Explore our guide to chosen automation testing tools for web apps and what features you should be searching for to guarantee quality.
While automation testing tools for web applications have been a fixed feature of QA since the early 2000s with the release of Selenium, AI has changed what the future of testing will become to cater to the demands of the SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle). QA companies are well aware of the strain on testing, and as a result, test automation tools flood the market. With all the noise, it's crucial to know how to choose a tool and what features to look for to complement the needs in your automation process.
The widespread introduction of AI to the workforce has propelled software development into overdrive, and the race for faster, better software has put a strain on every step of the SDLC. While QA has archaically been viewed as a bottleneck, that's no longer an option in modern-day development. Test automation is capable of speeding up nearly all tasks normally performed by manual testing through a wide range of methods, plus taking care of the monotony of repetitive tasks.
While traditional testing frameworks like Selenium require knowledge of programming languages (being an open-source tool, they have support for multiple languages) to create tests, modern low-code/no-code platforms have several ways to author tests (which we'll get to in a bit). This flexibility allows testers to write exactly what they need so the test runs like a manual test with all the benefits of automation.
Manual testing also requires testers to run every single test themselves while automated tests enable Continuous Testing (which pairs beautifully with the Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment process) without demanding so much time and repetitive tests from testers through parallel testing. This frees up testers to take care of reporting, exploratory testing, and writing more meaningful, efficient tests for their application testing. But in order to write the best tests they can, testers need a platform that can handle all their needs.
Choosing any software application is something highly specific to each QA team, as each will have different requirements. There are several things to keep in mind when choosing automation testing tools for web applications and questions that every business will have different answers for.
One of the main ways test automation platforms differ is through the way you author tests in them.
The Selenium IDE is compatible with multiple programming languages to suit the tester's preference. Low-code/no-code tools also offer a wide range of options (some better than others).
Recorders simply record a manual tester interacting with their software and replay it themselves, but this approach is rather brittle, since anything that changes in the UI, even intentional changes, means that the tester must rerecord the entire test.
Another type of testing is drag-and-drop authoring, which is more reusable than recorders, but there are very few opportunities for test customization. The testers are limited to the commands available in the app.
Lastly, Natural Language Programming (NLP) is the closest authoring method to coding. Testers write their steps in plain English in a natural language syntax so it feels more like telling a coworker what to do than writing a test. This tends to be the most robust form of low-code/no-code testing and true codeless test automation doesn't have the capacity for customization.
Different test automation methods will result in different speeds of test authoring and execution. Frameworks that require coding languages will take longer to write and, depending on the available integrations, take longer to execute, thus dragging out the automation process. Parallel testing is essential for rapid execution and will drastically reduce testing time. Authoring methods like recorders and NLP won't take as long, especially if there's a feature to show the test executing as it's being written.
No matter a testing team's needs, there are a handful of key features that should be non-negotiables in your search for the very best in automation testing tools for web applications.
Self-Healing Capabilities
Flaky tests cause testers to spend unnecessary amounts of time tracking down buggy steps and repairing them instead of reporting on actual bugs in the software application. Machine Learning can enable self-healing, which recognizes brittle test steps and heals them so they don't interfere with the test execution.
The days of noting that a browser-based software only performs well on a certain browser are far over. Customers expect to be able to use their preferred browser and device, whether that is a desktop, laptop, or mobile device, with every application they interact with. Cross-browser testing encompasses a wide range of browsers, operating systems, and real devices to ensure that the software application works no matter how customers wish to interact with it. This is especially important as customers interact on mobile browsers more and more
Switching software is a difficult enough process without having to learn an entirely new UI, so user-friendly interfaces are critical to getting up-to-speed as fast as possible. QA teams should have a seamless integration experience when upgrading. NLP helps the onboarding experience, and an intuitive, clearly marked user interface will smoothen the process.
As you can see, testing isn't one-size-fits-all. But Virtuoso QA gets pretty close! With NLP test authoring, parallel testing and Continuous Testing, self-healing, seamless integration into your tech stack, a great user experience, and plenty of testing types in addition to cross-browser testing (like regression testing, integration testing, API testing in conjunction with functional tests, data-driven testing, and more), we cover all your software quality bases.
At Virtuoso QA, we're pioneering AI-powered test automation to take testing to a new level and enable your QA teams' testing efficiency more than ever. With the ability to enhance testing with the advanced features in the Dev mode, testers can tweak test steps to behave just as they need without worries of being limited by Natural Language commands (plus they can generate their own extensions with AI).
If this sounds like the tool for you, book a demo with our experts and experience the power of GenAI testing for yourself.
