LTS QA

The AI-Powered Virtual Assistant Market Size is estimated to be at $3.442 Billion in 2019, and this number is expected to surpass $45.1 Billion by 2027, raising by 37.7% (according to a study by CAGR). And this can all start from the simple voice annotation.

The possibility and utility of AI-Powered Virtual Assistants come from both technical and behavioral aspects. In correlation with the ever-growing demand for on-app assistance, we have the data inputs continuously poured into the AI system for data training. 

To put it another way, one of the most important features to make AI-powered virtual assistants possible is the data inputs, aka voice annotation.

 

The booming industry of AI and virtual assistant

For starters, an intelligent virtual assistant (IVA), or we can call it an AI-powered virtual assistant, is a software technology that is developed to provide responses similar to those of a human. 

With this assistant, we can ask questions, make arrangements or even demand actual human support.

 

Why are virtual assistants on the rise?

Intelligent virtual assistants are widely used, mostly for the reduced cost of customer handling. Also, with quick responses for live chat or any other form of customer engagement, IVA helps boost customer service satisfaction and save time.

Besides external performance as above, IVA also collects customer information and analyzes conversation & customer satisfaction survey responses; thereby, helping organizations improve the customer and company communication.

 

Intelligent virtual assistants can play as the avatars of the enterprises. They can dynamically read, understand and respond to queries from customers, and eventually reduce costs for manpower in different departments. 

We can see many of those IVAs in large enterprises as they can help eliminate the infrastructure setup cost. This is why the revenue for IVA are so high in recent years and perhaps in the years coming.

 

What can virtual assistants do?

The usability and adoption of AI-powered virtual assistance are everywhere. We can see it in our operating systems, mobile applications or even chatbots. With the deployment of machine learning, deep neural networks and other advancements in AI technology, the virtual assistant can easily perform some certain tasks.

 

Virtual assistants are very common in operating systems. These assistants help in setting calendar, making arrangements, setting alarms, asking questions or even writing texts. A multitasking assistant like this is on the large scale, and we might think that these applications are limited within  operating systems only.

However, with the soaring numbers of mobile users and mobile apps, many entrepreneurs and even start-ups are beginning to implement a virtual assistant just within their product apps. This leads to the rising demand for the data input required in different fields.

For example, a healthcare service app requires specific voice annotations regarding medical terms and other healthcare-related matters.

In the report of ResearchAndMarkets.com concerning Global Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) Market 2019-2025: Industry Size, Share & Trends, it is indicated that:

• Smart speakers are developing with the fastest pace and emerging as the major domain for IVA
• Still, Text to speech is the largest segment in IVA. It is estimated to reach a revenue of over $15.37 Billion by 2025
• The country with the dominance in the market of IVA is North America with the main industry of healthcare.
• The key players are Apple Inc., Oracle Corporation, CSS Corporation, WellTok Inc., CodeBaby Corporation, eGain Corporation, MedRespond, Microsoft, Next IT Corporation, Nuance Communications, Inc., and True Image Interactive Inc.

Through the report, we can see that the potential to develop and grow the AI-powered virtual assistant market is on fast-paced growth. For every different domain, we have a different approach for the implementation of IVA.

For better service and business development, enterprises demand effective customer engagement, hence the growing number of virtual assistants to be implemented in different products.

Currently, the intelligent virtual assistant market is majorly driven by the BFSI industry vertical, owing to its higher adoption and increasing IT investment. However, automotive & healthcare are the most lucrative vertical segments and are likely to maintain this trend during the forecast period.

 

How can voice annotation help the IVA?

As Virtual Assistant appears in almost every aspect of life, including calling, shopping, music streaming, consulting, etc., the requirement for voice data processing continues to grow. Besides the speech to text and text to speech annotation, more advanced forms of part of speech tagging or phonetics annotation are also in high demand.

 

For a IVA system to operate properly, the developer has to consider different approaches of interaction methods, including:

• Text-to-text: Text-to-text annotation is not necessarily directly related to the operation of IVA. Nevertheless, labeled texts help the machine understand the natural language of humans. If not done properly, the annotated texts can lead a machine to exhibit grammatical errors or wrongly understand the queries from customers. 
• Speech-to-text: Speech-to-text annotation transcribes audio files into text, usually in a word processor to enable editing and search. Voice-enabled assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant are fine examples for this.
• Text-to-speech: Text-to-speech annotation enables the machine to synthesize natural-sounding speech with a wide range of voice (male, female) and accents (Northern, Middle and Southern accent). 
• Speech-to-speech: Speech-to-speech is the most advanced and complicated form of annotation. With the data input of this, the AI can understand the speech of users, and then answer/perform accordingly.

Whichever of the above, we still have to collect data, voices, speeches, conversations, and then annotate them so that machine learning algorithms can understand the input from users.

Voice annotation service requires much effort to deliver understandable and useful datasets. It also takes much time to even recruit and train the annotators, not to mention the on-job time.

If you want to outsource voice annotation, contact LQA now for instant support.

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

 

One of the most popular use cases of AI and Data Annotation is Autonomous Car. The idea of Autonomous Cars (or Self-Driving Cars) has always been a fascinating field for exploitation, even in entertainment or actual transportation. 

This was once just a fictional outlook, but with the evolution of information technology and the technical knowledge obtained over the years, autonomous cars are now possible.

 

Perhaps the most famous implementation of AI and Data Annotation in Autonomous Cars is Tesla Autopilot, which enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane under your active supervision, assisting with the most burdensome parts of driving. 

However, Tesla Autopilot has only been confirmed of success in several Western countries. The real question here is that: “Can Tesla Autopilot be used in highly congested roads of South-East Asia countries?”

 

The role of Data Annotation in AI-Powered Autonomous Cars

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the leading trend of Industry 4.0, there’s no denying that. Big words and the “visionary” outlook of AI in everyday life are really fascinating, but the actual implementation of this is often overlooked. 

In fact, the beginning of AI implementation started off years ago with the foundation of a virtual assistant, which we often see in fictional blockbuster movies. In these movies, the world is dominated by machines and automation. Especially, vehicles such as cars, ships and planes are well taken care of thanks to an AI-Powered Controlling System.

With the innovation of multiple aspects of AI Development, many of the above have become true, including the success in Autonomous/Self-Driving Cars.

 

Training data with high accuracy

The two important features of a self-driving car are hardware and software. For an autonomous car to function properly, it is required to sense the surrounding environment and navigate objects without human intervention.

The hardware keeps the car running on the roads. Besides, the hardware of an autonomous car also contains cameras, heat sensors or anything else that could detect the presence of objects/humans.

The software is perhaps the standing point of this, in which it has machine learning algorithms that have been trained. 

 

Labeled datasets play an important role as the data input for the aforementioned learning algorithms. Once annotated, these datasets will enrich the “learning ability” of AI software, hence improving the adaptability of the vehicles.

