Automation Testing: The Bright Future of Software Testing

In the past few years, there has been a “big bang” in the world of software testing, with new trends and innovations coming into IT. One of these innovations is automated testing which has challenged the manual testing approach for good reasons. The development world is now entering a new era where developers can run lots of test cases, generate detailed reports, and deliver products in a short time frame.

That being said, we’re going to discuss what automated testing is, why it matters, and what the future holds for it. Let’s begin! 

What Is Automated Testing? 

Automated testing is a practice that allows you to run an array of tests automatically. These tests use testing software backed by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). They save your time and resources during the testing process. Furthermore, it allows you to improve the software quality and efficiency. 

Software developers and QA professionals have widely adopted automation testing because it helps them: 

• Create a number of tests they can reuse several times. 
• Speed up product deliveries and launches. 
• Manage 24/7 deployment of tests.
• Debug problems early on.

Why Does Automated Testing Matter?

Gone are the days when testers and developers needed to make a record of their findings. It included checking log files, external services, and database errors. Unlike manual testing which requires physical time and effort, automation testing takes a different route. It allows you to spend more time on higher-value tasks like exploratory tests, while it automates time-consuming tasks like regression tests. 

Automated testing is perfect for large projects where you need to:

• Perform repetitive tests again and again.
• Draw insights from different tests.
• Minimize the overall cost of software testing.
• Ensure test coverage.

What Does the Future Hold for Automated Testing?

According to Reports and Data, the global market for automated testing is forecasted to reach USD 60.4 billion by 2026. The rise of digital testing, DevOps methodology, and mobile phones are some of the driving factors behind this significant growth. Also, the changing customer behaviors and web and mobile app standards lead to increased use of automated testing.

Below are the top automated testing trends that will dominate the future. 

Cloud-Based Testing of Web Apps

In the future, cloud-based software testing is going to become mainstream. Users will host it on the cloud and help IT professionals in the execution and reporting of test results. For instance, it is quite costly to create a testing infrastructure for different devices. However, cloud-based testing can save the day. 

This is the reason why businesses are shifting to cloud-based cross-browser testing frameworks like LambdaTest. These frameworks use automation testing to seamlessly test web applications across different device-OS-browser combinations. 

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Advances in software testing and AI have paved the way for RPA. It is a recent technology that can re-invent the process management industry by offering faster test creation and execution. Also, it results in lesser maintenance costs and efforts. 

As tests are getting automated, the RPA process may involve a minimal workforce. This might bring significant changes to the company structure. In other words, RPA robots may dominate the future of business management. 

Mobile Testing

Slowly and steadily, the role of automated testing is expanding into mobile app development. Test tools have become more functional and scalable when it comes to performing mobile tests. Thanks to agile and DevOps that have pushed this trend to the next level. 

Automation makes mobile testing tasks much easier by following a codeless approach. This helps you maintain the syntax and achieve a greater level of accuracy for all the testing tasks. Tests are performed by bots, not humans. So, accuracy and productivity are sure to increase. 

Codeless Automated Testing

The codeless movement is already a buzz among both technical and non-technical people. It will continue its prominence with the increasing use of AI and ML. This means providing alternate means of repetitive and error-prone tasks. With such innovations, testers can automatically create a self-healing code.

Tools like TestCraft are already in this domain promoting codeless automation testing. Selenium IDE is another codeless testing tool that allows you to automate web applications without needing to write codes. It uses the record and playback feature to complement codeless automated testing.

The Bottom Line

The future of automated testing is bright. Testing won’t be just developer-focused. Rather, everyone in the team will participate in automated testing. The authoring and execution of tests will become simpler with the use of innovative technologies like AI and ML. Also, it would be easier to record tests and use the results to create effective automated test suites.