. Don’t forget that this can badly affect your website’s performance.
4. Chat box testing Automation
   The testing of Chatbots need to be done in various testing scenarios and also the Bot coordination testing is a necessity. Though it’s a time taking and hard process it needs to be done. So, automation of chat box testing can decrease your efforts.
5. URL String Consistency
   Considering the security of your website, constantly check that the URL string of your website is unaltered. Hackers tend to alter it to hack important data or sometimes they redirect your website to some other spiteful link. Avoid that by URL string consistency.
6. Beat a hacker by being one!
   Reverse psychology always works, think like a hacker and try to detect hacks so that by eliminating them, you will be ready to go.
7. Being a part of the Development team.
   Be adaptive and work with different developers, customers and business analysts. With new methods like DevOps and Agile Methodology in the market, the need for collaborations is ever-growing.

Some tools for Website Testing

1. SoapUI
2. TestingWhiz
3. SOAPSonar
4. SOAtest
5. TestMaker
6. Zephyr
7. vRest
8. HttpMaster
9. Runscope
10. TestRail
11. WebInject
12. Storm
13. Qase

Conclusion

In conclusion, Websites are like identities of organisations in today’s world. It marks a company’s or individual’s existence in the digital world. And if one couldn’t build an impressive identity in the digital world, it’s hard to make an impact in the real world. Hence, Website testing is a prominent step towards building your identity in the world today. To give a smooth and seamless experience to your users.

Test your website now!

We all know the Apple story. How Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the company from scratch and developed it into this massive success it is today. Apple has its own group of people who use only apple products. A family of a sort.

As we all know, iOS is the official manifesto of Apple Inc., licensed to be used in its apps. By the determination and the strategies by Jobs, it is designed to be like a family of users of the company. Like a large brood of birds. This means that no application in the Apple system can be used in other devices. On the other hand, today, the equally popular manifesto of Android can be used by any device. Though Apple is trying to focus on increasing the closed ménage of users they have, Android has the advantage of its reach to the masses. The competition is present and ever-growing.

Apple works along its popular patents such as iPhone, iPad, iPod and iPad Mini. Approximately 1 billion people are using about 1.4 billion Apple products today. To have a smooth and smart experience, the apps in the system should be bug-free. And here comes the need for iOS application are some pre-considered goals of iOS app testing. Being a type of UI testing, it focuses on the mutual workings of the various Functionalities of different apps and instruments, with giving support to a new instrument named as ‘Automation’.

Also, iOS testing gazes into the efficiency of JavaScript library. To validate an application, here are some basic utilities of iOS automation testing.

• It lets you collect different types of data and helps you to analyze it closely and smartly by putting that information side by side.
• Along with increasing productivity, it offers pocket-friendly results by minimizing the cost of software development.
• A vigorous tool that allows you to collect all the data regarding the response and performance of running processes, may it be a single process or multiple processes.
• Classification of the information can be done as either ‘File Access’ or ‘Memory Use’, with every instrument marked as a different type of information.
• The integration of many of the open-source testing frameworks can be done which supports iOS Application testing.

A conclusive answer to a Bug-Less App – iOS App testing.

It is a stated fact that to design and implement an iOS application, a large amount of time and hard work is required. If the errors and bugs are ignored, the usability and the functioning of the app can be effectively harmed. While keeping the quality on its mark, below are some basic ways to keep safe the apps of the sophisticated and giant company that Apple is.

• Applications’ crashing rate can be minimized or even completely cleared.
• Applications can be made more compatible for developers.
• To prevent the iOS devices from being hacked, it can strengthen the data security feature.
• Can offer a strong solution for memory leak incidents.

Check out the map below to get a clear idea of what to consider while testing iOS application by automation testing. It is important for a tester to have in mind all the aspects mentioned below.

Different ways for automated testing

• Unit test – To authenticate any particular case in any class and to confirm that the class is working, this test is done. It delivers a stand-alone result.
• UI/Integration test – To test the user interactions of the application and to ensure that all the cases are finely synchronized to give away the expected result.

Now that the Whats, Hows and Whys are clear, let’s get to the writing of iOS application testing cases.

XCTest is a quite resourceful tool to facilitate the testing. It is issued by Apple itself. Using the XCTest’s manifesto, a new XCode project should be made. The project includes 3 main elements.

• An individual target for every test
• A different group for every test class
• An analogy test

Below are the steps to actually create iOS unit test.