 

With high accuracy of the labeled datasets, the algorithm’s performance will be better. The poor-performing data annotation can lead to possible errors during a driving experience, which can be really dangerous.

 

Enhanced Experience for End-users

Who wouldn’t pay for the top-notch experience? Take Tesla as your example. Tesla models are the standard, the benchmark that people unconsciously set for other autonomous vehicle brands. From their designs to how the Autopilot handles self-driving experience, they are combined to create a sense of not only class but also safety.

How Tesla designs their cars is a different story. What really matters for the sake of their customers is safety.

Leaving everything for “the machine” might be frightening at first, but Tesla also guarantees that through many of the experiments and versions of the AI software. In fact, it was proven that Tesla Autopilot can easily run on highway roads of multiple Western countries.

 

We might have seen the footage of how Tesla Autopilot Model X was defeated on the highly congested roads of Vietnam. However, we have to take a look back at the scenario in which we need an autonomous car the most. 

The answer here is the freeway and highway. And Tesla can do very well on these roads.

The role of data annotation in this case is that through the high-quality annotated datasets, the machine is trained with high frequency, therefore securing safety for passengers.

 

The future of autonomous vehicles

We don’t simply jump from No Driving Automation to Full Driving Automation. In fact, we are barely at Level 3, which is Conditional Driving Automation.

• Level 0 (No Driving Automation): The vehicles are manually controlled. Some features are designed to “pop up” automatically whenever problems occur.
• Level 1 (Driver Assistance): The vehicles feature single automated systems for driver assistance, such as steering or accelerating (cruise control). 
• Level 2: (Partial Driving Automation): The vehicles support ADAS (steering and accelerating). Here the automation falls short of self-driving because a human sits in the driver’s seat and can take control of the car at any time. 
• Level 3 (Conditional Driving Automation): The vehicles have “environmental detection” capabilities and can make informed decisions for themselves, such as accelerating past a slow-moving vehicle. But they still require human override. The driver must remain alert and ready to take control if the system is unable to execute the task. Tesla Autopilot is qualified as Level 3.
• Level 4 (High Driving Automation): The vehicles can operate in self-driving mode within a limited area.
• Level 5 (Full Driving Automation): The vehicles do not require human attention. There’s no steering wheel or acceleration/braking pedal. We are far from Level 5.

With Tesla Autopilot qualified as Level 3, we are only halfway through the journey to the full driving automation.

However, we personally think that the matter of these Level 3 vehicles is the training data for the AI system. The datasets that have been poured into this are very limited, possibly can be compared to just a drop in the ocean.

 

To train the AI system is no easy task, as the datasets require not only accuracy but also high quality, not to mention the enormous amount of them.

The speed in which Tesla or any other autonomous vehicle company is going for is quite high in order to be ahead of the competition. Instead of doing it themselves, these companies often seek help at some outsourcing vendor for better management and execution of data processing. These vendors can help with both data collecting and data annotating.

Want to join the autonomous market without worrying about data annotation? Get consults from LQA to come up with the best-fitted data annotation tool for your business. Contact us now for full support from experts.

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

 

With the widespread adoption of Automation Testing, businesses are now spoilt for choices of Automation Testing Tools. 

A plethora of automation tools, both open-source and vendor-source – have granted the market the opportunity to explore and deploy the best-suited ones for their firms. 

You must have gotten acquainted with the theory of how to choose the right automation, but turning this into practice is another story. As listed below are the top 10 trusted and curated automation testing tools with high credibility, divided into 3 categories of web app, mobile app and desktop app.

 

What testers need to know about testing: Principles, Skills & Testing phase

Enhance your software testing capabilities with global quality standards

 

Automation Testing Tools for Web App

Web App testing takes up a high percentage of the Quality Assurance market, hence the diverse and varied automation testing tools. These tools, in this case, should be feature-rich and support cross-browser compatibility.

 

1. Selenium

Selenium is among the most popular and renowned automation testing tools as the flagship automating web application for testing purposes.

 

“It is considered the industry standard for user interface automation testing of Web applications. Specifically, 54% percent of respondents used Selenium as their automation testing tool, according to the Test Automation Landscape in 2020 Report.” – Brian Anderson (Automation advocate & Selenium committer)

 

With the assistance of Selenium, the automation testing process can be implemented across different operating systems and different browsers, thanks to its two main projects.

With the 3 main projects of Selenium WebDriver, Selenium IDE and Selenium Grid, this tool empowers testers to automate browsers in a robust and versatile manner.

With the utility of diverse programming languages of Java, C#, Python, Ruby, PHP, Perl and JavaScript, etc., Selenium supports browser-based regression testing scripts and suites across multiple environments.

The extension for Chromium browsers and Firefox add-on also assists testers in writing quick bug reproduction scripts in automation-aided exploratory testing. This exploits the record-and-playback principle for automation testing implementation.

 

2. TestComplete

TestComplete from SmartBear offers a platform of multiple modules including Web app, mobile app and desktop app. Among these three modules, the outstanding one is the web application with the utility of reusable tests for all web applications. 

With the record & playback test approach, testers can use modern programming languages like JavaScript, Python and VBScript, etc.

TestComplete majors in GUI test automation tool with the assistance of AI and ML, empowering object recognition engine and script/scriptless flexibility. CI/CD is implemented for the increase in speed of delivery.

The TestComplete tool gives you access to 2050+ on-cloud test environments, making it easier for real device maintenance, virtual machines and in-house testing labs.

Accompanied by these on-cloud testing environments is the utility of manual testing which can be applied in any phase for better test coverage and accuracy.

 

3. Katalon

Katalon is another automated UI testing tool with convenient access to any type of testers, including the ones with no programming knowledge and background.

As the pioneering name in the field of codeless automation testing tools, Katalon thrives as a productive IDE for the all-platform automated test generation, regardless of the application complexity. 

Katalon scratches the surface of codeless test scripts and digs deep into the infinite testing extension, meaning that testers of all levels and competency can work with Katalon, from newbies to experts.

Other outstanding features of Katalon are:

• Utility of automation testing in API and mobiles testing
• Ability to generate test scripts, create test cases, report results and record actions
• Support for Groovy/Java scripting languages
• Support for image-based testing
• Built-in object repository, object re-identification and Xpath

 

 

 

Automation Testing Tools for Mobile App

The 4.0 Industry development entails the upsurge of smart device users with no less than 3.8 billion smartphones being circulated in the market.

More than one-third of these devices are tablets, with 244.2 billion apps downloaded in 2020. This number is predicted to surpass 258 billion app downloads globally in 2022. The skyrocketing market of mobile apps leads to the higher-than-ever demand for the quality and faster time to market (for both new releases and feature updates)

To become the flagship of the field, one must be ahead of the curve and come to the forefront with tactics to consummate the mobile apps. The best solution for this is through the automated testing tools as follows.

