Test in software testing

This standard proposed a framework that describes the usability components and the relationship between them. In this standard, the usability is considered in terms of user performance and satisfaction.

According to ISO , usability depends on context of use and the level of usability will change as the context changes. This standard helps in organizing and enhancing the process related to software quality requirements and their evaluations.

This standard deals with software packages delivered to the client. A methodology for establishing quality requirements, identifying, implementing, analyzing, and validating the process, and product of software quality metrics.

This section describes the different types of testing that may be used to test a software during SDLC. Manual testing includes testing a software manually, i. In this type, the tester takes over the role of an end-user and tests the software to identify any unexpected behavior or bug. There are different stages for manual testing such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing.

Testers use test plans, test cases, or test scenarios to test a software to ensure the completeness of testing. Manual testing also includes exploratory testing, as testers explore the software to identify errors in it. Automation testing, which is also known as Test Automation, is when the tester writes scripts and uses another software to test the product.

This process involves automation of a manual process. Automation Testing is used to re-run the test scenarios that were performed manually, quickly, and repeatedly. Apart from regression testing, automation testing is also used to test the application from load, performance, and stress point of view. It increases the test coverage, improves accuracy, and saves time and money in comparison to manual testing. It is not possible to automate everything in a software.

The areas at which a user can make transactions such as the login form or registration forms, any area where large number of users can access the software simultaneously should be automated. Furthermore, all GUI items, connections with databases, field validations, etc. Automation is done by using a supportive computer language like VB scripting and an automated software application.

There are many tools available that can be used to write automation scripts. There are different methods that can be used for software testing. This chapter briefly describes the methods available. The technique of testing without having any knowledge of the interior workings of the application is called black-box testing.

The tester is oblivious to the system architecture and does not have access to the source code. Typically, while performing a black-box test, a tester will interact with the system's user interface by providing inputs and examining outputs without knowing how and where the inputs are worked upon.

White-box testing is the detailed investigation of internal logic and structure of the code. White-box testing is also called glass testing or open-box testing. In order to perform white-box testing on an application, a tester needs to know the internal workings of the code. Grey-box testing is a technique to test the application with having a limited knowledge of the internal workings of an application.

In software testing, the phrase the more you know, the better carries a lot of weight while testing an application. Mastering the domain of a system always gives the tester an edge over someone with limited domain knowledge. Unlike black-box testing, where the tester only tests the application's user interface; in grey-box testing, the tester has access to design documents and the database.

Having this knowledge, a tester can prepare better test data and test scenarios while making a test plan. The following table lists the points that differentiate black-box testing, grey-box testing, and white-box testing. There are different levels during the process of testing. In this chapter, a brief description is provided about these levels. Levels of testing include different methodologies that can be used while conducting software testing.

This is a type of black-box testing that is based on the specifications of the software that is to be tested. The application is tested by providing input and then the results are examined that need to conform to the functionality it was intended for. Functional testing of a software is conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the system's compliance with its specified requirements. An effective testing practice will see the above steps applied to the testing policies of every organization and hence it will make sure that the organization maintains the strictest of standards when it comes to software quality.

This type of testing is performed by developers before the setup is handed over to the testing team to formally execute the test cases. Unit testing is performed by the respective developers on the individual units of source code assigned areas. The developers use test data that is different from the test data of the quality assurance team. The goal of unit testing is to isolate each part of the program and show that individual parts are correct in terms of requirements and functionality.

Testing cannot catch each and every bug in an application. It is impossible to evaluate every execution path in every software application. The same is the case with unit testing. There is a limit to the number of scenarios and test data that a developer can use to verify a source code. After having exhausted all the options, there is no choice but to stop unit testing and merge the code segment with other units. Integration testing is defined as the testing of combined parts of an application to determine if they function correctly.

Integration testing can be done in two ways: Bottom-up integration testing and Top-down integration testing. This testing begins with unit testing, followed by tests of progressively higher-level combinations of units called modules or builds. In this testing, the highest-level modules are tested first and progressively, lower-level modules are tested thereafter. In a comprehensive software development environment, bottom-up testing is usually done first, followed by top-down testing. The process concludes with multiple tests of the complete application, preferably in scenarios designed to mimic actual situations.

