Manual testing is still the most practiced form of quality assurance. Even though developers have created many variations of automated testing, we are not able to get rid of Manual Testing. It is an indispensable part of ensuring a high-quality software. On the other hand, Automation Tests help you cut down the release cycle time. However, usability and human behavior cannot be automated. With the rise and growth of new technologies, people are more interested in scripting. But, Manual testing will be the input to automation scripts.

“As an industry we need to push testers back towards performing manual exploratory testing, to be complemented by automated regression testing, otherwise we are going to start missing defects due to deficiencies in the overall coverage.”

As said by Steve Watson

But again, the question remains intact. HOW?

For that we will have to start working on the basic things and keeping the priorities straight. Let’s discuss few points here

Modify The Process

In the most basic way of manual testing, we have a person executing test cases corresponding to a test plan. After the execution is done, the report can be created, which describes the state of the tested software. Following are the elements and how they are constructed.

• Tester: the person executing test cases and following a test plan
• Test Manager: creating test plans and test cases
• Test Case: describing every step and expected behavior of a test
• Test Plan: contains all tests needing to be executed to fulfill the requests
• Test Case Management: a system to manage test cases

All of these elements make up basic and classic manual testing. We can always access the metrics to see the current state of our release. At the same time, these metrics can be used while creating the next Test Plan.

Test Cases Structure

Test cases are not easy to create; I will write an entire blog someday on how to write a perfect test case. To fulfill a basic requirement, we need a description. It’s a summary of what the test is doing. Furthermore, we need a result. What do we expect this test case to do? With these two things in hand, instructions are missing on how to achieve the result. These are step by step guides navigating you through your application from the beginning.

So, What We Can Improve?

Let’s add some metrics. How long do we expect this test to run, and how long did we need? How much impact will this test have, if it fails? Which state is the test currently in? Sometimes tests get automated. This would be nice to track too.

Understand The UX

User experience testing is the process of testing different aspects of user experience to determine the best way for a website and its elements to interact with its audience.

Think of UX as the user’s entire experience from landing on a website for the first time to leaving it for the last time. UI refers to the specific ways in which users interact with elements on the page. Think about your website for a second. What are your goals? For example, to increase sales, what does a person need, to complete the checkout process?

• Clear navigation
• Easy access to product information
• Easy checkout processes
• Trust symbols
• Social proof
•  and, the list goes on…

In short, play the role of a potential customer while testing the product

Improve Communication Skills

You must possess strong verbal and written communication skills, and there is always room for improvement. Ask questions, understand, again ask questions, till you better test, and with perfection. The tester’s ability to collaborate with other programmers, test managers, design team, SEO and customers must be impeccable. Being a good team player, skills to convey the point to the other party without any difficulty and knowing how to put across a defect to all the stakeholders is essential.

So guys, Manual testing will never be dead, and as a tester, it’s your duty never to project it as dead. Remember, fearful testers will create mistakes, so keep improving the basic testing tact fearlessly. Automation is a need of the hour, but you will not be a good automation tester if you are bad at manual testing.

Keep learning, keep growing and raise a bug to your developer after reading this. Long live Manual testing… Cheers!!