• Create a new test case class and name a new subclass
• Remove the boilerplate code
• Select the class to be tested and link your test to it
• Write a test code
• Include a private category
• By pressing Command-U, start and run the test
• Do analysis of the results. They will be displayed through the Test Navigator

By following the guidelines considerately, create unit tests to authenticate the iOS application’s performance. Do it neatly in an automated and programmed way. The iOS automation testing overrules the chance of any bug or issue and makes the Apple user’s performance smooth and crisp, keeping the qualitative value of the company up to the mark. So, if you are a tester, use the methods and tricks to test iOS applications. Have a go at it and surely you will have the best experience later.

Afterall, It’s the Apple Inc.!

If anyone had to pick one primary thing which shaped the day-to-day human culture in the past 20 years, it has to be the Internet and the explosion of social media applications. It’s like a part of daily routine of the current generation. All of us use social media for various direct and indirect purposes. To connect with the world, Entertainment, Businesses, Finding or offering jobs, Information gathering… the list is endless. But as we depend on them so much, it is necessary that these apps should be authenticated and verified thoroughly. Otherwise, they could bring about high-security breaches, which is unhealthy for the culture. Moreover, thousands and millions of Businesses and People are using these apps to make the ends meet. Any improper use of them in any strand can lead to a severe issue. Therefore, it becomes prominent to test these Social Media apps properly. Here, we are going to talk about the Proper Testing of Social media applications.

Why is it necessary to do the testing?

As estimated in a recent study by our folks at Statista, the number of users of Social media apps is to rise to about 3.2 Billion users in 2021. Considering this, any major error in the testing of these apps is quite affordable as the error might affect half of the worldwide population.

Different Models of Social Media Testing

Testing social media apps is not as easy as using it. It requires a dedicated expertise in the field, a sense of the digital culture and a proper skillet. The types of testing include:

• Enterprise software testing: These apps are generally very vigorous to test as they are used by a large number of users and hence require crisp security testing and a technically sophisticated enterprise testing remedy.
• Web 2.0 Testing: Early involvement of testers is essential to the testing process as these apps are Web 2.0 Applications. Due to their susceptibility to frequent changes, the test cases of these apps should be preferably automatized.
• The Web Testing of these social media apps should be done considering its Compatibility, Functionality, Security Testing, Performance and Database testing etc.
• SaaS testing: Software as a Service model also known as SaaS testing is a method to authenticate correct functioning of these apps.
• Web Analytics Data: As Social media holds and works along with large amount of data, it collects, analyses and reports the data based on user’s earmarks. Web analytics testing helps in doing so.
• Acceptance Testing: This includes tests for apps’ engaging and user-convenient attitude.
• Content Management Testing: As we know that there is an enormous amount of content on these applications. Every day, thousands and millions of users upload large bunch of content. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and many other applications are used for content creation. To keep check on what is being posted and to check whether its appropriate or not is a constant task. It is a requirement to manage this content and avoid any content-related concern.
• SEO testing: Search Engine Optimization testing, commonly known as SEO testing is a necessity to boost up your applications online. It guarantees your application’s growth and development.
• Online Advertisement Application Testing: In the current Scenario, Online advertisement is largely used by people to promote their businesses. Authentication of the functioning of these Online Advertisements becomes a key factor in testing.

Testing Process

A proper step by step testing process is a sign of authentic app testing.

• Requirement Analysis
  Analysing test requirements is the primary step. It includes scope determination and listing objectives of test. Basically, listing down how many and what resources you will need and how much time the test will take.
• Test Planning
  Like in any other project methodology, Test planning has to be done on the basis of tester’s objective. One should be clear in his mind about what does he want to achieve through the test. Based on that, a proper plan should be made.
• Resource Allotment
  Now based on your planning and analysis, allocate human and other resources for the testing. Decide the timing. Now before starting the test, consider the different methods used in Application testing as shown in the picture below.

