Automated testing allows engineers to assess a product for errors or bugs using special software. It complements manual testing techniques, which expedites the development process. Automated testing is common among teams that follow agile and DevOps methodologies.

After performing automated testing, engineers assess and implement new code changes through continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD). These processes work hand in hand to verify code accuracy before its deployment.

What is Automated Testing?

Traditionally, software engineers relied on manual tests to evaluate code. That changed with the introduction of automation testing, which allows developers to run tests without manual intervention. 

Automated tests rely on a pre-defined test script during the assessment process. The script interacts with the user interface (UI) of a program like a human would. For instance, it may click on a specific button or fill out a text box. These actions can uncover errors in the code that prevent a program from executing as it should.

Automated testing is much faster than manual testing. It’s especially useful for repetitive test cases that are run and re-run during development. Once engineers have a working test script, they can run it as often as necessary. Automated testing tools can review the codebase, execute tests, and compare and share results. 

While automated testing is helpful in many scenarios, it doesn’t entirely replace manual testing. Engineers should still run project-specific manual tests that can’t be automated.

What is Manual Testing?

Manual testing requires a human to test a program’s functionality. The evaluator uses the program like a customer or user would. They click on various elements, enter text, and perform other actions in the program. At the end of the test, the evaluator records the results and shares them with the engineering team.

Manual testing can be time-intensive. However, it can identify problems that automation testing may overlook, making it an important component of the development process.

8 Automated Testing Benefits

Why should engineering teams automate testing? There are multiple benefits gained from implementing it into the development workflow:

1. Run more tests without adding resources

Automated testing allows you to run a near-unlimited number of tests without hiring more employees. Once you have working scripts, the computer can run them anytime, which substantially increases the scale of testing.

2. Faster delivery

Most development teams are under constant pressure to integrate new features and meet product milestones. By automating testing, you can reduce development time and expedite delivery. This keeps customers happy and may give you a competitive edge.

3. Streamlined release process

In traditional software testing, quality assurance (QA) teams wait until the end of the development cycle to run tests. However, automated testing can be performed at any stage of the development lifecycle. Teams can run tests alongside the development process, allowing for continuous evaluation with each new code change. As a result, development efficiency improves.

4. Fewer errors

Manual testing is prone to errors, especially when QA teams are working with a large codebase or repetitive tests. Automation testing may catch mistakes that QA teams miss, improving code quality. It can also expand test coverage, allowing teams to evaluate more content than they could with manual testing.

5. Reporting and comparative analysis

Many automated testing tools contain reporting features. They can log test script results and display a test’s current status. Some tools can also compare test results, so QA teams can see how testing outcomes change with new code implementations.

6. Free up time to spend on larger issues

Automated testing allows teams to focus on high-priority tasks. They can offload repetitive and redundant tests and work on more important matters.

7. Reusability

Automated testing scripts can be reused, allowing teams to verify that the test executes the same way each time. QA teams can also adjust scripts to meet specific project needs.

8. Early bug detection

Teams can run automated tests during the early development stages of a project. This allows engineers to identify bugs early, which may reduce project time and expense.

Manual Testing vs. Automated Testing

Manual testing and automated testing differ in several key areas:

Speed

Manual testing is a slow process that requires significant effort from QA teams. Automated testing is much faster since it doesn’t require human intervention once the initial scripts are written. Tests can also run simultaneously, allowing for quicker results and evaluation. 

Reliability

Automated testing is less prone to errors than manual testing. They use pre-defined scripts that follow a step-by-step process. Manual testing introduces the potential for human error, since humans may overlook steps or perform tests incorrectly. 

Maintenance

Automated tests require some effort to create. However, once established, testing scripts are easy to maintain and run. Manual tests are much more labor-intensive, particularly when used in large test suites.

Reusability

Most manual tests are reusable. However, since they require human intervention to run, they’re difficult to scale. Automated tests are highly reusable and don’t require minimal additional effort on each subsequent use. They’re adaptable and fast, which makes them easy to scale.

Test coverage/scope

Automated tests cover a wide range of scenarios, including regression testing. They allow QA teams to expand test coverage without expending significant resources. It’s challenging to achieve the same level of coverage through manual testing because of resource limitations.

Labor hours

Automated testing is a time saver. It allows teams to execute tests with minimal effort or intervention. Manual testing, by contrast, consumes QA teams’ time because they must oversee all test processes.

Level of investment

Organizations incur upfront costs with automated testing since it requires the purchase of specialized tools to create and run tests. However, teams may save money over time as automated tests optimize efficiency. 

Manual testing has lower upfront costs, but it can become more expensive if teams hire additional labor to enhance test coverage and increase test complexity. 

