From eliminating manual mundane tasks to Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, software testing has made some really great strides. The shift in the technological landscape is inevitable, especially after the pandemic. More and more companies are going digital, thus, making websites and web apps some of the primary ways for interacting with customers. This gives rise to an increasing need for automated testing.
With digitalization being a top priority all over the world, it is further going to boost constant innovations and updates in test automation. Quality, efficiency, and reliability go hand in hand. Test automation has been able to achieve these three pillars of a quality product over time.
Since small businesses have been leaning towards building a strong internet presence, maintaining quality has become difficult. Not only has automation become the need of the hour, but it’s also the only way the quality assurance teams will be able to meet the increase in demands.
With test methods like agile becoming mainstream, new test automation trends keep on surfacing. This calls for a strong need to adapt to the latest trends so as to move on par with the current advancement across the globe. On that note, let us take a look at the 9 upcoming trends in automation testing in 2021.
- Software Assistance Based on Artificial Intelligence
More and more people are already becoming accustomed to cloud-based assistance. But in the time to come, Artificial Intelligence based cloud platforms are likely to witness a steep rise. Yes, we are talking about platforms such as IBM Watson cloud, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services.
Think about it this way. Where do people like to go to get answers to their burning questions? If they’re anything like me, a simple Google search is the key here. If the website they land on has an Artificial Intelligence powered smart technology such as chatbots, it can crank the user experience up a notch!
Technology such as Machine Learning, Customer Sentiment Analysis, and speech recognition is going to be on the rage in 2021 and probably after that. So, my suggestion would be to start getting in touch with some Qaops testing and software powered by ML.
- Cloud-Based Testing Tools For Collaboration
It’s no secret that visual validation tools facilitate the seamless leveraging of AI. Through a tactful combination of human effort and AI, the software enables smoothed collaboration and creates and efficient functioning. Some open-source tools based on the strengths include Visual Regression Tracker and SeleniumBase.
Safely having your precious automation assets all in one place on the cloud facilitates easy collaboration and access to automation. Since everything has a single central location, there is little to no room for confusion. You can also create some custom add-ons instead of coding from the beginning and share them with teammates.
- Codeless Automated Testing
It’s needless to say that coding is extremely time-consuming. This is the main motivation behind the warm welcome of codeless automated testing tools. Watch out for the trend that combines the power of visual modeling along with Artificial Intelligence.
This trend also enables users to quickly form test cases and easily generate test case scenarios. The best part is that not everyone following this approach needs to be a coding geek. This also eliminates the need to devote excess time to recurring test cases.
Since you don’t need any code to generate test cases, it enhances readability. So, even if your stakeholders don’t wear the Hi-Tech hat, they can effortlessly review the test cases. Since the individuals handling this don’t need to be expert programmers, the learning curve is low. Here are some of the recommended codeless automation tools.
Businesses don’t need to employ multiple staff specifically for advanced coding skills. Enhanced effectiveness, less usage of resources, lowered learning curve, and ease of review are some primary advantages that make codeless automated testing a long-lasting trend. Since this trend paces up the effectiveness of the entire automation process, I can say with some confidence that it’s here to last!
- Accessibility Testing
What is the point of even creating a product if the customers can’t access the websites or web apps properly? This is the main reason why the need for efficient accessibility testing is likely to rise in 2021. There should be little to no restrictions regardless of what category of users is trying to access your platform.
For instance, differently-abled users have a really hard time browsing through the web if the website is not accessible. Now with remote work, healthcare, education, shopping, and banking taking precedence in day-to-day lives, availing digital services has drastically increased. This calls for an immediate need to thoroughly test the accessibility of software sites and apps.
- More Test Automation in Agile Teams
The entire concept of agile revolves around better quality, quicker response, and more test coverage per sprint. It’s clear that with more and more companies automating a major segment of the testing processes, they are availing some striking benefits.
Due to this, we can surely estimate that the adoption of test automation in agile teams is likely to be on a persistent rise this year. Moreover, more automation in the agile framework means saving more time costs, and manpower.