 

1. Appium

 

“At this time, my team is only using Appium, but this will most likely change as other teams have automation needs with mobile devices. The main reason why Appium is a good choice for us is that it allows for tests to interact easily with both Android and iOS devices. Instead of using one toolset for Android and another for iOS, Appium combines how automation functions with each platform and puts it all into one library.” – Randall Kelley (Senior Software Development Test Engineer)

 

Trusted by many developers and testers around the world, Appium helps you automate your mobile app with well-known dev tools and many programming languages. More importantly, Appium supports API from Selenium WebDriver for in-depth development.

Appium inherited many of its features from Selenium, hence supporting cross-platform testing (in iOS and Android), a wide range of languages and multiple test frameworks.

The only hiccup with Appium is the lack of official support. Instead, it has a dynamic and supportive community for real-life problems.

 

2. SoapUI

SoapUI is one Functional Testing tool for SOAP and REST testing, supported by SmartBear. This automation testing tool does not require high knowledge of programming languages. With SoapUI, the creation of test suites, test cases and their maintenance is quick and easy.

 

SoapUI supports many features, namely:

 

Automation Testing with SoapUI

SoapUI allows automation testing with the customization of test execution to override test parameters. 

Testers have full control over the functional/load tests with the automation features of SoapUI by using the Command-Line tools bundled with the tool.

 

Technology Support from professionals

SoapUI provides support for common protocols and standards.

 

Real Services

Mimic your Real Web Services without having to wait for them to be ready or accessible. Best of all, you don’t have to build expensive full-scale replicas of your production systems.

 

Security Testing

Using a complement of tests and scans, protect your services on websites against the most common security vulnerabilities.

 

Performance Validation

Use built-in assertions to check your web service performance and to ensure that it matches user expectations.

 

Ecosystem

A big part of what makes SoapUI great is the universe of the open source community and partners around it, who have accelerated the pace of innovation on SoapUI. Another reason SoapUI is so great is that it allows anyone to develop their own set of SoapUI features as SoapUI Plugins. And SoapUI Pro adds award-winning support from the SmartBear team.

 

3. Eggplant

Eggplant is an automation testing tool specializing in Graphic User Interface (GUI). This tool offers easy operating system integration with systematic test case management. 

Eggplant utilizes a two-system model which consists of a controller machine and a system under test. 

 

Besides the two dominant operating systems of Android and iOS, Eggplant also supports other standard platforms including Windows Phone, Symbian and Blackberry.

Note: Eggplant allows testers to write and execute test scripts in a manner similar to that of actual user interaction.

One major obstacle that one may encounter during their time with Eggplant is the lack of experts. Eggplant offers a great deal of outstanding features, but its popularity is still limited in a small community, making it difficult to find experienced and knowledgeable testers to work with the tool.

 

4. Ranorex

Ranorex is another vendor-source/commercial automation testing tool that has gained a universal reputation for its powerful features in creating, maintaining and executing robust test automation projects.

With Ranorex, every action, test execution, test report, etc. is under the operational control of the Web and mobile test command center. In this center, endpoint and environments of the testing system are centrally created and configured. 

In the command center, test suites operate with flexibility. To be more specific, test cases can be combined with existing code or recording modules.

Ranorex allows custom run configurations, data binding or parameterization.

Ranorex can support both newbie testers or experts in the field. Because Ranorex is a commercial, it offers dynamic ID support and expertise support from professionals. 

 

5. Kobiton

Kobiton is featured with the highlight of a mobile testing platform. The services here focus on device lab development, and more importantly, automation testing on different platforms with real devices. 

With the absence of emulators, Kobiton offers seamless access to Real-device Testing with Scriptless Automation. 

 

“Before Kobiton we were constantly buying new phones and only the folks in our office could use them. Now, my developer and quality control person can both use the platform to test our apps before we send them to the” – Katie Bruno (WDD)

The key player among Kobiton’s features is the continuous integration of testing into your DevOps CI/CD processes. Thanks to this, regression tests are executed in a faster course, with detailed monitor of the performance metrics. Time to market of the application/releases is quicker.

Why you should try Kobiton:

• Kobiton applies the Appium open-source framework, making it possible to integrate with other Frameworks as well. These can be Appium, XCUI, Espresso, etc.
• Codeless mobile testing with easily automated test scripts. From one manual test session, you can execute hundreds of devices, all at once.
• Kobiton developed the Session Explorer platform where you can resolve your test failures with accuracy and efficiency. No more wasting your time with log files and videos.

 

Automation Testing Tools for Desktop App

1. Winium

Yet another automation testing tool utilizing the Selenium library. Winium is an open-source Automation Framework for Desktop App. This tool helps engineer testing to interact with the Windows applications easily, especially for those who have worked with the Selenium WebDriver before.

Programming languages compatible with Winium include:

• Python
• Java
• C#
• Ruby
• PHP
• JavaScript

 

Although Winium supports both Desktop Apps and Mobile Apps, it is preferred for Windows Desktop App.

The stand-out feature of Winium is the price. It is the only Selenium-based tool that allows Client-Based Application Automation. It only supports Windows. Mac and Ubuntu-based are unattended in Winium.

 

2. WinAppDriver

As in the definition issued by Microsoft, WinAppDriver is: “A test framework developed by Microsoft as an open-source project.”

Since the WinAppDriver framework is the implementation of Appium, which is a Mobile App Framework based on Selenium, it is a Selenium-like automation framework.

Since its launch, WinAppDriver has encapsulated the best-combining features of 2 frameworks, making it a flexible, easy and familiar framework to work with.

The WebDriver protocol, which is the most important standard of web & mobile app testing, allows WinAppDriver to drive any Windows apps in multiple languages, namely C#, Java, Python, Ruby, etc.

Test runners available within WinAppDriver are MSTest, JUnit, NUnit, etc.

For every automation testing approach, we have different automation testing tools, which require us to go through a thorough analysis to come up with the most suitable.

 

If you want to hear from our professional staff about what automation testing tool to implement at your business, don’t hesitate to Contact us for detailed consultation. 

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

 

Automation Testing moves at the speed of light, as the technological trend and applications are influenced by the ever-evolving change of the information technology market.

From the starting point of writing and executing the test scripts with bare support from technical tools, automation testing team now leans towards the utility of automation testing tools with various choices in terms of pricing plans, programming skills and other technical aspects.

After years of development and enhancement, the current pool of automation testing tools is now considered the pathway to success in the journey of transforming from manual to automation.

 

3 Types of Automation Tools

Automation tools are the destination for businesses and firms to come to for the optimal solution.

