Why Web Products Need Testing: Measure Twice, Cut Once
This article sheds light on the critical role of testing in the development of web products and introduces the testing methodologies we employ at our company.
Testing is a vital process that:
Identifies discrepancies between the actual and expected behavior of software;
Assesses the quality of the system through a limited set of tests.
Web products undergo testing for:
Verification: Ensuring the product meets specified requirements, answering the question, "Are we building the product right?"
Validation: Confirming the software serves its intended purpose, addressing the question, "Are we building the right product?"
Validation often takes precedence because user convenience is paramount. Sometimes, deviating from verification requirements is necessary to make the service as useful and task-oriented as possible. Nevertheless, such decisions are always pre-approved by clients.
Simply put, testing compares initial conditions with the actual outcomes, highlighting potential deviations from the project's specifications and suggesting improvements that could enhance the product.
Quality Assurance (QA) specialists conduct the testing, simulating various scenarios and analyzing software behavior in user-driven narratives and under stress conditions. For instance, before high-traffic sales events like Black Friday, it's crucial to evaluate how the service handles increased traffic and whether users can smoothly make online purchases.
Testing also determines the product's logic and ease of use. Any discrepancies from the intended functionality can drive users towards competitors. In the absence of alternatives, frustrations with bugs and clunky scenarios can degrade service quality and reduce sales.
The Importance of Testing Web Products
While it might seem evident, web testing is an indispensable part of developing any web application or website. No one wants to face issues immediately after investing time and money into development.
Sometimes, testing is overlooked due to tight deadlines or the misconception that simple sites don't require scrutiny, often for cost-saving reasons. However, for us, testing any web application "setting sail from our dock," no matter how small or simple, is a mandatory development phase. Consequently, our clients receive a fully functional web product.
From a practical standpoint, testing offers digital products the following advantages:
Bug Detection
Testing uncovers defects and errors that could cost businesses money and customers. For example, finding out that the "Pay" button fails to send a request to the backend or that an API integration with a payment service is malfunctioning means customers at the final purchasing step cannot complete their transactions, leading to lost sales.
Security Assurance
Testing is crucial for identifying vulnerabilities, especially if the service stores users' personal data or sensitive company information. This helps prevent data breaches and builds a reputation as a reliable brand that values digital hygiene and user security. Specialists ensure the code's reliability and data handling, crucial for the product's stable operation.
Enhancing User Experience
To ensure a positive user experience, it's necessary to optimize the interface, test page loading speed, and ensure content displays correctly. If, for instance, adaptive design isn't implemented across all major device types, the audience may struggle to interact with the service, potentially driving them to competitors.
Meeting Expectations
The final product should match the initial vision, complete with all intended functionalities working correctly. Testing allows for a comparison between the plan and reality, assessing alignment with the initial requirements.
The Seven Principles of Testing
Let's delve into the fundamental principles of testing a web product:
Testing reveals defects, not their absence. Diagnostics reduce the number of hidden errors in software, yet identifying and fixing issues does not guarantee a product is 100% error-free.
Exhaustive testing is impractical. It's impossible to account for all scenarios, methods, and combinations of test environments in a single product.
Early testing saves both time and resources. The sooner testing begins, the more cost-effective it is to remedy bugs.
Error clustering often occurs. Defects are not evenly distributed; they tend to concentrate in a few modules. Here, the Pareto principle applies—80% of all defects are found in 20% of the modules.
The pesticide paradox suggests that running the same tests repeatedly will stop finding new errors. It's essential to regularly review and update test scenarios, incorporating different system trials, ideally with input from various QA specialists.
Testing is context-dependent. For example, evaluating an e-commerce site differs from assessing a mobile app. Each product type requires distinct approaches and methodologies.
The fallacy of bug-free systems. Fixing defects is futile if the system is unusable or fails to meet user needs and requirements.
Functionality Testing
Functionality testing is basic yet crucial for any application, including web apps. It ensures the web application operates correctly without errors. Web testing tools, for instance, verify that each site link leads to the correct page.
Functionality testing encompasses:
Unit testing checks small, separate application areas during the early development stages to minimize the chance of severe errors later.
Smoke testing, build testing, and completeness testing are performed after each build to ensure the web application is stable and ready for further testing.
Sanity testing, following build verification, assesses the implementation of new code and selected functionality.
Regression testing reevaluates a specific set of test cases to identify areas sensitive to changes, ensuring existing functionality remains unchanged.
Integration testing detects errors in the interaction between interconnected modules (e.g., redirecting to a mailbox page after successful registration).
Usability testing identifies interface improvement opportunities based on feedback and real user scenarios.
Functionality testing also evaluates input forms to confirm their operational integrity.
Web API Testing
Web APIs, as the name suggests, are application programming interfaces for the web. API testing involves making requests to various API endpoints to verify responses, including functionality, security, and performance. It's critical for checking bottlenecks in logic, responses, security, and performance.
For example, consider testing a login form, specifically ensuring that each username and password are correctly saved in the database.
In terms of APIs, you're verifying that HTTP data exchanges are encrypted and protected against potential attacks. It's also vital to consider negative scenarios, such as:
Accessing the API without adhering to authentication rules.
