With the emergence of large-scale digital transformation across sectors, companies are looking to leverage cutting-edge technologies to make their automation testing more reliable and efficient. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, etc. are at the forefront of this revolution, leading the way for the delivery of better products in a streamlined manner. Truly there has been no better time to be a software tester than now!According to The QA Lead, 78 percent of companies use test automation for regression/functional testing, 82 percent use agile software exploratory testing, and 87 employ an agile software development testing model.
In this age of rapid advancements, organizations have to keep track of the latest trends in automated testing. The article aims to help in that search by enlightening you on the latest developments, how they are faring, and which will likely last.
Test Automation that is fast and reliable
For a while now, test automation experts have been grappling with some of its crucial concerns. These concerns are as follows:
- The flakiness of Automated test cases (tests that either fail or pass for the same configuration)
- The complexity of test automation that led to a steep learning curve for its implementation
- The time-consuming nature of Automation
However, things are changing for the better. In 2020, organizations are increasingly leveraging Autonomous technologies, AI, ML, NLP, etc. to resolve the problems associated with conventional test automation. The results speak for themselves; test automation has become faster, better, and more reliable.
Big Data Testing
The World Economic Forum predicts that until 2020, 44 zettabytes of data have been produced. Owing to this paradigm shift brought about by the emergence of big data, big data testing is set to be one of 2020’s biggest software testing trends. With rapid digital transformation taking place, companies are emphasizing more on the quality of functional testing and performance testing along with the integrity of big data for their decision-making needs.
Testing Multiple Devices
According to BankMyCell, the number of smartphones that are used around the world stands at 3.5 Billion . This means that in 2020, automation testing teams around the world will be automation testing a wide variety of devices, which would include smart home appliances. It is also worth noting that with the emergence of multi-device and platform testing, Cross browser testing and Selenium Automation Testing will take the limelight as a top testing trend in 2020.
Testing for Security
Automation of security testing has become mission-critical for companies around the world, as cyberattacks are on the rise, and companies are set to spend $133.7 billion in 2022 to keep themselves safe online. Executives around the world are hence keen to employ software testing to protect the integrity of their software, systems, applications, and network to safeguard their end-users, money, and data as well.
The Prevalence of Test Automation usage in Agile Mode
A significant test automation trend will be the emergence of tools from many companies to make Agile as automation-friendly as possible. AI and ML may very well make the inclusion of automation into the Agile Methodology a reality in the near future, which is a development that many companies are eagerly awaiting.
The emergence of such advancements will allow companies to produce high-quality software products while also navigating the high risks associated with the challenging deadlines involved in hitting the market.
The Rise in the use of Hyper-Automation
Companies across the globe are expected to employ a combination of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), AI, and ML to enable efficient, AI-driven decision making, in a process known as Hyper Automation. Hyper automation can boost organizational productivity by eliminating the need for humans to do laborious and repetitive tasks. Consequently, hyper-automation is expected to gain steam in 2020 for purposes, such as test automation and analysis of automation reports as well.
API and Services Test Automation
In 2020, companies are also starting to realize the significance of using the right tools, processes, and solutions for the sake of API automation testing. The necessity for API and services test automation is largely driven by the effectiveness of testing them rather than the client during times when API and services are used across multiple client applications and components.
DevTestOps
DevTestOps emphasizes continuous testing for every step of the development process so that the feedback on quality is continuous and provided with the importance that it deserves. Doing so ensures that defects are detected earlier and are hence easier to fix. Further, it helps avoid human error and cuts short the regression cycle from weeks to a matter of just hours by leveraging automation.
Besides, Mean Time to Repair, a metric that has been shown to increase customer satisfaction, has recently become the focus of top companies. A straightforward way to keep the Mean Time to Repair low is the implementation of DevTestOps, which ensures that any changes that are made to the system will be deployed on production with top-quality and devoid of any delays.
Exploratory Testing
Exploratory testing will inevitably rise as a top trend of the upcoming years, as QAs will be expected to find more unique test cases around their web application when automation testing removes the need for doing repetitive tasks.
The Rise of Voice Assisted Technology
Google says that twenty-seven percent of the world’s digital population is relying on voice-based search on their mobile devices. As a result of this trend, automation testing frameworks will have to take into account the testing of voice commands as well.
Bottom-Line
While no software can be perfect, effective testing can go a long way in reducing the number of bugs and issues. The trends that we have discussed above have lots of potential to help your quality assurance testing team make rapid and optimal release decisions.You can create your own Automation Report for the script’s execution with UREPORT. The clear and comprehensive reports will help people at every level in your organization make confident release decisions.