Getting Started with Manual Testing

Testing is an extensive domain as it blankets a number of testing methodologies ranging from functional to non-functional. These tests keep varying depending on the test requirements.

Naturally, there are two ways for QAs to carry out the test process — Either by automating the test scenarios or by manually executing the test cases defined in the requirement specification document.

In such a high-paced tech world where automation tools and test frameworks have become a must for engineers, manual testing is considered obsolete. However, this article will quickly explain what is manual testing and why it can’t be avoided completely. So let’s begin.

What is Manual Testing?

Manual testing as the name suggests is an approach wherein a test engineer tests the software application manually keeping the requirement specification document as the guide. QAs follow a written test plan which involves a set of test scenarios.

The test engineer is expected to test the application from the end user’s perspective. For example, once a developer develops a web page and runs a quick manual test, he identifies that the login button is not clickable. In this case, he identifies the bug. Similarly, when QAs carry out tests for a completely developed application they might encounter several bugs that are overlooked by the developers.

In such a case, the QAs list down all the encountered bugs and report them to the developers. This approach helps QA teams to gain deeper insights from an end user’s perspective.

There are 4 crucial stages in manual testing :

1. Unit Testing — This approach involves testing the smallest component of any application. For example, Testing the next button on a form.
2. Integration Testing — Multiple units when integrated together to test them as a whole is the process of Integration testing. For example, Testing multiple webpages in sequence together.
3. System Testing — This approach refers to the process of testing all the integrated modules as a whole to ensure that the software application meets the desired business requirements. It includes several tests like verifying outputs based on specific inputs, UI/UX testing. Functional testing, regression testing, stress testing is covered under the system testing.
4. Acceptance Testing — This stage helps in verifying whether the system is fit for use in the real world

There are 3 ways using which manual testing is carried out:

1. White Box Testing
2. Black Box Testing
3. Grey Box Testing

Listed below are the steps required to perform manual testing:

1. Analyze and understand the software requirements
2. Make a precise test plan and jot down the test cases required to cover all the possible scenarios
3. Ensure that the test cases are thoroughly reviewed by the QA lead
4. Start executing the test cases and find out bugs
5. Report the detected bugs and once they are fixed re-test to verify the fix

One can’t simply avoid manual testing as it is a continual process that requires a human to verify certain aesthetic aspects of the software relevant to the end-users. Some aspects include how well the elements render, how easy it is to navigate through the application. As a result, it’s vital for teams to strike the right balance between manual and automated tests.