  

  Here, for functional testing, jot down a few things like which OS you are using, various device platforms, networks, etc. And for Non-functional testing, select from various methods like Scalability testing, Performance Testing, Load testing etc.
• Creation of test cases
  As we get near to actual testing, this is the primal necessity for testing. Here one should create test cases considering the planning done in earlier stages. A proper Document should be made which must include all the features and functions of the application. Also, the test cases should mention all the test cases of both functional testing and Non-functional testing. Usability testing, Performance testing, etc. Other than this, It should also contain remaining test cases like Memory usability, Battery consumption, Data, and Speed related details, etc.
• Automated and Manual testing
  It’s not all on only you neither it is all on the technology. It’s a collaboration between Automatic and Manual Testing. Hence defining the roles of each becomes important. Make sure you made different test scripts for both aspects.
• Test Case execution
  The time has arrived. This is the step where you actually do the testing. One can choose where he wants to execute the testing. On cloud, in physical devices, or using testing tools.
• Reviewing Errors
  All the bugs found in the testing should be reported to the Application development team to clear them.
• Documentation
  Make sure you note down all the bugs, errors, and other notes which you have found in the testing. This Documentation helps in reviewing the test and also for later tests.
• Completion
  The Application has to be tested again and again to make sure the bugs have been cleared. Also, to assure that the removal of bug did not affect the coding of the present functionalities. As we know, whenever any new code is added or replaced in the application, the test has to be done again. Hence there is no such thing as completion of the test. But still, A test is considered as complete when the bugs are removed.

For more effective testing, here are some expert tips.

• For Social media apps, Autonomous authentication is important.
• The tester has to be good at designing and implementing Web 2.0 testing.
• All-inclusive website testing should be carried out.

In conclusion, Social Media Applications are the of our times. To keep up and increase the tempo of the usage of these apps, it is quite essential to make sure they work better and are secure. So, test them out!

Over the years, I have observed that testers often tend to focus on testing the application without understanding the business of the application. To ensure that you are conducting comprehensive testing, testers should first understand and test the business of the application. If you are covering business level scenarios in your test coverage then you will have more confidence in your test coverage.

For testing the business, a good approach is to put yourself in place of the actual users. At vTEST, we simulate actual business scenarios by assigning different types of roles to different testers. Let’s say for testing an e-commerce application, you could assign 1 Tester as the Buyer and 1 Tester as the Seller. Now, try to simulate the actions that a Buyer and Seller would perform in an actual business transaction. Simple tests are like (sample list only) –

1. What is the Seller selling and how?

2. What is the Buyer buying and how?

3. Can Buyer and Seller perform the business transaction by violating any of the set processes?

4. Is Buyer satisfied with the user experience while performing the purchase?

5. Is Seller receiving all the monetary benefits once the transaction is successful?

6. In the next round of testing, swap the roles of Tester 1, Tester 2 and their different experiences will lead to additional defects/ improvements/suggestions.

Overall emphasis should be on testing the business by utilizing the application under test as a media for it. Remember that application under test is only an enabler to get the business done and is trying to replace the existing manual or otherwise activities. If any business activity is being performed offline then intention should be to include that in the application itself.

As always, happy testing and let the quality improve day by day!

I love to speak to testers at all levels and am always keen to resolve their queries. One of the most common query from testers is on the Future of Software Testing. Almost all testers are obviously thinking of how to be the best at what they are doing and keep up their continuous learning practice?. Better said than done however few testers have been disappointed that their employers have not encouraged them to do so. Nevertheless, it’s inspiring to see that testers sponsor their own career path and modify their approach towards the growth path.

Within the developers community, we get to see the roles being evolved from UI Developer, Middleware Developer, Backend Developer to Full Stack Developer. While industry has evolved and granted newer roles and skill sets for Developers, somehow testers still seem to be getting the same roles OR being stuck to the same skill sets. While role or designation should not obstruct a tester from performing their best, skill set is the utmost important aspect that should really matter.

As a tester even if you are utilising manual test techniques to test a web or mobile application, it is absolutely vital for each tester to cover all the components of the application under test -> UI, API, Database, Server. Testers seem to be worrying more about whether they are using manual or automation techniques to test. In addition to the focus on manual or automation, our primary focus should be on whether we are covering the entire application that is being launched. In simple words, if a Developer is developing UI, API, Database and hosting on Server then a Tester needs to test all these components too.

Testers should definitely not be tagged as UI Tester or API Tester or Database Tester. As a tester, your responsibility is the entire application and not just the UI. Tests that can be run at different components will help you to report critical defects that do not meet the eyes. With the start of new year, here’s a shout to each tester to make a new year resolution to expand their horizon and modify their approach to be a Full Stack Tester. It will empower you as a complete tester and ultimately benefit the end clients with best quality applications.

Happy Full Stack Testing!.