You must have been familiar with How to do automation testing. But do you really know the nature of them, such as their categories, price range, etc.? With this pace of development within the market, automation tools can be divided into 3 categories as follow:

 

Open-Source Tools

Open-source tools are the most common type for many firms and businesses to implement their automation testing process.

With these tools, the source code for testing execution has deliberate access. Plus, the source code can be utilized in both ways, either with full adoption or partly modification, depending on your needs.

For general utility, open-source tools allow quick access and viability for customization of an advanced test case. Hence, the use of an open-source tool requires SDETs (Software Development Engineering Testers) to have a programming background to deliberately customize the source code according to the specification of the project.

Note: Open-source tools for automation are free. In contrast, the cost of training and hiring adequate automation testing engineers is much higher than that of manual testing.

 

Commercial Automation Tools

Commercial automation tools, or vendor-source tools – are one other option for automation tools. With purchase through a monthly or annual subscription, you get access to premium features of these tools

One fine example of these features is the customer-centric service. If you encounter any problem during your time with the tool, full support 24/7 with a dedicated team will be at your service.

 

Custom Frameworks

No doubt open-source and vendor-source automation tools are the most popular ones, with a percentage of the utility of more than 80% of the market. Nevertheless, they are not always the answer, especially for niche projects. 

 

The differences and incompatibility in the testing processes, testing environments, test methodology require the testing team for a custom framework to be developed in accordance with their project’s features.

 

As compared with the open and vendor-source tools, custom frameworks are far more complicated and burdensome to develop. For most of the time, custom frameworks are the last resort for the testing team and technical experts only if the other types of tools are incompatible with the project.

 

How to Choose the Best-Fit Automation Tool?

Despite being spoilt for ubiquitous choices of automation tools, businesses can follow these 5 following steps to come up with the strategic tools best fit for your firm.

 

1. Acquire a profound understanding of project requirement

A thorough understanding of the project requirements acts as the foundation for any further development of that project, including the automation testing process.

With the undeniable improvement and enhancement of automation testing, the scope and scale of the tests and projects require minute details to alleviate the test results and proficiency throughout the operation of the testing team.

The checklist of what to be clarified includes:

•       Kinds of application (web app, mobile app or desktop app)
•       Scope of the project (number of test cases, test scripts, etc.)
•       Skill competence of the testing team

Having sorted out the checklists of project specification, businesses can indicate a strategic business analysis to put into an official project requirement. Only with the clarification of every single detail can the chosen tool integrate seamlessly with the project/application.

 

2. Devise budget and pricing plans

For any business, the ultimate target is to gain as much revenue as possible. In other words, a positive ROI for your business, in the long run, is the utmost important goal. 

Fascinating as it is, not every firm is willingly ready to invest such a big amount of capital with no ROI in the near future.

 

To successfully pull this off, the first thing you need to do is devise a budget and plan for your capital. Depending on the budget, it will be easier for you to pick the appropriate software and the suitable automation tool.

 

With the detailed plan of the expenses and infrastructure for an automation testing lab, product owner or higher-level executive can have a grasp of how the whole testing process will operate with the given revenue. Hence, the decision on what tool to be implemented will be more cost-effective and proficient. 

 

3. Determine the available skills of SDET and the programming languages

The inroads of automation testing take huge effort and knowledge of programming languages and other technical skills.

Most of the automation testing tools necessitate popular programming languages, including Java, Python, etc. The application of these programming languages is a must, but to proficiently and competently implement them in the automation testing environment is another story.

For usable and sustainable test scripts, automation testers are obligated to write code that conforms to the designated quality standards of the project. Along with this, it is also quite important to deliver test scripts that are both efficient and comprehensible, even for newbie testers. 

This could help in automation training and maintenance for later.

 

4. Clarify supported platform cross-browser compatibility

Supported platforms of the project are to be clarified as for each different platform, there are different tools to optimize the testing process.

For example, Selenium is an open-source framework to perform web testing; Kobiton specializes in Mobile and IoT Continuous Testing; Ranorex is for desktop applications.

Regarding cross-browser compatibility, testers have to consider these features:

• Different browser-OS combinations, devices, and assistive tools
• Shortlist of the most important browser-device combinations. This can be concluded from the target market, business indicators and other additional values. 
• The behavioral analysis of your target customers to come up with the most common combinations of browsers and devices.

 

5. Clarify other technical aspects

Distinct from manual testing, automation testing process demands for high skills in the use of programming languages, not to mention other aspects in the course of technology. 

With automation testing tools, the project leaders have to dig through the functions and performance of those available to come up with the most suitable lists of tools for your project. 

The services provided within the market of automation testing tools have diverse choices for clients. You can experience one’s core features in trial and then decide whether it’s worth your investment.

Check out: Top 10 Trusted Automation Testing Tools for Your Business

The technical aspects of any automation tools include:

• Script maintenance and reusability: As a key factor on how the cost of one automation testing project can escalate, testing scripts maintenance requires vast consideration for any possibilities of utility in the future. 

By putting a direct effect on the reusability of the test scripts, the automation testing team can save a lot of time when facing similar test cases.

A significant factor that escalates the total cost for test automation is script maintenance. Pre-written scripts in automation testing are fragile by nature. The ideal automation tool should come with capabilities to reduce such effort, such as eliminating object locator flakiness. On the other hand, script reusability saves you and the team a great deal of time for similar test cases as you can reuse test scripts.

• Technical support from tool provider: Professional technical support is offered within commercial tools. Normally, you can get help from tool providers via channels like direct chat or email. As in open-source tools, the support often comes from an active community with thousands of users.
• CI/CD integration capabilities: Tools with capability to integrate into the CI/CD pipelines ensure the testing continuity, making the whole process robust, dynamic and comprehensive. 
• Report record and format: With automation testing tools, the record of test results and further documentation is secured in digital format, which is stored for future reference and training.
• Keyword & Data-Driven Testing: The robust utility of Keyword & Data-Driven Testing assists test team in the extension and expansion of the test scope. In the long run, this is a strategic feature for higher ROI.
• The applied application under test: The application under test should have a schedule of releases for the most proficient preparation. What features to be updated and new points should be noted to clarify the procedure of automation testing.

 

No matter what your scale and what aspects to be tested in your product, you have to follow through the 5 steps above to catch the essence and the core of your automation testing process. You can either figure this out with your BA and developer team or you can come to experts in the field for a thorough analysis of what tool to be implemented.

 

If you want to hear from our professional staff of the Testing Industry, don’t hesitate to Contact us for detailed consultation. 

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

 

As Automation Testing is currently the emerging trend and one of the tactics that corporations use to lower the cost barrier and secure minimum leakage percentile in quality assurance, the universal questions lie upon “Why” and “How” to “From Manual to Automation Testing”.

Not as easy and simple as it appears to be, Automation Testing requires the whole transformation rather than just the transition itself. In this article, the prospects of Automation Testing and how to actualize it will be discussed.