Programming knowledge

To develop automated tests, QA teams require a tester with programming experience. That person should be adept at understanding and writing code used in automation tools and test scripts.

Manual testing doesn’t explicitly require coding experience, but testers should understand the product they’re working on and how to identify and report errors.

Regression testing

Automated tests support regression testing, which enables developers to identify bugs introduced by code changes. Manual testing allows for regression testing, but frequent changes to product requirements can impact results.

When to use

Knowing when to use manual testing vs. automated testing is key to developing an efficient testing process.

Manual testing is suitable for exploratory testing, in which QA teams evaluate a product without following a specific test case. It’s helpful in assessing the overall user-friendliness of an application. Teams may also incorporate manual testing for ad hoc testing and initial testing in the early stages of development.

Automated testing is useful for repetitive tests that are typically executed with new product releases and builds. Other use cases include regression testing, which evaluates application performance after a code change, and data-driven tests. For applications that may be subject to heavy use, automated testing can evaluate load capacity. That isn’t easily simulated in manual tests.

How Can You Tell if Tests Should Be Automated?

When implementing automated testing, it’s important to identify tests that are ripe for automation. Here are a few signs that a test is a good candidate:

Repeatable

Tests that are frequently repeated and lack significant complexity may be automated. However, it’s important to verify that the test will continue to be used in the future. For example, if the test is for a legacy feature, there’s no reason to automate it.

Multiple data sets

Complex tests that use multiple data sets can benefit from automation. For example, tests that involve different sets of inputs across various scenarios may be a good fit. 

Determinant

Tests that have clear pass-or-fail rules may be automated. In these types of tests, the computer can easily assess the application’s performance.

Repetitive

Tedious tests that don’t require much thought may be suitable for automation. Such tests may be tiresome for QA teams, which can lead to distraction and erroneous test results. With automation, organizations benefit from consistent and precise test execution.

Business critical

It’s advisable to automate any foundational tests that are critical to the application. Once created, QA teams can schedule the test to run at regular intervals to ensure testing is performed on schedule. This structure can help QA teams catch issues before they become business-critical disasters.  

How Can You Tell if a Test Should Be Performed Manually?

A good test automation strategy balances automated and manual tests. The following features indicate that it’s advisable to perform a test manually:

Changing outcome

Some tests have inconsistent results or won’t lead to a clear outcome. If the correct result changes often, manual testing is best. 

Singular

One-off tests are generally used to assess a particular scenario or evaluate a reported bug. Since they’re performed infrequently, they’re not a good fit for automation. However, if the bug is persistent or you identify a way to reconstruct it, you may want to automate the test.

Evolving features

New application features may undergo several rounds of development. It’s best to manually perform tests during the development process since the feature may change significantly. Once developers finalize the feature, QA teams may automate its associated tests.

List of Automated Testing Types

Several types of automated testing are used by QA teams. Each type is designed for a specific test purpose.

Unit testing

Automated unit testing evaluates the smallest elements of an application for bugs. It may test individual lines of code, functions, and methods rather than larger segments of an application. Developers often run unit tests any time there’s a change to the codebase to verify the product’s continued functionality.

When performed manually, unit testing can be time-consuming. Automating unit tests conserves resources and may improve test accuracy. 

Integration testing

Integration testing assesses the interface between two software units or models. It aims to identify any bugs that interfere with the connection or integration of the units. Integration tests are usually executed after unit testing. 

API testing

Many programs use application programming interfaces (APIs) to share data and enhance software features. API testing evaluates the performance and security of API connections. It’s typically performed as part of end-to-end testing.

Smoke testing

Smoke testing assesses the performance of an application’s key functions. It determines a program’s stability. QA teams may use smoke testing as a preliminary check before a product’s release.

Regression

Regression testing is performed any time there’s a change to an application’s codebase. It verifies that the new code doesn’t introduce bugs or cause performance issues. 

Functional

This type of test verifies that an application’s functions work correctly. For example, QA testers may use functional testing to check whether a customer can add products to their cart in an online shopping application.

Security

Security testing examines a program for security risks and vulnerabilities. It seeks to uncover performance gaps that are susceptible to exploitation by bad actors. Developers can use the results to correct flaws in the application before its release. 

UI testing

User interface testing is part of the final group of assessments performed on an application before release. It confirms that the program does what a user wants. UI tests verify that buttons, text fields, and other interactive elements behave as intended. 

Acceptance testing

QA teams perform acceptance testing in the final stages of product development. It determines whether a program meets user expectations and whether there are any components that require additional adjustment.

