Software testing plays a significant role in boosting the life cycle of software applications and ensures the developed product’s quality before launching to the customers.

Testing can improve user satisfaction by performing test cases while the application is in the development phase. With different testing tools and methodologies, it can be easier for testers or developers to find the bugs or errors and fix them before the launch to meet the user’s expectations.

In this blog, we will discuss types of software testing methods and how to choose the right method to increase your test performance for the longevity of the developed software.

Understanding The Software Testing

Software testing determines the overall functionality of the software applications by identifying flaws during the early stage of the development process ensuring the reliability of the developed software application before going live for users. 

The main objective of software testing is to provide QA testing software solutions to higher users’ satisfaction beyond their expectations by enhancing the software life cycle.

While talking about the Software Development Life Cycle or SDLC, combines all the systemic processes from planning a program to building it and deploying it after the testing is completed. Then comes the maintenance part, which increases the life span of the applications.

Types Of Software Testing

When a software application is being developed, it must go through several types of software testing procedures so that the outcome will be free from defects and match the user’s expectations. Let’s discuss these testing types:

1. Functional Testing

It combines four types of testing procedures such as:

Unit Testing

This test is performed as soon as the development process starts. It checks that all the individual components are working properly so that it will enhance the application’s functionality throughout the process.

Some popular tools that perform Unit testing effectively are JUnit and NUnit. The JUnit tools can effectively run on Java Virtual Machines and can be integrated with different IDEs. At the same time, NUnit tools can run on .NET Frameworks.

Integration Testing

Integration testing is performed to ensure the connections between different software modules during the production phase. It checks the whole module or components’s working progress without interfering with the functionalities.

This type of testing is different from unit testing as the integration testing is performed during the production phase which is a complex test process than the unit testing, which is performed at an early stage.

System Testing

This type of testing checks the whole system’s functionality testing to ensure quality and reliability as per the end user’s need. During the testing process, several tools and techniques are used to identify defects and fix them to maintain the quality.

The scope of the System testing checks the outer functionalities rather than the internal performance. Some popular tools used for System Testing include Selenium, Katalon Studio, Appium, Cypress, etc.

Acceptance Testing

Acceptance testing is performed just before the release of the application to check whether the developed software meets the quality expectations of businesses as well as users’ perspectives.

The testing process is done in two types Alpha and Beta testing. Alpha testing is done in the early stage of production from the developer’s site to check on internal functionalities. 

Beta testing is done from the client’s side or the end-user’s side. This test collects feedback from real users and provides reports to the system developers to change them as per the feedback demands.

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2. Non-Functional Testing:

This test comprises four major testing types. They are as follows

Performance Testing

This type of testing records the response of the developed software to several real-world loads and checks the speed of the website pages to boost the entire system’s functionalities in heavy traffic.

Performance testing is done by testing loads, endurance, scalability, and volume of traffic with several popular performance testing tools such as JMeter and Load Runner.

JMeter is an open-source and Java-encrypted tool that uses a GUI to test the performance under load situations. The Load runner uses open text to check the performance of software applications under heavy traffic.

Usability Testing

The usability testing determines the developed software has a simple user interface that the users can easily navigate without facing any hassle.

Some popular methodologies used for usability testing include Unmoderated testing, in-person testing, and Exploratory testing.

Security Testing

The testing ensures all the safety measures are maintained to ensure the application’s internal structure is secured.

Some common tools used for security testing include Sonar Qube, Wire Shark, API security, etc.

Compatibility Testing

This type of testing is performed to check the compatibility of the developed software in various versions, browsers, and different load situations.

The importance of compatibility testing in different environments such as Mac OS and Windows determines the developed version can be run in several load situations without any interference.

3. Maintenance Testing

In general, two types of maintenance testing are performed such as:

Regression Testing

This testing type is performed to check which part of the code is running smoothly and which part needs to be modified if that part will be affected by certain adverse load situations.

This test ensures the ongoing development process should run smoothly as well as after launching to the end users.

Smoke and Sanity Testing

The difference between the Smoke and Sanity testing of a software development process is that smoke testing checks the basic functionalities, and Sanity testing checks whether the software is functioning smoothly when some specific areas have been affected by recent changes.

How To Choose The Right Testing Method?

• Before choosing a testing method, you should keep in mind certain factors like the size of the project requirement that should fit into your budget and project delivery time.
• After deciding on the budget and other needs of the project, you should read the context of the tool and the features it provides.
• Another thing you should consider is the tool should comprise a decision-matrix feature that will guide you in the development process. 

Share Your Thoughts: Which Testing Method Works Best For You?

Software testing is a crucial step in enhancing your software development life cycle, so choosing the right testing method is necessary. If you are confused about choosing the right software testing method from the above-mentioned testing then you may hire QA Software Tester, who will assist you in your software development process to make your application meet the expectations of users.