A Complete Guide to QA Automation

While developing an application, the application developers will deal with both the back-end and front-end elements. While it is true that the back-end elements will be responsible for the major functioning of the app, the front-end elements also play a very important role. This is because the front-end elements are responsible for interacting with the user and providing them with a delightful experience. Guide to QA Automation –

So, it is very important for the app developers to not only verify the proper functioning of the QA elements but also their proper placement. All the test cases regarding the functioning of front-end elements are incorporated under quality assessment test cases. In the modern generation, app developers can easily initiate automation testing on the QA elements.

So, with this article, we will guide the new application developers and testers through the process of automating the QA test cases and also help them understand the current market for QA testing. Finally, we will wrap up our discussion by analyzing the role of multiple tools and platforms in the execution of QA automation.

Addressing the World of Automation Testing

Before understanding the prospect of QA automation testing, it is very important to have a clear idea about the prospect of test automation. In modern terms, it is the process of eliminating a human test bench for executing the test cases. Instead, the system will use the automated text file consisting of all the required parameters, data, and information that will allow it to seamlessly interact with the application and emulate human behavior.

Based on these interactions and communications, the system can generate a test report showing the usability, interactivity, and stability of the application. The app developers and testers can later go through this report to understand whether the app is suitable for the production phase.

While executing automation testing, the app developers can have the freedom of making significant changes in the test file to ensure that the final report is customized according to the requirements of the app undergoing the development process. On the other hand, the process of storing, maintaining, and reusing automation test scripts is also very simple.

An expert guess suggests that almost 60% of the existing test code is reusable in future app projects. However, the initial investment for test automation is comparatively high regarding the revenue of small individual creators and startup companies. This investment will incur the cost of integrating various tools, plugins, and libraries that are crucial for automation test cases. So, we suggest the app developers and testers have a definite idea or revenue resource to justify this transition.

Benefits of QA Automation Testing

To justify the automation of QA testing, there are various benefits that application developers can consider. To ease this understanding for the new app developers and testers, we have created a list of the most compelling ones. They are as follows:

1. The automation of quality assessment testing helps the application developers to improve the reach of the test cases. This is because, with the help of automation testing, it is possible to initiate multiple test instances at the same time. Thus, the app developers can verify the performance of the elements based on multiple use case scenarios and other factors.
2. QA Automation testing helps app developers to automate repetitive test cases and rather focus on important areas. For instance, app developers can use this extra time for developing new features that can be added in the future update of the app.
3. The process of automation helps the application developers and testers to eliminate any errors that can arise due to human involvement in the application development lifecycle. Moreover, it helps to massively improve the efficiency of the test cases as automation testing can run 24 hours round the clock. A recent market study shows that the use of complete automation testing can allow application developers to complete all the test cases in only a few days.
4. Automation testing is a long-term investment and helps app developers to save a lot of money. This is because, with the integration of test automation, app developers can eliminate the expense of having a manual testing team. So, the app companies can save these resources and reinvest them in improving the quality of the app.

Process of QA Automation Testing

To properly integrate automation testing with QA test cases, the application developers only have to follow a few simple steps. Based on our research and understanding, we’ve created a list of all the steps that can guide the new app developers and testers. They are as follows:

1. The first step in this process involves understanding the basics of quality assessment. This knowledge will allow the app developers to identify the target elements and also their possible audience. After this process, the app developers have to identify all the QA elements that are suitable for automation testing. These elements might include those that are repetitive and time-consuming.
2. After this process, the application developers have to signify the possible automation testing frameworks that can be suitable according to their requirements. It is very important to understand that the framework will vary depending on the preferences of the developers and the application undergoing the development process. For instance, Selenium WebDriver can be a good option when app developers are working with a web application. On the other hand, Appium is a suitable choice while working with mobile applications.
3. After this process, the application developers have to set up the automation testing environment and define an automation testing strategy. This strategy will be very important as it will help the app developers to eliminate any unwanted surprises during the application development lifecycle. We also advise the app development teams to consult not only the development and testing teams but also the production teams while devising the testing strategy. This will help to maintain a basic knowledge of the current status of the app throughout the company.
4. The next step in this process is to design and develop the first QA automation test case. While working with automation testing, app developers can choose any of their preferred programming languages. Some of the most common programming languages for QA automation testing include JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and many others. In this regard, we’d also like to advise the app developers to name the test cases according to the target elements. This is a very important parameter as it helps app developers to keep track of all the test cases while they’re working on complex apps consisting of thousands of elements.
5. After the application developers have finished writing the automation test cases, they can begin the test case execution process. The app developers can proceed towards the app debugging process after they wait for the system to run the test case and return the result. During the test case execution process, any bugs or errors that might be present in the core framework of the app can be understood and removed based on the output.
6. Until the application is fully stable and ready for production, the testing and debugging processes must be repeated. To ensure the stability of both existing and new elements, it is crucial to rerun the QA test cases with each subsequent update.

The Inclusion of Testing Platforms with QA Automation

The use of various tools and platforms available in the market can greatly facilitate the process of QA automation for application developers. These resources can enhance the test cases’ simplicity while simultaneously granting access to a wide range of additional features, thus improving the overall quality of the app in question.

We can consider the example of cloud platforms that save a lot of money by eliminating the need of having an onsite device bench. These benches are usually used by app companies to verify the performance of the application based on various physical parameters. These parameters can include human interaction errors, variable bandwidth, or even a broken display. On the other hand, cloud platforms achieve similar test results while executing all the test cases over remote servers.

These servers provide access to hundreds of real devices through the Internet. The list of devices also consists of various legacy devices that are no longer available on the market. They are very important as more than 80% of the end users seldom update their devices. Finally, cloud platforms eliminate geolocation barriers by allowing app developers to initiate test cases from anywhere around the globe. We can further improve our knowledge about the grasp of cloud platforms in the modern app development market by bringing in LambdaTest as our discussion point:

For primary knowledge, we can define LambdaTest as a modern automated cross-browser test platform for complex web apps. The current app market considers cross-browser testing as a new standard of ensuring the best end-user experience for customers. This is because, with the help of proper cross-browser test cases, it is possible to guarantee the functioning of the device irrespective of changes in the operating system, browser version, or any other physical parameters. LambdaTest can execute automation test cases from various frameworks and test sources like Playwright, Selenium, and Cypress. LambdaTest is also a great option when the application developers are working with web pages that have local host servers and are used by a company for its internal operations.

It is a very astonishing fact that LambdaTest can execute the Selenium test cases on more than 3000 modern simultaneous browsers. This platform uses parallel test execution to run the test cases on multiple testing configurations and machines at the same time. Finally, the integration of hundreds of real devices with thousands of emulation software helps to massively boost the dependency of the test reports.

The Conclusion

With this article, we aim to spread the basic knowledge regarding the proper automation testing of quality assessment elements present in modern applications. This is because QA plays a critical role in maintaining a positive brand image for the company and also uplifting user satisfaction.

On the other hand, QA elements are responsible for controlling the bounce rates and user retention rates. In the modern generation, we are slowly moving to such an era where all the test cases will be completely dependent on automation testing practices. So, app developers should try to adopt it as soon as possible and continue updating their knowledge regarding all of its trends.  Finally, the app developers can help in this transition with the help of various awareness campaigns and seminars.