Performance testing

Performance tests evaluate an application’s stability and responsiveness. They test how the backend of a program operates under various conditions, such as high workloads and user counts.

A/B testing

QA teams use A/B testing to evaluate user preferences for specific features or UI elements. To automate the tests, engineers can enable or disable particular features and track user engagement. Analysis of A/B tests allows developers to determine which features users prefer. Insights can help inform the product’s final release.

End-to-end testing

End-to-end tests validate an application’s entire workflow from beginning to end. They assess the program’s behavior, identify system dependencies, and verify data integrity between all components. While some end-to-end tests may be challenging to automate, modern testing software includes features that support end-to-end test script development.

Continuous testing

Automated tests are common in a continuous testing strategy. The process involves checking code for bugs and errors during each stage of development and delivery. Tests can be conducted as engineers develop an application, improving overall efficiency and eliminating bottlenecks.

As part of a CI/CD pipeline, continuous testing allows developers to deploy code after assessment. This results in quicker code updates that are shipped to production more regularly. 

Manual Testing Types

Test automation saves time and enables faster application development. However, manual testing still has a place, particularly with these types of tests:

Exploratory

Exploratory testing doesn’t follow a set of step-by-step instructions. Instead, QA teams evaluate the program based on their product knowledge and skills. They test a program’s functionality, performance, and various features to identify potential flaws.

Visual regression

Visual regression testing analyzes changes to an application’s UI elements after code changes. QA teams may use screenshots taken before and after updates to determine whether the new code affects the user experience or introduces unintended visual modifications.

Steps for Automated Testing

To facilitate automated testing, organizations follow several steps:

Choose an automation tool

Automated testing integrates special testing software or tools into the development process. Organizations select a preferred testing tool based on their testing requirements, resources, and budget.

Define automation scope

In the next step, engineers determine which tests are suitable for automation. They consider the testing framework, maintenance requirements, and long-term cost-effectiveness. Test complexity is also a factor, as more advanced testing software may be necessary to support these cases.

Plan, design, and develop

Organizations define their automation test strategy and develop test methodology. This stage may require QA teams to install special libraries or frameworks to support test development.

Convert the test case to a test

QA teams then transfer each test case into a test script. The script should be thoroughly evaluated to confirm that it works with each test scenario. For example, if the team is testing how an application appears on different devices, adjusting the script for multiple operating systems is critical.

Run the test and review the outcome

Teams execute each test script and evaluate the results. They confirm that the test runs properly under every test scenario. It’s important to pay careful attention to results, as minor adjustments to the test script may be necessary to fix false positives and other erroneous outcomes. 

Update as needed 

After running tests, QA teams log the results and store them in their records. They also document the testing process so that future testers understand the purpose of the test and how to run it. Ongoing maintenance of tests may be necessary to accommodate changes in the application’s features and code base. 

Automated Testing Frameworks

A test automation framework establishes guidelines and best practices for automating tests. There are several frameworks that are commonly used for automated testing.

Data driven

In data-driven frameworks, QA teams write tests that support multiple data sets, which improves overall test coverage. For example, a data-driven test could evaluate user account setup under different conditions, such as a customer’s password length or their location.

Keyword

Keyword frameworks are helpful for QA teams with limited programming experience. Instead of writing code, the team can create tests using pre-defined or custom keywords. When called, the keywords can execute specific actions or functions.

Hybrid

A hybrid test automation framework combines two or more testing approaches. It can enhance the overall benefits of test automation, as QA teams can expand test types and coverage.

Black box

In black box testing, teams run a test without any understanding of an application’s underlying functions. It’s commonly used for system testing. 

White box

White box testing occurs when QA teams know how an application functions. It’s useful for unit and integration testing, which evaluate every part of a program’s code and integrations. 

UI

UI testing frameworks establish methods for testing an application’s user interface. This type of framework supports regression and smoke tests. 

API

An API test framework defines guidelines for testing a program’s APIs and integrations. These tests evaluate an API’s functions and are typically part of performance testing. 

Linear 

Linear frameworks are sometimes referred to as record-and-playback frameworks. They are the most basic automation framework, and are best suited for small projects and applications. 

Under a linear method, QA teams create and run test scripts for each pre-defined test case. It requires minimal planning, but test scripts may not be reusable. 

Modular

In this form of framework, QA teams arrange the various test cases into individual units, called modules. Each module is independent of the others and may use different test scenarios. However, testing is performed on each module using a single test script. 

This framework requires a lot of pre-planning. It’s well-suited for complex applications where QA teams have significant experience in test automation. 