IT automation software systems enable agile teams to bring all applications together in one place. Automation software manages repetitive processes to optimize resources, save time, and minimize errors. In that way, IT processes and businesses will run smoothly. A scalable IT automation software program can handle basic automated tasks and enterprise-level tasks without coding, digitally transforming organizations.
- IoT and Smart Devices
Interconnected gadgets with their smooth functioning have been drastically transforming people’s lifestyles for good. No wonder it has been witnessing an enormous rate of expansion. But since it’s a relatively new technology, it calls for a need to aggressively test the products before releasing them. Not to mention, the wide array of security threats it brings.
Therefore, to avoid threats and vulnerabilities, it’s vital to perform rigorous security testing for IoT gadgets. This enhances the connectivity and efficiency of smart devices, thereby, improving user experience. No wonder, the IoT market is projected to hike at a tremendous rate in 2021.
- Performance Engineering and Customer-Centric Approach
Since customer experience can make or break a business, it’s a no-brainer that it has the most credence. With a burning desire for frequent releases and short development cycles, performance engineering is a must for matching quality standards. One should note that it’s vital to live up to the highest quality on all the phases of the Software Development Lifecycle.
Performance engineering when used in the right way enables IT professionals to come up with the crucial performance metrics. It enables the examination of all the sections of a system and running different checkbox testing scripts.
Performance engineering focuses on quick identification of the bug source as it can become challenging when a system is complicated. Some performance metrics that it takes into account include productivity, quality, turnaround time, product development, product design, and end-user experience.
- Blockchain Testing
Gone are the days when banks were the only entities for managing different financial operations. Even though the centralized system has been around for a substantial time, the need for decentralized networks has been rising in the present day. Businesses like finance, automotive, and cryptocurrency highly depend on blockchain technology. This makes the need for blockchain testing in 2021 undeniable.
You must be familiar with how Bitcoin became a buzzword for enterprises and users alike in recent years. But the range of blockchain applications is quite extensive which causes obstacles to its debugging. With the help of blockchain testing, testers can facilitate the delivery of productive and efficient blockchain apps by easily debugging the code.
- Rising Demand for Risk Compliance and Cyber Security
It’s crucial to test cybersecurity measures and set systems in place to identify gaps and loopholes in small businesses and large enterprises. Since cybercriminals use sophisticated methodologies to steal and use data in fraudulent activities, organizations must be ready to secure their IT software and hardware systems through automation cybersecurity testing.
Cybersecurity testing involves challenging cybersecurity protocols and features of a software program or hardware to identify existing and adjacent security issues. Even vulnerabilities arising from insider network security activities should undergo testing and monitoring. In that way, cybercriminals can’t penetrate legacy and new IT systems using major entry points, such as active directories.
Active directories (ADs) refer to a proprietary directory service that allows administrators to access network resources and manage permissions. Cybercriminals use ADs as a portal of entry to access data and infect business systems through malware, such as ransomware. Many companies have cybersecurity in place but often overlook or underestimate strengthening and testing their ADs.
Without a doubt, cybersecurity testing has paved its way to being an integral part of software testing and Quality Assurance. The train for exercising security checks before the SDLC even begins has been rising. Cybersecurity testing enables better trust of the enterprise with partners, third parties, and customers.
It’s no secret that downtime can be really detrimental to an enterprise. Things can quickly get out of control if the individuals involved are unprepared. But thanks to cybersecurity tests, even during the occurrence of unexpected downtime, the damages would be bearable.
Final Words
The year 2020 has made it clear that predicting what going to happen in the future is not a cakewalk. However, the year of the deadly pandemic has also taught us one simple lesson. To sum up, innovation is the key to success. Staying updated to the latest trends and automatically adapting to them is the best way to serve your customers and build a decent flow of return on investment.
Let’s face it this industry is ever-evolving. The trends we mentioned above are becoming mainstream and have already proven useful for businesses. If you are a part of the IT sector in any way, it’s vital that you brush up with the trends to stand out in the crowd.
It’s important to realize stagnancy in the IT industry can be an enemy to business growth. While you might think you are in a state of pause. But in reality, you slowly fall behind if you are not open to changes and updates. All in all, embracing the new test automation trends would mean progress for 2021 and beyond.
