Test Automation: What New Trends Are Shaping the Landscape

In the fast-paced world of software development, staying on top of the trends is not just an option; it’s a necessity. As software applications become more complex and crucial to our daily lives, the importance of robust and efficient testing has never been greater. But did you know that users regularly find 62% of issues in apps and 25% in social media platforms? These alarming statistics serve as a stark reminder that testing is far from perfect. Though, test automation has certainly lightened the path forward. 

In this article, we’ll journey through the world of automated testing and how it can meet the demands of today’s fast-paced development environments. We’ll also reveal emerging trends that change how we test software and help improve software quality. So, get your pen ready, and let’s embark on an exciting exploration! 

The Importance of Automated Testing

Test automation has become a logical consequence of traditional testing methods, bringing speed and improved performance. It’s become a game-changer for companies across all industries, as it significantly reduces the time to test a product and bring it to market. Moreover, its high level of adaptability and scalability have allowed businesses to remain agile in an ever-changing market, which is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage. 

Here are three main areas where automated testing is generally used:

• Unit tests;

• UI-driven tests;

• API tests.

This, however, doesn’t mean that automation has replaced traditional testing altogether, despite the many benefits it offers. There are several use case scenarios where manual testing is still widely used as well, including:

• Exploratory testing;

• Usability testing;

• Ad-hoc testing;

• Short-term projects.

While we don’t think manual testing will disappear any time soon, we can certainly say that the future of software testing is behind automation. According to ZipDo, over 73% of organizations have successfully implemented automation, and this number is set to grow in the coming years. So, the best thing to do is keep a cautious eye on what’s happening in the testing world and be quick to invest in the trends that can help your business burgeon! 

Testing Trends to Watch Out For 

Without further ado, let’s dive into the prominent trends in automated testing that have a transformative impact and are best to incorporate into your workflow in order not to tail the competition. 

1. QAOps Methodology

One of the trends that is booming in 2023 is the use of QAOps methodology. The unique thing about it is that it assumes close collaboration between developers and QA engineers throughout the entire development cycle, allowing early detection of software issues and preventing time-consuming and costly bug fixes in the later stages. 

The main two principles of QAOps are: 

• Integration of continuous testing (CT) with continuous integration (CI).

• Improved collaboration among the team members working in the same CI/CD pipeline.

As a result, this practice allows businesses to achieve superior quality software and applications and significantly speed up product launches. 

2. Robotic Process Automation Adoption

Software robotics are becoming increasingly popular. They have the ability to mirror and recreate the actions of testers, saving companies a lot of time and effort that would be required to perform these tasks manually. Additionally, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is easy to train. Depending on the functions, the training process can take from a couple of hours to a few days.

To illustrate how fast RPA is growing in popularity, look at Statista reports. In 2022, the RPA market size was a mere $3.17 billion. However, it’s increasing exponentially and is anticipated to grow to $13.39 billion in 2030. 

3. AI and ML in Testing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are not just buzzwords. These technologies are transforming the world of automated testing and bringing a range of benefits to the field. The capabilities of AI in testing are immense. It can autonomously pick features for testing, create and run test cases without human support, and save companies hours of tedious work. Simply provide it with a prompt of what needs to be done, and it will do the job in a matter of minutes.

Aside from that, artificial intelligence can learn from other people’s experiences, opening up doors of opportunities for its application. With this in mind, some companies have already started investing in AI-powered avatars of famous QA engineers, building powerful teams of virtual testers. Imagine having Tariq or Bret Pettichord working by your side. With AI, this has become possible. 

4. Shift-Left Testing

The shift-left testing approach isn’t a new trend, but it has evolved over time. In 2023, it moved further toward the left of the pipeline, enabling businesses to initiate testing even before the coding phase. Plus, it’s been remarkably speeded up, thanks to automation. 

The mantra of the shift-left testing methodology sounds like this: test early and test often. Within this framework, testers are involved in the project from the earliest stages of SDLC to consistently deliver high-quality code and eliminate costly fixes at the final development phase. Automation, in turn, kick-starts the process. By using automation tools, testers can write tests faster and trim repetitive test cases, resulting in significant time savings and improved overall accuracy. 

