Manual testing is a fundamental aspect of usability testing. It ensures that software applications function correctly and provide a seamless experience for end users.
Unlike automated testing, manual testing involves human effort to identify bugs and evaluate software’s performance. It focuses on real-world scenarios and the end user’s perspective.
This blog will provide detailed information on manual testing, its importance, types, processes, and benefits.
What is Manual Testing?
Manual testing is a fundamental process in software quality assurance. In this process, testers execute test cases manually without automated tools. By validating real-world scenarios, manual testing ensures the software application functions correctly and meets the end user’s perspective.
Unlike automation testing, which relies on automated tools and scripts, manual testing involves human effort to identify bugs, test user interfaces, and verify expected outcomes against test cases. QA testers often adopt manual testing when evaluating new functionalities or conducting usability assessments.
Why Perform Manual Testing?
Manual testing remains essential in specific scenarios despite advancements in automation tools. Here’s why:
- Human Perspective: Manual testers evaluate the user interface and usability from an end user’s perspective, ensuring a seamless experience. Automated tools may overlook such nuances.
- Exploratory Testing: Manual testing allows for dynamic and exploratory testing, uncovering unexpected issues that scripted tests might miss.
- Accessibility Testing: Tools like screen readers are often tested manually to ensure inclusivity for all users.
- Real-World Scenarios: Manual testing helps validate software behavior under real-world scenarios, ensuring reliability.
Manual testers ensure a bug-free and user-friendly application by focusing on these areas.
Types of Manual Testing
Manual testing includes several types, each designed to address specific software functionality and quality areas. These testing types help ensure a comprehensive software application evaluation from multiple perspectives.
1. Black Box Testing
This technique evaluates the software’s functionality without delving into its internal code or structure. Testers focus on inputs and expected outputs, ensuring the application behaves as intended. It is particularly useful for validating user interfaces, input fields, and functional flows without requiring programming knowledge.
2. White Box Testing
Also known as structural or code-based testing, this method involves examining the software’s internal code, logic, and structure. Testers with programming skills evaluate specific sections of the source code to identify vulnerabilities, optimize logic, and ensure the program executes correctly.
3. Grey Box Testing
Combining aspects of black box and white box testing, grey box testing partially evaluates the software’s functionality and underlying code. This approach allows testers to identify defects arising from both functional and structural issues.
4. Unit Testing
This testing type validates individual software components or modules in isolation. It ensures that each unit performs as expected, focusing on small, testable parts of the application.
5. Regression Testing
Regression testing, performed after updates or modifications, ensures that new changes do not disrupt existing functionality and validates that the application remains stable across versions.
6. Accessibility Testing
This focuses on ensuring the software is usable for individuals with disabilities. Testers check compatibility with tools like screen readers and evaluate features for compliance with accessibility standards.
7. Performance Testing
Testers evaluate the software’s performance under different loads and conditions, identifying issues with latency, scalability, and resource usage.
8. Exploratory Testing
In this unscripted approach, testers creatively explore the application to uncover unexpected bugs. It relies on the tester’s domain knowledge and intuition to identify potential flaws.
Each type addresses a unique aspect of software quality, ensuring the application is robust, user-friendly, and reliable.
Stages of Manual Testing
Manual testing involves a well-defined process that ensures thorough evaluation and effective identification of issues in a software application. The following stages outline the systematic approach taken by manual testers to achieve comprehensive test coverage:
Requirement Analysis
This is the foundational stage, during which the testing team collaborates with stakeholders to understand the software’s requirements. Testers identify the software’s expected outcomes, target audience, and key functionalities.
They also define the scope of testing, focusing on possible test scenarios and expected behaviors to ensure all aspects of the software are accounted for.
Test Planning
In this stage, a detailed test plan is created. This plan outlines testing objectives, strategies, required resources, timelines, and test coverage. The plan serves as a roadmap, guiding the entire testing process. It also identifies risks and dependencies, ensuring the testing process aligns with the project’s goals.
Test Case Development
Testers develop comprehensive test cases based on the requirements and scenarios identified earlier. These test cases include clear step-by-step instructions, input data, expected outcomes, and acceptance criteria.