Manual Testing is often the destination for quality control and quality assurance officers when it comes to software testing. As opposed to this, Automation Testing has been soaring in popularity with high-yielding prospects, despite many of its roadblocks and challenges.

 

Manual Testing Limitations

Manual Testing has been the most popular method of the quality assurance process in general, yet it exposes some limitations that cause many businesses to become testing-ineffective.

 

Tedious, timid and time-consuming executions

 

Manual software testing is carried out by a person sitting in front of a computer carefully going through application screens, aiming at various usage and input combinations, assessing outcomes of the expected action, and logging these observations.

 

Tests are redone often during the time of development cycles for source code adjustments, or other conditions such as changing operating environments or hardware configurations.

As in a software development life cycle, the quality assurance process has always played a vital role as this secures the well-rounded product release; hence the initial outcome of the project itself.

During software development, every developer analyzes their creations and strives for error-free scenarios. 

 

However, the reality has proven the other way round with high risks of error, and more importantly, the tedious, timid and time-consuming executions throughout the Manual Testing process.

As testers try to figure them out before the product release, they sometimes reappear no matter what they do to plan the test suites. As a result, the test executions have to be carried out in a regression manner to effectively test the software.

 

Resource-intensive process

The Manual Testing process is no easy task. It has not only unprecedented change but also a heavy emphasis on the quantity of many aspects, including:

• The data input
• The device being tested
• The popular operating system

The whole resource intensive-process of Manual Testing poses great challenges for businesses as this requires critical infrastructure with a large scope, resulting in a budget deficit.  

 

Prone to error

 

To err is human, not to mention the complexity and diversity of the testing process are always at a high level.

 

The main reason why Manual Testing is so error-prone is that the test cases might be too tedious and repetitive, causing the disinterest and focus of the testers themselves. 

One more reason for this is the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the details of the test plans. As a result, the “cogs” in the machine now fell out of place, making the whole process dysfunctional.

With all of the factors above, the error-prone characteristics will eventually and ultimately affect the firm’s financial and reputation status.

 

Not systematic and synchronized documentation

In Manual Testing, synchronized documentation for further utility and education is not available. 

More often than not, test execution results are stored in Excel or Word files. Access to these files is restricted and not always available. The testing engineers may have difficulties in the working process, slowing down the whole operation and execution of the test cases.

 

Automation Testing Predominance

 

Software testing is the ever-evolving field of the market. It takes you to be ahead of the curve to capture the essence of the latest trends and eventually resonate with the core of your products through quality assurance.

 

Under this circumstance, Automation Testing emerges at the forefront of the software testing market, which can create and generate valuable assets for a firm. 

The 8 promising prospects of Automation Testing include:

• High yield of ROI
• Consistent regression testing
• Broad test coverage
• Accuracy and Reliability
• Faster pace
• Developers and Testers unburdened
• Reduce Human Intervention
• Records of measure quality metrics

The predominance of Automation Testing and the raise of open-source automation testing tools such as Selenium, Katalon, SoapUI, etc. encourages businesses to transition from Manual to Automation Testing.

Related articles:

How to do automation testing?

High yield of ROI

Perhaps the most important and impressive of Automation Testing is the high yield of Return on Investment.

To many business owners, the huge initial investment is an obstacle for them to implement Automation Testing. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the investment in Automation Testing is both cost-effective and time-saving in the long run.

Testers often examine the software when changes happen in order to monitor technical quality. Whenever there is an update in the code, the software tests should be repeated. It may be analyzed on all operating systems and hardware configurations before each release of the software, which is costly and time-consuming.

 

When created, automated tests can be function and run over and over again at no additional fee. Moreover, these are much faster than normal tests. Automated software test applications can shorten the time to run repetitive checks from days to hours. That means time and resources saved are converted directly into cost savings.

 

Consistent regression testing

Regression testing is the act of running old tests to ensure that the updated software hasn’t introduced or re-introduced bugs.

The process is vital as it ensures that the validated features continue to function properly.

Over time, the test suites built in this process will grow and the amount of repetitive work builds up.

Being able to automate this can save time and reduce the amount of human work dramatically. Decreasing the amount of manual work means decreasing human error, increasing consistency; especially when it comes to large sets of tedious repetitive work.

This also means that not only do automation tests reduce the cost of running tests, but also ensure the quality of the testing process.

 

Broad test coverage

Letting machines do the work also means extending the scope and depth of tests to ensure software quality.

 

Automation tools can execute thousands of different complex test cases, providing coverage that is previously impossible with manual tests. They can look inside an application and check memory contents, file contents, data tables and internal program states to determine if the product is behaving as expected.

Even the largest QA departments cannot execute a controlled web application testing with thousands of users. However, automation tools can help simulate these virtual users interacting with the network.

This means the testers can cover more possibilities, have a better understanding of how the systems work, and later improve their performance.

 

Accuracy and Reliability

In Automation Testing, the test runs in precision according to the predefined test scripts, thus avoiding many human-related errors such as incorrect data entry.

More importantly, Automation Testing supports the programming of more sophisticated scripts to generate accurate test reports, which Manual Testing is incapable of. 

Thanks to the implementation of Automation Testing, the developers and testers are unburdened with timid, repetitive and tedious jobs, making it easier for them to focus on other aspects.

 

Faster pace

It appears that in every firm, the competition between firms not only revolves around the breakthrough of the product itself, it also depends on the time to market. 

With Automation Testing in hand, the outlook for a faster pace to put the product on the market is much more optimistic. Simultaneously, the constant pressure to release new features is also toned down as the regression testing can significantly speed up, thanks to the Automation Testing.

 

Developers and Testers unburdened

As in Manual Testing, the process and procedure always require many phases of tests. Accompanied with this is the work of the whole tester team, who constantly have to work under great pressure to release new products/features. Their work is timid, tedious and quite time-consuming. Sometimes, the scope of work overloads the capacity of one, exceeding the time allowance for the testing process.

With Automation Testing comes in handy, trivial and timid work like regression testing or performance testing can be executed with less headcount of manual testers, hence no more prolonged testing time.

 

Reduce Human Intervention

As Automation Testing has become a tactic for firms who want to step into the game of information technology, the limitation in human intervention poses vast opportunities for speed and accuracy through the enhancement in the workload of the IT team.

 

With repetitive, menial day-to-day tasks, the testing process is at high risk of mistakes and bugs due to overworked and tired testers.

 

With the help of Automation Testing, the IT team will no longer have to endure the trivial tests and be bogged down by the repetitive tasks. Instead, they can focus on other tasks which require a higher level of knowledge and skills, hence eventually improving overall performance and productivity.

 

Records of measure quality metrics

The measure quality metrics in Automation Testing requires test writers to carefully consider the unique aspects of the environment and the application of the products. 