Validating invalid JSON values (e.g., attempting to register a user with a non-existent email address).
Cookie testing is another aspect to consider when sending user requests and sessions. When using APIs as intermediaries, methods of deleting or storing information about user sessions and actions must be included in API test scenarios.
Database Testing
Database testing ensures the accuracy of data stored in a database, safeguarding against data loss, preserving information about changes, and preventing unauthorized access. This testing encompasses checking database schemas, tables, and triggers across common databases like Excel/CSV, GraphQL, Oracle SQL, and SQL Server. It often includes stress testing and the execution of complex queries on one or multiple data files, ensuring data integrity regardless of the number of requests made to the database.
Regression Testing
Managing large-scale software necessitates continual updates and modifications. In fact, new features and code adjustments should be anticipated unless the software is intended solely for personal use. Code changes can unveil unexpected dependencies and failures. Regression testing ensures the application continues to function correctly post-code modifications, updates, or other changes, safeguarding overall stability and the operational integrity of existing functionalities.
Fortunately, regression testing is often best suited for automation. Test cases covering core software functionalities, like login and homepage, can be automated, reserving manual testing for more complex scenarios.
Browser, Operating System, and Mobile Device Compatibility Testing
Compatibility testing ensures your web application’s key functions are accessible across different browsers and devices, including various operating systems and their versions. Due to the diverse nature of operating systems, browsers, and devices, web applications may exhibit inconsistent behavior across different test environments, highlighting the importance of compatibility testing.
Users connecting from different locations may experience variations in page navigation or even how they connect to APIs. Old browser versions, operating systems, and mobile devices don’t just vanish; some users continue to utilize them. A prime example is the discontinuation of Internet Explorer in favor of Microsoft Edge, demonstrating how compatibility can impact applications.
However, encountering a browser issue doesn’t mean hitting a dead end. Sometimes, these issues stem from browser developers, in which case they can be reported to the appropriate support team and await a fix. If the problem lies on your end, delve into “HTML Debugging,” “CSS Debugging,” or “JavaScript Troubleshooting”—valuable tools for addressing common browser-related issues.
While testing for compatibility across all existing browsers, platforms, and devices is unrealistic, determining where to focus efforts is crucial. Understand your client’s priorities or the distribution of browsers and devices within your target market. Additionally, don’t overlook adaptive testing. Ensuring consistency in screen sizes, margins, vertical and horizontal scrolling, alignment, and scaling is as crucial as functionality in the three most popular browsers.
User Interface and Visual Elements Testing
Often, the visual aspects of a web product are overlooked in favor of functionality. It's only when the development team expands, allowing for dedicated resources, that the aesthetic appeal of the user interface gets the attention it deserves.
Updates to CSS or layout changes can introduce design inconsistencies. Various reasons may cause this, but practical testing is the most efficient solution. Different browsers, operating systems, and mobile devices may process data uniquely. Newer browser versions leverage advanced technologies and the latest CSS and JavaScript features, which may not be supported by older ones, such as Internet Explorer.
Such testing requires meticulous attention to ensure all text is readable as intended, and all images are correctly placed with accurate proportions.
Web Security Testing
Web security testing is a crucial phase in web testing, aimed at ensuring your web application can withstand hacking attempts or data breaches. Vulnerabilities in data storage could lead to the leakage of user personal information, including stolen identities, passwords, and financial details. Any breach of personal data can result in significant legal costs for you and your business.
According to IBM, "it takes an average of 250 days to detect credential-related breaches, with an additional 91 days to contain them," potentially costing millions of dollars.
Hence, security testing is a vital process in assessing your web application, allowing you to:
Identify potential vulnerabilities and threats.
Comply with laws governing data security and privacy policies online.
Perform comprehensive scans to understand the current security measures of the application.
Plan rapid responses to future threats or hacking attempts.
Performance and Load Speed Testing
The final stage involves performance and load speed testing. Once the application's functionality is confirmed, it's essential to ensure it doesn't take more than 2 seconds to launch. JavaScript files, third-party plugins, varying page sizes, or components that load slower can decrease application speed. Load speed testing offers insights for optimizing overall response time.
Ensuring optimal performance of your web application is crucial, as slow page loading can adversely affect user experience. A study by Kissmetrics showed that conversion rates drop by 40% on pages that take more than 3 seconds to load.
Need help with testing or developing your product or idea?
Developing complex services is inherently prone to errors. Those claiming perfection from the get-go are likely embellishing the truth. Testing requires a diligent approach: immersing yourself in the project, understanding the technical requirements, grasping the company's business processes, and how the target audience will use the product. Failing to do so may overlook flaws, resulting in a service that fails to meet expectations. Inadequate testing can lead to catastrophic outcomes, with damages potentially running into millions or even billions of dollars. Proper use of web testing tools or automation is the key to successfully launching your web application.
If you have questions or would like to discuss testing your product, feel free to book a free call with our CTO or leave your contact details on our website. We are eager to assist you in testing your web application of any complexity or co-developing a product of the highest quality!
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