Seeing that over 86% of companies have already embraced the shift-left testing approach, we can only see this trend becoming stronger in the coming years. 

5. Cloud-Based Cross Browser Testing

Another trend that is making strides in automated testing is the adoption of cloud-based environments for testing. The biggest challenge in testing is to run cross-compatible tests. For example, at QArea, the infrastructure consists of 250+ physical devices. This allows the company to test software across various systems, platforms, and devices to deliver cross-compatible solutions. 

However, for most startups and SMBs, building such an extensive in-house testing coverage is out of reach. That’s where cloud-based cross-browser testing tools come into play. By utilizing tools provided by third parties, companies can overcome this obstacle and conduct comprehensive testing without breaking the bank. 

The popularity of cloud-based testing environments will grow stronger in the coming years. It’s projected to double by 2025, reaching a whopping $365 billion, which shows the growing demand for cloud applications. 

6. Exploratory Testing

Although automated testing is becoming increasingly popular, it can’t completely replace human observation, vital in the early stages of SDLC and unique case scenarios. Therefore, exploratory testing continues to play a crucial role. 

With exploratory testing, QA teams can start immediately without requiring exhaustive test case preparation and discover bugs that most other testing techniques would miss. Here are just a few facts to consider to understand the role of exploratory testing:

• It catches 11% more software bugs than scripted testing;

• It can find 33% more complex bugs;

• It quickly detects errors, such as missing buttons in user interfaces, that are obvious to humans but cannot be easily detected by scripts.

Looking at these numbers, it’s easy to see that exploratory testing will continue to be a powerful trend in 2024 and beyond.

7. Crowdsourced Testing

Another hot trend in test automation is crowdsourced testing. As the name suggests, this approach involves recruiting testers from various communities and testing products in the privacy of their offices or homes. The strength of this method is that it allows companies to overcome resource constraints. All tasks are distributed in accordance with the skills and tools that testers already have, which significantly accelerates delivery time to market. 

8. In-Sprint Automation

With agile methodologies dominating software development, it’s no surprise that the in-sprint automation trend is picking up steam. It’s become common to integrate testing directly into sprint cycles rather than treating testing as a separate step after development. By automating tests within sprints, teams can quickly validate new features and address bugs, streamlining the entire development process. 

9. Continuous Testing

Continuous testing (CT) is another powerful trend that can benefit a fast-growing company. It is conducted after each new change to the code and integrated into the CI/CD pipeline, enabling quicker feedback and faster development and releases of updates. According to statistics, 21% of testers rely on CT, while the rest of the respondents are considering shifting to CT in the near future.

10. Scriptless Test Automation

Another trend that is gaining momentum is scriptless test automation. As it comes from the name, this practice is all about eliminating the need for complex, code-based test scripts. Instead, testers and QA engineers rely on codeless platforms to create and execute tests that don’t require the knowledge of programming languages. 

The principle of scriptless test automation is simple. First, the tools repeat actions after the tester trains them and then recreate them automatically, depending on the specific use case scenario. As a result, the testing process is done in half the time it takes with traditional methods. 

Bottom Line

In the end, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to automated testing. Test automation evolves at a crazy speed. However, we’ve picked out the most prominent trends that are unlikely to become obsolete very soon and can help increase your ROI while reducing the need for manual efforts. By embracing these changes and being open to innovation, you can consistently deliver top-notch software and maintain a competitive edge. 

If you don’t have an in-house team of QA specialists but are eager to leverage the best test automation practices, the best thing you can do is turn to a reliable company with a wealth of experience in QA and a comprehensive testing portfolio. Some of the best platforms to look for are TechBehemoths, GoodFirms, CrowdReviews, etc.

In this regard, QArea stands out as an excellent choice. As a TechBehemoths-approved software development company, it boasts a team of over 300 highly skilled testers proficient in all types of testing and well-versed in the latest industry trends that can take your project to the next level.