With Automation Testing, metrics of the performances and functionality of the products are well-chosen and then stored in confidentiality for the later steps of the testing process.

Automation Testing is the on-trend way to go with the whole Quality Assurance process. Despite the misconception of the complete elimination of human touch in automation testing, manual testing is still of paramount importance for test cases and test scripts. 

Perhaps the execution of Automation Testing is a cross between strategic manual testing and high-technological automation testing. It is a tough trick to pull off, but once you successfully employ Automation Testing, the outlook for better ROI and vast opportunities is broadened. It is just a matter of time for your firm to resort to automation testing for higher revenue.

 

Ready for your journey in digital transformation? Contact us now for the optimal solutions of Automation Testing. Just a few touches and your firm is fully prepared for the transformation from why Manual Testing to Automation Testing with the support of LQA.

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

Automation Testing is a testing technique utilizing automated testing tools to implement tests on multiple platforms. This is considered an efficient software testing method coming with high accuracy and low labor consumption. Still, some obvious and hidden problems do exist behind.

Top 5 automation testing challenges that enterprises have to face:

• High initial investment cost
• High demand for necessary skills
• Complicated maintenance
• Complicated execution
• Difficulties in lab management

This article will dig into these 5 common challenges facing automation testing and solutions to minimize their effects on enterprises.

Top 5 Automation Testing Challenges

1. High initial investment cost

First, let’s take a closer look at the initial investment cost of automation testing. To estimate and calculate the Return of Investment, the first thing you should consider is the possible initial investment cost for an automation testing system, including:

• Cost for human resources
• Cost for automation tools

Cost for human resources

The automation testing process involves the utility of Automated Testing Tools and Automated Testing Engineers. These people are also called Software Development Engineers in Test. 

When comparing the Non-Technical Testers and those with Industrial Knowledge, the second ones are far more expensive. 

Also, the overall In-Demand positions for software testers are plummeting, specifically for automation testers, resulting in higher recruitment competitiveness and higher budgets for talent acquisition.

 

 

The dilemma of human resources lies upon the two forces, which are the Testing Engineers fluent in different coding languages and the Domain Expertise with non-technical knowledge and experience in coding. Whether the testers are onshore or offshore, the cost for those with coding skills is much higher than that of the non-technical testers.

To put it differently, The Non-technical Testers with knowledge of the industry are the trade-off for the Automated Testing Engineers.

Solutions: The problem of high cost for automation test engineers could be handled in two ways:

• Training current employees: This is a budget-friendly way to overcome challenges in automation testing. Still, it often takes many months for an Automated Testing Engineer to really hit it off. 
• Outsourcing automated testing engineers: To avoid spending months on training and coaching, many firms have chosen the solution of outsourcing automated testing engineers.

 

Cost for automation tools

There are two main types of automation testing tools: open-source and commercial testing tools. While the open-source testing frameworks, also called free testing tools (such as Selenium, Katalon, etc.) are free to access, the commercial ones require a payment based on licenses or the number of users.

Still, there are “hidden costs” no matter whether you’re using an open-source testing tool or a licensed one. As for the commercial framework, the payments are obviously the license and development costs. At the same time, free automation testing tools maybe not be enough for your business needs.

Solution: To reduce the cost of automation tools, you should first clarify your requirements and check if free tools can handle your needs. If not, go to a commercial solution that can benefit you the most in the long run.

 

2. Demand for high skills

The myth of automation testing is that it is always wrongly deemed as “simple”, “easy” or “quick”. In fact, the test execution including test design, writing test scripts, test maintenance and technical issue resolution, requires such high automation knowledge and solid grasp of automation tools that the salary range for automation testing engineers is very high.

Typically, automation testing engineers are required to fulfill the job requirements in terms of automation frameworks, prominent programming skills, and solid knowledge of the available automation tools. The strategic skillsets of identifying the appropriate frameworks, applying the right tools, and coordinating the testing process are vital for any automation testing engineer.

Solutions: Companies can weigh the pros and cons of in-house or outsourcing teams for automation testing. These necessary skills above can be acquired through either in-house training or automation testing vendors.

 

3. Complicated maintenance

As automation testing is the hot issue of quality assurance services, its maintenance is imperative for the overall efficiency of the testing process. Throughout the whole testing process, once a test case/script is written, it always necessitates maintenance, which is required every time the software application or features change. 

 

 

The scope of test maintenance varies in accordance with the complication level of the changes themselves. Whether it is a functional or non-functional feature update in the application, viable test cases are to be executed prior to release. As in the comparison of Automation Testing vs. Manual Testing, Automation Testing has different maintainability levels, entailing high programming skills.

Solutions:

• Modular test framework

By applying a modular framework for automated tests, the testing execution is divided into smaller pieces with different functions. Each function of the update is tested, making it easier for automation testing engineers to locate the code that needs updating.

• A separate test for each verification point

There might be a possibility that test developers of automation testing can create numerous verification points. However, the test scripts would hold the crux of complexity, making it difficult for anyone, other than the coder, to edit. With separate test for each verification point, it is easier for the team to update.

• Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) are the methods in which the minor details/changes are well-attended. With these being applied, the development and testing process is faster and more efficient.

The implementation of CI/CD equals the robust reporting of test scripts and test results. If bugs are to be leaked into other environments, the CI/CD pipeline can help you with the testing process in identifying which part needs updating.

 

4. Complicated execution

During execution, automation scripts are run with input test data. Once execution is finished, detailed test reports will be available. From these reports, appropriate and viable changes and updates can be made.

Automation Testing Execution invokes some difficulties in:

• Test approach selection
• Automation testing tool selection
• Communication and Collaboration

 

High Demand in Test Approach Selection

An appropriate automation test approach plays a key role in the effective result of a project. 

At the management level, you certainly know what and how to make the test approach; however, to make this approach in test automation is another issue. 

• The first difficulty is making the long-run automation process associated with the lifespan of a product. For example, the average cycle of a desktop application is common from 12-18 months to over 15 years. Therefore, the test approach needs to be able to execute the whole process of the software’s life span. 
• Secondly, the test approach has to make sure that when products change or update, it is capable of identifying and keeping up with these changes without human intervention. Taking the example of a mobile application, the approach can’t be “one size fits all” because the user requirement rapidly changes.

Definitely, it is hard to address these difficulties on the test approach, facing the challenge of building an effective long-run-oriented framework at the beginning.

Solution: Identify the following features:

• Testing process
• Testing levels
• Testing types
• Automation tools applicable
• HR allocation with different roles and responsibilities

 

Diverse choices of automation testing tools

One of the automation testing challenges is to select the right testing tool among a variety of comprehensive test tools in the market. There are open-source and commercial tools, and there are various types within each category. Each tool is suitable for particular scenarios, such as Selenium is an open-source tool that requests more programming skills from testers.

