The Most Prominent Software Testing Technologies in 2024
Do you want to keep up with the newest trends in software testing? Read the article to learn how AI, DevOps, and the shift toward automation are changing the landscape!
Digital transformation is an ongoing process, and the field of QA is perpetually going through it. Knowing and implementing innovations is a must to keep your business software floating and save your competitive advantage among the thousands of modern apps. So, let’s look at the current software testing trends to know for sure that only cutting-edge technology keeps guard over your lucrative solution.
Software Testing Trends You Need To Know About In 2024
- AI
- Automated Testing
- Agile and DevOps
- Security Testing
- Cloud-Based Platforms
- Mobile Testing
- Regression Testing
- Conclusion
AI Powers Testing
Right, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning found their way to testing as well. Slowly but steadily, it permeates every room of IT with its immense capabilities. For now, AI allows for proactive measures to be taken to mitigate or even prevent possible issues before they impact end-users. It’s also possible to generate test cases automatically and optimize the test execution process by prioritizing tests based on AI analysis of code, specifications, and previous test results.
Moreover, AI can simulate user loads and stress scenarios to analyze the performance of software systems and, of course, detect anomalies during software execution by comparing actual behavior with the expected one. The almighty Artificial Intelligence isn’t planning to stop here but will keep extending itself throughout the whole scope of quality assurance activities to streamline the testing process further.
Tools for Automating Testing
Surely, not all types of testing can be automated, but we’re getting insanely close to it. Now, we’ve reached the point where some of the UX and UI testing can be performed automatically, not even mentioning functional tests and all the rest that require a lot of monotonous and repetitive work.
Today, no programming language is needed to automate your testing routine. There are a huge number of tools for no-code automated test execution, and DogQ is one of them. Functional and cross-browser tests, test scheduling, and multiple scenario generation are only some of its capabilities. The tool, by the way, leverages OCR technology, one of the AI’s subsets, to deliver effective testing of web apps’ UI without any coding, and can be easily integrated into the CI/CD pipeline to adopt the next trend!
Agile and DevOps in the Testing Process
When collaboration and the fast delivery of a product in a flawless state are prioritized above everything else in the development process, Agile methodology and DevOps culture come into play. Actually, it’s applied ubiquitously today for every business owner strives for a high-quality product to be quickly released on the market.
For QA itself, Agile means breaking the development cycle into short iterations called sprints, each involving planning, development, testing, and review. Thus, software evolves incrementally, allowing for quick feedback and adaptation. DevOps means that the QA testing activities are implemented with various automation tools on every chunk of code being built, not at the very end of the development cycle. Both, obviously, complement each other, and the approach to their application varies according to a particular project.
Security Testing Is in the Spotlight
On average, every company is targeted by 1248 cyberattacks a week, and, compared to the previous year, this weekly number has increased by 7% by the first quarter of 2024. Small wonder why so much emphasis is put on security testing today! It allows you to check how imperturbable your software is to data breaches, as any leakage will result in the loss of reputation and money.
Today, security testing isn’t limited to traditional external testing; its extensive scope is not only supported by AI but even has DevOps on its side. In fact, they have merged into DevSecOps, which boils down to performing security testing already in the development stage. So, considering that clients need to entrust their sensitive data to, basically, any type of application, rigorous security testing is essential.
Cloud-Based Platforms for Testing
On-premises infrastructure is being abandoned, especially by small businesses. Indeed, why waste time installing heavy programs if the same functionality can be provided through an online app?! Cloud-based testing platforms allow QA engineers to scale resources according to current demand and stay flexible in terms of devices and locations, as they’re not bound to one office computer. Surely, most cloud-based testing devices can be integrated with other cloud-based peers, for example, test management tools and CI/CD pipelines.
Mobile Testing for Rapidly Emerging Mobile Apps
The trend of mobile app development is growing, along with the need for thorough testing of its end products. It turns out that now even software for iOS and Android can be assessed on various cloud-based mobile-first platforms for test automation, which, in turn, can be integrated with the DevOps tools of the development team.
Performing Regression Testing Upon Every Update
It’s already clear that even minor glitches are unapologetic to apps, especially if they’re still establishing their name on the market. That’s why so much attention is being put on regression testing – functional and non-functional tests that have to be run every time an app is updated. It aims to check if the modified parts of the software work well with the rest of the code and if the updated app continues to deliver a flawless experience without any bugs. For it involves re-running old tests and running new ones, it’s a rather tedious process that, for the most part, is automated by QA teams, with the exception of some visual or UX elements.
Which testing is trending now?
Generally, the biggest priority is put on shift-left and security testing right now. The former is an approach that aims to move the testing part as a whole to the left, meaning to the beginning, of the development lifecycle to catch bugs earlier. Security testing involves practices and activities to ensure that an app is protected to the maximum extent.
What is the future of software testing?
Automation and AI are obviously changing the landscape of software testing and will be doing so for the foreseeable future as everything aims to either streamline or even get rid of the manual effort altogether. Computers will probably take up the biggest part of monotonicity, and humans can dedicate themselves to more intrinsic tasks.
With the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile applications, testing in these domains will become increasingly important to address challenges related to device compatibility, security, and performance across a wide range of platforms and environments.
Is software testing a good career in 2024?
With so many sophisticated devices and platforms, skilled software testers will always be in demand. And no, AI won’t occupy all the QA positions, despite the common fear. The reason is that the AI-driven tools need to be operated by real software testers who can manually work out the test cases for automation and perform complicated activities. Let’s not forget about the evaluation of some UX and UI elements and certain security tests that even the best testing tool can’t perform.
Conclusion
No matter if you will or will not apply those trends all at once to the strategy of your business software development or maintenance, the most important thing is to stay agile and adaptable in your testing approach. New testing technologies will keep arising, but the right tools and modernizations to implement depend entirely on the needs of your business and the expectations of your clients. Instead of blindly falling for every newly emerging trend in QA, try to invest in the education of your team. This way, they can always be ready to quickly adapt to new solutions and find more sophisticated ways to optimize their jobs, including testing! So, why not check out this list of software testing courses?!
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