System testing tests the system as a whole. Once all the components are integrated, the application as a whole is tested rigorously to see that it meets the specified Quality Standards. This type of testing is performed by a specialized testing team. System testing is the first step in the Software Development Life Cycle, where the application is tested as a whole.

The application is tested thoroughly to verify that it meets the functional and technical specifications. The application is tested in an environment that is very close to the production environment where the application will be deployed.

System testing enables us to test, verify, and validate both the business requirements as well as the application architecture. Whenever a change in a software application is made, it is quite possible that other areas within the application have been affected by this change. Regression testing is performed to verify that a fixed bug hasn't resulted in another functionality or business rule violation.

The intent of regression testing is to ensure that a change, such as a bug fix should not result in another fault being uncovered in the application. Testing the new changes to verify that the changes made did not affect any other area of the application. The QA team will have a set of pre-written scenarios and test cases that will be used to test the application. More ideas will be shared about the application and more tests can be performed on it to gauge its accuracy and the reasons why the project was initiated.

Acceptance tests are not only intended to point out simple spelling mistakes, cosmetic errors, or interface gaps, but also to point out any bugs in the application that will result in system crashes or major errors in the application. By performing acceptance tests on an application, the testing team will reduce how the application will perform in production.

There are also legal and contractual requirements for acceptance of the system. This test is the first stage of testing and will be performed amongst the teams developer and QA teams. Unit testing, integration testing and system testing when combined together is known as alpha testing.

The Application will be tested on machines with the lowest specification to test loading times and any latency problems. This test is performed after alpha testing has been successfully performed. In beta testing, a sample of the intended audience tests the application. Beta testing is also known as pre-release testing. Beta test versions of software are ideally distributed to a wide audience on the Web, partly to give the program a "real-world" test and partly to provide a preview of the next release.

Getting the feedback, the project team can fix the problems before releasing the software to the actual users. The more issues you fix that solve real user problems, the higher the quality of your application will be. Having a higher-quality application when you release it to the general public will increase customer satisfaction. This section is based upon testing an application from its non-functional attributes. Non-functional testing involves testing a software from the requirements which are nonfunctional in nature but important such as performance, security, user interface, etc.

It is mostly used to identify any bottlenecks or performance issues rather than finding bugs in a software. Performance testing can be either qualitative or quantitative and can be divided into different sub-types such as Load testing and Stress testing. It is a process of testing the behavior of a software by applying maximum load in terms of software accessing and manipulating large input data. It can be done at both normal and peak load conditions. This type of testing identifies the maximum capacity of software and its behavior at peak time.

Virtual users VUsers are defined in the automated testing tool and the script is executed to verify the load testing for the software. The number of users can be increased or decreased concurrently or incrementally based upon the requirements. Stress testing includes testing the behavior of a software under abnormal conditions. For example, it may include taking away some resources or applying a load beyond the actual load limit. The aim of stress testing is to test the software by applying the load to the system and taking over the resources used by the software to identify the breaking point.

Usability testing is a black-box technique and is used to identify any error s and improvements in the software by observing the users through their usage and operation. According to Nielsen, usability can be defined in terms of five factors, i. According to him, the usability of a product will be good and the system is usable if it possesses the above factors.

Nigel Bevan and Macleod considered that usability is the quality requirement that can be measured as the outcome of interactions with a computer system. This requirement can be fulfilled and the end-user will be satisfied if the intended goals are achieved effectively with the use of proper resources. Molich in stated that a user-friendly system should fulfill the following five goals, i. UI testing ensures that the GUI functions according to the requirements and tested in terms of color, alignment, size, and other properties.

Skip to content. Change Language. Related Articles. Table of Contents. Improve Article. Save Article. Like Article. Previous Types of Software Testing. Next Software Engineering Seven Principles of software testing. Recommended Articles. Article Contributed By :. Easy Normal Medium Hard Expert. Writing code in comment? Please use ide. Load Comments. What's New. Most popular in GBlog. Most visited in Software Engineering.

We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. Start Your Coding Journey Now!