Particularly, the right tool has to match many factors such as the long-term orientation of the project, framework, output of the project, the requirement of clients, and the skill of the tester team. So, if you pick the wrong or inappropriate tool, the whole process can be failed from the start. Indeed, open-source tools often require a higher level of coding skill than commercial tools.

Solution:

Our expert testers recommend the following steps to choose tools:

1. Defining a set of tool requirements criteria
2. Reviewing the chosen tools
3. Conducting a trial test with the tools
4. Making the final decision whether you use these tools or not?

 

Barriers in communication and collaboration

In comparison with manual testing and development, automated tests actually require more collaboration. Once the misunderstanding from the start is disregarded or neglected, the process can be messy.

From the beginning, the must-have is good interaction between the delivery team and customer to analyze and understand completely the input and output of the project. 

When it comes to the test strategy, the tester team needs to communicate with project managers about making a plan, scope, and framework. 

The fact that automation testers not only talk with developers for understanding code but also manual testers about test cases, and infrastructure engineers about integration to build up the final product. 

Solution: Establishing a collaborative environment, such as a specific point of contact in each process, clear expectation and the responsibility of members will help everyone to deliver the information fast and conveniently. Plus, active involvement and a transparent framework will develop your unique company culture.

 

5. Difficulties in lab management

A device lab that can match the scope of automation testing has to be a big one. As some of the teams prefer building and maintaining their own device labs, this can be quite extravagant.

For every operating system, there are different versions of browsers and different devices. To fully capture and exploit the utility of this device lab, the up-to-date feature and lab maintenance has to be assured, hence the high cost.

Besides the spiking cost of having your own lab, lab management also poses a great challenge In today’s competitive world, teams need to have the ability to conduct a test at any time.

Your solution needs to provide open access to the lab and equips teams with the right tools to run and perform tests. This ultimately helps you be adaptable and keep pace with the new releases.

 

Solution: Cloud-Based Test Lab

Having a cloud-based lab is key for continuous testing unless there are some special testing requirements/scenarios with IoT, special networking (especially in the Telco space), etc.

 

To sum up, automation testing supports payoffs effectively and is a great method for companies to speed up progress; however, test automation can not completely replace human intelligence. We still need humans to make the orientation in the whole process of automation testing to avoid or reduce the challenges in automation testing.

 

Want to find the solutions for the automation testing challenges? Contact LQA now for FREE consultation with our specialists and experts.

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance

 

The ever-growing development pace of information technology draws a tremendous need for better speed and flawless execution. So, Automation Testing vs. Manual Testing, which one to go with?

 

As a reflection of this, manual testing is still a vital part of the testing process, non-excludable from the field for some of its specific characteristics. 

Both automation testing and manual testing pose great chances of cost-efficiency and security for your firms. In this article, the three underlying questions of what approach should be applied to your firm for the best outcome will be answered:

• What are the parameters for the comparison between the two?
• What are the pros and cons of automation testing and manual testing?
• Which kind of testing is for which?

 

What is automation testing?

Automation testing is a testing technique utilizing tools and test scripts to automate testing efforts. In other words, specified and customized tools are implemented in the testing process instead of solely manual forces.

Up until now, automated testing is considered a more innovative technique to boost the effectiveness, test coverage, and test execution speed in software testing. With this new “approach”, the testing process is expected to yield more test cases under a shorter amount of time and expand test coverage.

While it does not entirely exclude manual touch within the process, automation testing is a favorable solution for its cost-efficiency and limited human intervention. To put it in other words, automation testing requires manual efforts to make automation testing possible.

 

What is manual testing?

Manual testing, as in its literal meaning, is the technique in which a tester/a QA executes the whole testing process manually, from writing test cases to implementing them.

Every step of a testing process including test design, test report or even UI testing is carried out by a group of personnel, either in-house or outsourced. 

In manual testing, QA analysts carry out tests one-by-one in an individual manner to find bugs, glitches and key feature issues prior to the software application’s launch. As part of this process, test cases and summary error reports are developed without any automation tools.

*Check out:

Why Manual to Automation Testing

6 steps to transition from Manual to Automation testing

 

Magnifying glass for differences between Automation Testing and Manual Testing

Simple as their names are, automation testing and manual testing seem easy to define and identify. However, when looking into the details of many aspects such as test efficiency, test coverage or the types of testing to be applied, it requires a meticulous and strategic understanding of the two.

The differences between automation testing and manual testing can be classified into the following categories:

• Cost
• Human Intervention
• Types of Testing
• Test execution
• Test efficiency
• Test coverage

 

1. Testing cost

For every company, when it comes to testing costs, it requires ubiquitous analysis to weigh in the cost and the benefit to choose a technique for testing.

With the evaluation of potential costs and revenue generated from the project itself, the analysis will determine whether the project needs automation testing or manual testing. As listed in this table, the initial investment, subject of investment and cost-efficiency will be addressed.

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
Initial Investment	Automated Testing requires a much larger initial investment to really hit it off. In change for that is the higher ROI yielding in the long run. The cost of automation testing is to cover Automation Testers and open-source automation tools, which can be quite costly.	The initial investment in Manual Testing lies in the cost for human resources and team setup. This may seemingly be economic at first with the cost of just 1/10 of that with automation testing, but in the long-term, the cost can pile up to huge expenses.
Subject of Investment	Investment is resourced for specified and customized tools, as well as automation QA engineers, who expect a much higher salary range when compared to those of manual testing.	Investment is poured into Human Resources. This can be either in-house recruitment or outsourcing, depending on your firm’s request and strategy.
Test volume for cost-efficiency	High-volume regression	Low-volume regression

 

2. Human Resources Involvement

The whole picture of manual testing and automated testing does not simply indulge in the forces that execute the testing, whether it is a human being or a computer. However, there are some universal differences concerning human resources involvement.

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
User Interface observation	Automation Testing is basically executed by scripts and codes. Therefore, it cannot score on users’ interaction and opinions upon the software. Matters such as user-friendliness and positive customer experience are out of reach in this case.	The user interface and user experience are put into consideration. This process usually involves a whole team.
Staff’s programming skill requirement	Automation testing entails presets of Most In-Demand programming skills	Manual testing does not necessitate high-profile programming skills or even none.
Salary range	As estimated by Salary.com, the average Automation Test Engineer salary in the United States is approximately 4% higher than that of a regular Software Tester.	The salary range for manual testing is often lower because automated testing requires fluency in different coding languages, which manual testers are incapable of.
Talent availability	It is quite hard for talent acquisition with automation testing engineers.	It is easier for talent acquisitions as the training and coaching for manual testers are easier.

