The need for rapid development and competitive time to market means companies are looking for time-saving solutions at every stage of development, including testing. This has resulted in the emergence of new tools that automate the testing process and make it more efficient. But will automated testing ever fully replace manual testing? Let’s take a look at both kinds of tests, when to use them, and their main differences.
What is manual testing?
Let’s start with the original method of testing, the manual one. Before any product reaches the market, it needs to be thoroughly checked - whether it’s safe, functional, and easy to use. Manual testing means that these tests are conducted by certain individuals - testers, QA analysts, product owners, or project managers.
Wondering what is software testing and why is it important? Check out our article and learn more about this topic.
Characteristics of manual testing
The manual testing process includes following a test plan that consists of sets of various use cases. The testers use the product in various ways and analyze its performance. Their job is to find bugs or pain points and report them to the development team. The developers then fix said bugs.
This approach to testing is quite laborious and time-consuming. It requires a dedicated person to perform the tests and compile reports by hand, at the same time risking human error. The tests often need to be repeated many times after deploying fixes and new features, every time taking just as many hours. Nonetheless, there are cases when manual testing is the way to go.
When to use manual testing?
To some, manual testing might seem like an outdated option. But it’s important to remember that automation tools are not yet advanced enough to emulate human behavior in every scenario. Also, automation is a time-consuming task itself, and sometimes it’s just not efficient to do it.
Here are a few examples of situations where manual testing would be the best choice:
- When a specific test occurs infrequently and is at high risk.
- When a product is at an early stage, e.g. we're building an MVP.
- When we don't have a budget for SDETs.
- When test cases are complex and difficult to automate.
- When you do exploratory testing.
- When you want to know end users' opinions.
- When you don’t have the time to prepare automation and need ad hoc testing.
To sum up, manual testing is the best choice for tests that happen occasionally, have limited time and budget, or need a human approach.
What is automation testing?
The second approach to testing is called automation testing or automated testing. It is the evolution of manual testing. In automation testing, most of the tasks are done by tools, frameworks, or other software.
In automated software testing, engineers write code or test scripts that carry out the tests on their own. Preparation is the only task that needs human action. Everything else, including reporting, is automated and requires no human resources.
Looking for solutions that help you with improving automation testing? Read more about Python for network test automation.
Characteristics of automation testing
Automation testing increases the velocity of deploying new features or products. It can significantly cut down costs and time to market, which are critical factors for companies in the technology industry. The biggest benefits are:
- the scripts can be reused as many times as necessary,
- there is a significantly lower risk of human error,
- tests don’t need a dedicated person, so they can happen overnight or while you’re working on something else.
When to use automation testing?
As we said earlier, automation testing is not always the best choice. It can’t replace end-user tests, when human feedback is crucial, and not every test scenario can be automated. But in many cases, test automation significantly increases efficiency. Here are some cases when automation testing would be the best choice.
- When tests are repeated frequently.
- For performance testing, such as load testing, stress testing, or spike testing.
- When you need to execute tests on different operating platforms in parallel, or on different devices, e.g. automation testing for mobile devices.
- When you want to reduce test execution time.
- When you perform batch testing.
Automation testing is a big one-time investment, but once the tests are set up, they can be reused as often as necessary.
You can also see how to build a cloud test automation framework.
Manual vs. automated testing
Manual testing and automated testing are two very different tools. There is no way to say which one would be better - it all depends on the specific project needs. To help you decide which one would be the best fit for you, we’ve provided a thorough comparison of these two methods of testing.
| Aspect of testing | Automation testing | Manual testing |
|---|---|---|
| Required skills | Coding skills are needed to set up an automated test. | Testers need to be able to mimic user behavior and be mindful of how the software works. No need for coding skills, but there is a need to know reporting tools. |
| Preparation | Preparing the test requires investing in automation tools and engineers. | Preparation for manual tests is lower in cost and more straightforward. |
| Test coverage | Automated testing is highly accurate, there is a significantly lower risk of human error. | Manual testers can make mistakes and overlook things. They also become less engaged during repetitive tests. |
| Human factor | Automation testing isn't able to provide a complex human consideration. They miss out on the novelties that a real user would find. | Manual testing is literally asking a human being for their opinion. It picks up all the details and emotional aspects of interaction with the digital product. |
| Scalability | Automated tests are easy to scale, as they can be repeated or run in parallel with the same efficiency and low additional costs. | Manual testing becomes extremely time-consuming and more expensive when it’s done repetitively. The testers become less aware when they run the same test many times. |
| Time consumption | Automated testing needs time to set up properly. After that, it works without manual intervention. | Manual testing requires time to run the test and provide a report. |
| Cost | Automated testing has a big initial cost in tools and test engineers and is expensive to manage. | Manual testing is an ongoing cost of hiring a tester. |
| User experience | Automated tests aren’t able to provide reliable UX/UI tests. Test frameworks lack human emotions. | Manual testers mimic the behavior of end users and provide thorough feedback on UX/UI. |
| Reporting | Reporting is automated and prepared instantly. It’s visible to all the stakeholders. | Reporting is done manually by the tester. It’s another point of risk of human error. |
| Best suited for | Load testing, stress testing, regression testing, performance testing and repeated execution. | Usability testing, exploratory testing, and ad-hoc testing. |
What tests should you use?
The table above shows that there are more differences than similarities between manual testing and automated testing. They are used for different purposes and require a different set of resources. So choosing which one to pick should be based entirely on the specifics of your project.
But do you need to pick and choose between the two? Definitely not. A digital product needs exploratory testing, performance testing, system testing, integration testing, usability testing, load testing and much more. In fact, a recommended approach would be automating the tests that can be automated and completing them with manual testing. That way, you can benefit from both the efficiency of automation and end-user feedback from manual testers.
This holistic approach allows you to ensure your product performs well and is as user-friendly as possible.
Conclusion
Manual testing is still necessary for certain areas of software product development. But to increase efficiency and speed up time to market, you should also include automation testing. That way, you can use the benefits of both manual and automation testing.
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