Creating correct and separate test cases ensures thorough coverage of all functionalities and reduces the risk of missing critical defects.
Test Execution
Testers execute the test cases manually, interacting with the software to verify whether it behaves as expected. Each step is carefully followed, and any deviation from the expected output is noted. This phase validates the user interface, functionality, and performance under real-world scenarios.
Bug Tracking
Any defects or inconsistencies identified during test execution are documented using bug-tracking tools. Each bug report includes a detailed description, severity, reproducing steps, and screenshots to help the development team address the issue effectively.
Test Report Generation
Once testing is complete, a comprehensive test report is prepared. This report includes test case execution results, identified bugs, and overall software performance. It provides actionable insights to the development team for further improvement and validation before deployment.
How To Do Manual Testing?
Performing manual testing involves a well-organized process that ensures thorough software evaluation. Here’s a detailed guide to effectively carry out manual testing:
1. Understand Requirements
Begin by reviewing the software requirements and specifications. This step ensures a clear understanding of the application’s expected functionality and helps design accurate test cases. Collaborate with the development team to clarify ambiguities and identify critical areas that require more focus.
2. Prepare Test Scenarios
Develop comprehensive test scenarios that represent real-world use cases. These scenarios should include normal, boundary, and edge cases to ensure the application performs as expected under various conditions. Think from the end user’s perspective to identify potential usability and functional issues.
3. Develop Separate Test Cases
For each test scenario, create detailed test cases with clear steps, expected outcomes, and data inputs. Include preconditions, execution steps, and postconditions to ensure clarity and repeatability. This structured approach allows testers to verify the application’s behavior systematically.
4. Execute Test Cases
Follow the test cases, manually interacting with the application to verify that it meets the expected outcomes. Observe the application’s response to various inputs and actions, noting discrepancies or unexpected behavior.
5. Log Bugs
Document any issues discovered during testing using bug-tracking tools such as Jira or Bugzilla. Provide detailed information, including steps to reproduce the bug, screenshots, and the expected versus actual results, to help the development team resolve the issues efficiently.
6. Retest and Regression Testing
After bug fixes, perform retesting to confirm the issues have been resolved. Conduct regression testing to ensure the fixes haven’t introduced bugs or affected existing functionality.
By using manual testing tools and adhering to this structured process, testers can ensure a thorough evaluation and contribute to delivering high-quality software.
Benefits of Manual Testing
Manual testing offers unique advantages that make it indispensable for software quality assurance. Its flexibility and human-centric approach provide critical insights into software performance, particularly for usability and real-world scenarios.
Key Benefits:
- Human Intuition: Detects usability issues and bugs automation tools might miss.
- Cost-Effective: Requires no advanced automation tools or programming skills.
- Real-World Testing: Simulates diverse user interactions and environments.
- Adaptability: Suitable for evolving requirements and creative, exploratory testing.
- Focus on Accessibility: Ensures applications are user-friendly for all, including differently-abled users.
Challenges Of Manual Testing
Despite its importance, manual testing has limitations that can impact efficiency and scalability, especially for large projects with repetitive tasks.
Key Challenges:
- Time-Consuming: Manual processes require significant time for execution.
- Prone to Errors: Human oversight may result in missed bugs or incorrect test outcomes.
- Scalability Issues: Not ideal for large-scale testing compared to automated solutions.
- Limited Test Coverage: Achieving exhaustive coverage can be difficult manually.
- Repetitive Nature: Routine tasks can be tedious and reduce productivity over time.
Conclusion
Manual testing is crucial in manual software testing, complementing automation testing to deliver robust, bug-free applications. Organizations can ensure their software meets both functional requirements and user interface expectations by employing effective manual testing techniques and leveraging testing tools.
Although manual testing is time-consuming, its focus on real-world scenarios and end-user satisfaction makes it indispensable in achieving software quality assurance.
For detailed information, consider a manual testing tutorial or consulting experienced test engineers to understand better how manual testing works in the software development lifecycle.