 

3. Testing types

While software testing breaks down into smaller aspects such as performance testing or system testing, Automation Testing or Manual Testing are too general and broad an approach. For each type of testing, we have different approaches, either through an automated one or a manual one. In this article, the following types of testing will be disclosed:

• Performance Testing (Load Test, Stress Test, Spike Test)
• Batch Testing
• Exploratory Testing
• UI Testing
• Adhoc Testing
• Regression Testing 
• Build Verification Testing

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
Performance Testing	Performance Testing, including Load Test, Stress Test, Spike Test, is to be tested with Automation Testing.	Manual Testing is not feasible with Performance Testing because of restricted human resources and lack of necessary skills.
Batch Testing	Batch Testing allows multiple test scripts on a nightly basis to be executed.	Batch Testing is not feasible with manual testing.
Exploratory Testing	As exploratory testing takes too much effort to execute, automation testing is impossible	Exploratory testing is for the exploration of the functionalities of the software under the circumstance that no knowledge of the software is required, so it can be done with manual testing
UI Testing	Automated Testing does not involve human interactions, so user interface testing is not feasible.	Human intervention is involved in the manual testing process, so it is proficient to test the user interface with manual testing.
Adhoc Testing	Adhoc testing is performed randomly, so it is definitely not for automation testing.	The core of Adhoc Testing is the testing execution without the instruction of any documents or test design techniques.
Regression Testing	Regression testing means repeated testing of an already tested program. When codes are changed, only automation testing can execute the test in such a short amount of time	Regression testing takes too much effort and too much time to test a changed code or features, so manual test is not the answer for regression testing.
Build Verification Testing	Due to the automation feature, Build Verification Testing is feasible.	It was difficult and time-consuming to execute the Build Verification Testing.

 

4. Test execution

When it comes to testing execution, the expected results are correlated with the actual ones. The answer for “How are automated testing and manual testing carried out?” is also varied, based on the scenario of actual engagement, frameworks, approach, etc.

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
Training Value	Automation Testing results are stored in the form of automated unit test cases. It is easy to access and quite straightforward for a newbie developer to understand the codebase.	Manual Testing is limited to training values with no actual documentation of unit test cases.
Engagement	Besides the initial phase with manual testing, automation testing works mostly with tools, hence the accuracy and the interest in testing are secured.	Manual Testing is prone to error, repetitive and tedious, which may cause disinterest for testers.
Approach	Automated Testing is more cost-effective for frequent execution of the same set of test cases.	Manual Testing is more cost-effective for test cases with 1 to 2 test executions
Frameworks	Commercial frameworks, paid tools and open-source tools are often implemented for better outcomes of Automation Testing.	Manual Testing uses checklists, stringent processes or dashboards for test case drafting.
Test Design	Test-Driven Development Design is enforced.	Manual Unit Tests do not involve coding processes.
UI Change	Even the slightest change in the user interface requires modification in Automated Test Scripts	Testers do not encounter any pause as the UI changes.
Access to Test Report	Test execution results are visible to anyone who can log into the automation testing system.	Test execution results are stored in Excel or Word files. Access to these files is restricted and not always available.
Deadlines	Lower risk of missing a deadline.	Higher risk of missing a deadline

 

Also read: Essential QA Metrics to Navigate Software Success

5. Test Efficiency

Test Efficiency is one of the vital factors for a key person to decide whether their firm needs automated testing or manual testing. The fast-paced development of information technology, in general, has yielded more demands in the field of testing, hence skyrocketing the necessity of automation testing implementation.

Regarding test efficiency, automation testing seems to be a more viable and practical approach for a firm with fast execution and sustainability.

Parameters	Automation Testing	Manual Testing
Time and Speed	Automation Testing can execute more test cases in a shorter amount of time	Manual Testing is more time-consuming. It also takes much effort to finish a set of test cases.
Sustainability	Usually, test scripts are written in languages such as JavaScript, Python, or C#. These codes are reusable and quite sustainable for later test script development. Any change can be easily altered with decent skills of coding.	Manual testing does not generate any kind of synchronized documentation for further utility. On the other hand, the skillsets for coding are not necessary.

 

6. Test Coverage

Error detection with Automation Testing is covered more thoroughly. Approaches like reviews, inspections, and walkthroughs are done without leaving anything behind. On the side of manual testing, the numbers of device and operating system permutations are limited. 

 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of automation testing and manual testing?

Automation testing and manual testing both pose great opportunities for the testing industry. For each approach, you have to put many aspects into consideration. In general, automation testing and manual testing have their merits and demerits.

 

Automation Testing pros and cons

Advantages of automation testing

• Reduced repetitive tasks, such as regression tests, testing environments setup, similar test data input
• Better control and transparency of testing activities. Statistics and graphs about test process, performance, and error rates are explicitly indicated
• Decreased test cycle time. Software release frequency speeds up
• Better test coverage

Disadvantages of automation testing

• Extended amount of time for training about automation testing (tools guidance and process)
• The perspective of a real user being separated from the testing process
• Requirement for automation testing tools that can be purchased from third vendors or acquired for free. Each of them has its own benefits and drawbacks
• Poor coverage of the test scope
• Costly test maintenance due to the problem of debugging the test script

 

Manual Testing pros and cons

Advantages of manual testing

• Capability to deal with more complex test cases
• Lower cost   
• Better execution for Ad-hoc testing or exploratory testing
• The visual aspect of the software, such as GUIs (Graphical User Interface) to be covered

Disadvantages of manual testing

• Prone to mistakes
• Unsustainability
• Numerous test cases for a longer time of test execution
• No chance of load testing and performance testing execution

Should you choose automation testing or manual testing?

For each approach of automation testing or manual testing, the question of what to choose for your firm cannot be answered without considering the parametric, the pros and cons of the two.

If your company is a multinational corporation with a vision for large-scale digital transformation, having huge revenue and funds for testing, automation testing is the answer for you. 

Automation testing is sustainable in the long run, enabling your corporation to achieve a higher yield of ROI. It also secures your firm with better test coverage and test efficiency. Automation testing will be the best solution for regression testing and performance testing.

 

If your company seeks a cheaper solution with test case execution under a smaller scope, you should aim at manual testing for a smaller testing cost. User Interface, user experience, exploratory testing, Adhoc testing have to be done with manual testing.

All in all, although automation testing benefits many aspects of the quality assurance process, manual testing is of paramount importance. Please be noted that under the circumstance of frequent changes in test cases, manual testing is compulsory and inseparable from automation testing. The accumulation of the two will generate the most cost-effective approach for your firm.

For the best practices of testing, you should see the automation approach as a chance to perform new ways of working in DevOps, Mobile, and IoT.

 

Want to dig deeper into automation testing vs. manual testing and decide the one for your business? Contact LQA now for a FREE consultation with our specialists and experts.

• Website: https://www.lotus-qa.com/
• Tel: (+84) 24-6660-7474
• Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/LotusQualityAssurance