Library architecture

Library architecture frameworks are similar to the modular approach since they organize tests into modules. However, each test task is categorized into functions by its intended purpose. Functions are stored in a library, where QA teams can easily access and implement them into a test script. 

The library architecture framework requires significant pre-planning and expertise to run, but the benefits may be worth the effort. Using this framework, QA teams can create flexible, repeatable tests that shorten the application development pipeline.

How to Choose an Automated Testing Tool

Several test automation platforms are available, so it’s important to choose one that aligns with your objectives and resources. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind during the evaluation process:

Learning curve

Take your team’s coding expertise into account when choosing a testing tool. While some platforms are easy to use, others may require knowledge of a specific scripting or coding language. Also, assess the platform’s test infrastructure requirements, as some may be complex and expensive to manage.

Multi-browser support

Applications may run on a wide range of browsers and platforms, so cross-functional testing capabilities are critical. Verify the tool’s ability to perform cross-browser and cross-platform testing according to your needs. Keep in mind that you may need to draft individual test scripts for each browser and platform.

Easy analysis

After running a test, QA teams want to know whether it passed or failed, plus any insights into test performance. Testing platforms may include a dashboard feature that breaks down test results into clear visualizations. However, some testing tools aren’t as easy to use. For example, they may require QA teams to generate reports or access details via a download. Metric collection can vary, too, with some platforms offering better test result comparison tools than others.

Testing types

Platforms usually specialize in several types of tests, but no tool can support every test type. For example, a platform may run smoke tests, regression tests, and unit tests, but be incapable of A/B testing. Verify that the tool you invest in supports your test type requirements.

Advanced features

Modern testing platforms may include powerful features that elevate testing capabilities. For instance, some tools allow you to define specific test metrics and criteria, enabling you to provide more detailed analysis of test results. Other features that may be included are data-driven testing and test joining. 

Cost

Some testing tools are free, and others are paid. Free tools generally require more time to set up, and some may require testers to learn a special scripting language. This process can take weeks or months, which impacts how quickly you can implement them into your development cycle. 

Paid tools usually have a shorter launch time and can develop test cases more quickly than their free counterparts.

Test fragility

Some test automation tools are high-maintenance. They may require you to update tests for any changes to the code base or UI. Otherwise, the test script may fail to run. Testing brittleness and ongoing maintenance can be a significant time drain for your team.

Customer support

With free testing tools, you may have to rely on online documentation and communities for help. Paid tools, on the other hand, can offer customer service, including training and implementation support. This can be very useful for organizations that plan to automate a broad range of tests.

Best Practices for Test Automation

After selecting a testing platform and test framework, it’s time to implement your testing strategy. Apply these best practices to streamline the process.

Plan tests carefully

Define each test, its purpose, and execution steps. Clear documentation ensures that team members understand what the test is for and how it works. As you write tests, verify that they’re self-contained and explain any specifics that aren’t immediately evident. 

Test early and often

Organizations see the most benefits from automated testing that starts early in the development cycle. Waiting too long to test may make it harder to detect and fix bugs.

Map the order

Logically determine how tests should run, and apply the appropriate sequence. Some platforms may allow you to create a state that supports subsequent tests. For example, an initial test may create a user account. A second test could evaluate the user’s profile page.  

Use a tool with automatic test scheduling

Some testing platforms can handle test scheduling, which allows you to run tests at a specific time or when there’s a change to the codebase. If it’s available, enable the feature, so tests run according to your preferences.

Set up failure alerts

Failure alerts notify you when a test fails. They allow you to decide whether you want to continue the testing process or investigate the error. For example, if there’s a major flaw, you’ll likely want to examine it before other tests run. If failure alerts are available with your platform, enable them to receive timely notifications. 

Review test plans

Testing is a dynamic process that may require refining as an application changes. Update your plan to reflect current testing needs and product features. For example, if you deprecate a feature, there’s no need to test it. Removing the test can save time and avoid confusion among your team. 

Why Teams Choose Ranorex for Automated Testing

Ranorex Studio is a comprehensive test automation platform that supports desktop, web, and mobile application testing. It’s built for everyone, including experienced developers and manual testers. 

Non-technical users benefit from no-code tools that allow for quick test development using drag-and-drop test logic and object recognition. Developers can also create advanced, customized test workflows using standard .NET languages, including C# and VB.NET. 

Ranorex Studio provides multi-platform testing across Windows, iOS, Android, and web browsers. It also supports Selenium-based web tests for broader test coverage. With Ranorex Studio, you can execute parallel tests and create reusable code modules. The platform includes advanced reporting tools, including text logs, screenshots, and video playback.

To explore how Ranorex Studio can support your organization, Try Ranorex free today.