Performing Web Application Testing the Right Way
Does your app keep crashing? Are you tired of dealing with slow responses and glitches? The lack of web application testing is probably to blame.
We all have been in situations where a particular bug or glitch ends up spoiling our user experience. According to an AppDynamics research, it was revealed that on average, U.S. enterprise companies lose an average of close to half a million dollars every time an outage occurs: $402,542. Simply put, if your web application is down, you’re basically losing money. So, with a staggering amount of money riding on the user experience your web application offers, it is illogical for you to launch an application without conducting software testing. The process of software testing can ensure the web-based system functions seamlessly and is accepted by real-time users.
The testing phase is a vital part of app development, even though some developers playdown its value. If you make the required amendments in the testing phase, you’ll have far less customer support problems to deal with, leading to cost cutting and increased efficiency.
The Importance of Web Application Testing
A variety of web applications are being developed today. And with each line of code being written, the probability of glitches increases significantly. According to Leo Laskin, senior solutions architect at Sauce Labs, “the behind-the-scenes process of testing is what ensures that products work for users,”.
The same applies to web applications, as they are an online representation of the brand image. However, through implementing an end-to-end testing process, you can ensure that your web application experiences no glitches.
With an endless combination of innovative and relevant web apps present in the digital space, it is your responsibility as a business or a designer to ensure your web app performs adequately. Despite it being challenging to know what users want and need from their app experience, it is important for you to leverage web application testing to its complete potential. Used appropriately, it can help your app become a ‘top favorite’ in no time.
What Are the Benefits of Web App Testing?
Once deemed as an afterthought, web application testing has now become a necessity for a varied range of organizations. It can help you immensely, as you seek new ways to deliver an innovative, unique digital experience for your users.
A majority of the audience view apps on different devices and platforms. Web app testing ensures that an app runs seamlessly on different platforms, devices and browsers. It also assesses the app performance and establishes whether the load time is appropriate, as slow sites are more likely to not do well on Google. If you’re able to implement an adequate app testing strategy, you’ll likely find the following benefits trickling into your business:
Enhanced Quality
Continuous, automated web app testing means less bugs, which leads to a better user experience and more satisfied users.
Increased Productivity
No developer wishes to spend time identifying glitches in a web app. A well-rounded testing strategy enables them to focus on what they wish to do, which is developing user-friendly features for their users.
Meet Business Objectives
With the completion of business targets being essential, testing functionality of a web-based application can help your business accomplish its objectives in a fast, sustainable manner.
Leverage Web App Testing for An Enhanced User Experience
Would you like to identify broken links on your apps before your customer notices them? If your answer’s yes, then testing functionality of a web-based application is what you need. Typically, teams tend to disregard minor errors during the release of an application. This is, however, a rookie-mistake, as even a minor glitch can end up pushing users away. So, whether your app helps users send invoices, shop, edit photos, engage with friends, or keep up with the finance world, you’ll have to look at certain important areas while testing your web app.
Simply put, the significance of testing as part of the software development lifecycle cannot be stressed upon enough. We’ve put together a comprehensive guide, which should give you an overview on what types of tests to run to evaluate your app.
- Functionality Testing
- evaluating whether the user can navigate freely,
- checking the accessibility of the system,
- checking if suitable error messages are being displayed, etc.
- Usability Testing
- End-To-End Testing
- Performance Testing
- Performance Testing
Functional testing is a form of software testing that evaluates a web application against the functional specifications and requirements. This type of test entails checking the database, security, user-server communication, APIs, user interface and other functionality features of the application. It is convenient, as it allows users to perform both automated and manual testing.
With testing functionality of a web-based application being essential, functional testing helps in establishing whether a web app is functioning optimally.
It primarily concentrates on the following:
Usability testing, also referred to as user experience (UX) testing, is a method for evaluating how user-friendly, easy-to-use a web application is. In this type of testing, a small-segment of the target users use the web application to identify any usability defects. This process is critical for analyzing performance, limitations, quality and flaws of any application. A well-executed testing procedure gives feedback on how end-users use a system and what they think or feel about it.
This testing is typically recommended during the initial design phase of the software development life cycle (SDLC), as it gives insights on the expectations of the users. Usability testing mainly focuses on a user’s ease of using the application, unravels problems in the design, learns about the user’s preferences, behaviors and finds opportunities for improving the design. So, usability testing ultimately helps you in building an effective, enjoyable user experience.
End to end testing is a software testing process that ensures an application works as anticipated for the end user by analyzing the possible flows a potential user might take from the beginning to the end. The purpose of end-to-end testing is evaluating the whole software for data integrity, dependencies and for communication with other interfaces, networks and applications. Moreover, all these simulations are done in a test environment, which usually depicts the production environment, in terms of API services used, type of device and databases used.
The real purpose of the E2E method is to unravel a break in the flow of an application. Any form of break in the flow would identify an error in the web application. For instance, this particular testing method would test a break in any of the following user experiences, e.g., while using a specific feature, registering on the app, making a transaction, and other similar actions.
This testing method is used for evaluating the response time, stability, speed, scalability, reliability and response time of a web application under a specified workload. The primary goal of performance testing is to uncover and eliminate the performance bottlenecks within the web application. Without effective performance testing, a web app is likely to experience issues such as, app crashing while several users are using it simultaneously, poor user experience and irregularities across varying operating systems.
The precise steps of performance testing will differ from one web application to the next. It ultimately depends on what performance indicators you consider most important. Nonetheless, the overarching objectives of performance testing are largely the same across the board. Also, whether you’re developing a social-media or an e-commerce application, there’s a set workflow most testing strategies will entail.
The final step of web application testing ensures that your application is well-protected against unauthorized access and harmful actions of any malicious software. This phase of testing essentially uncovers threats and the vulnerabilities in a software application. Failing to implement reliable security testing, can lead your app to be easily exploited, leading to reputational damage or loss of sensitive customer information e.g., credit card details, address, etc.
It is an established fact that a business will most likely incur high costs if they delay security testing, which is why it is important to implement the relevant processes in the earlier stages of the SDLC.
The early detection of these vulnerabilities leads to substantial financial savings and benefits for your business. Ultimately, the purpose of security testing is to help detect any possible security risks and aid your developer to fix the problem through coding.
A One-Stop Digital Marketing Solution – Warewink
Warewink is a digital marketing services agency that leverages advanced technologies for executing unconventional, revenue-generating marketing strategies. With experience of over a decade, our team can easily address business-specific challenges. They can create business strategies, develop custom websites, carry out A/B testing, all while helping your business to make an impact. Known for building technology stacks that fit your budget, requirements and niche, our team focuses on nurturing your leads and clientele.
Whether you are a B2C or a B2B business, we can help create automated processes that expand your business’ growth. So, get in touch with our team to kickstart your digital transformation.
