The 5 Pros and Cons of Quality Assurance Automation Tests

Compared to just one decade ago, the expectation we have as consumers today is unrecognizable. Products need to be flawless inside and out, with no exceptions. In the early days of modern tech, a sluggish UI or clunky device with tradeoffs was expected. Some phones were super thin with a horrible camera, others took high-quality videos but were as thick as a textbook. Quality assurance has become analogous to consumer satisfaction. However, there are still tradeoffs to “perfection”. Competition between big tech companies and manufacturers is enormous today. They’re all attempting to be the one and only company serving the world’s 7.8 billion people. How do we know if a single UI for an entire planet of consumers works? Automation testing can hold the answer.

The QA and Automation Testing Connection

Every country has its own culture and even subcultures within that one country. These people have different needs and expectations, albeit sometimes similar, in comparison to the rest of the world. The expense of implementing manual testing for QA is enormous because of the vast amount of people needed, not to mention the increased risk of human error. This is where automation testing comes in: routine tasks are automated and test cases are executed at a rate that surpasses that of what’s humanly possible. The possibilities with automation are endless, but with caveats.

ROI for Quality Assurance Testing

1. QA Automation Tests Save Money – QA automation testing sounds expensive, and it is at the beginning. But think about this: if a customer finds a bug in your product, they will be unhappy. In today’s world, these unhappy users flock to social media where they berate you, spreading negativity and untrustworthiness about your brand to essentially the entire world. This can equate to a loss in revenue as once-loyal customers replace your product with a competitor’s. Automation testing also saves money during the development process. The sooner a bug is exposed, the sooner it can be patched. Time is money, after all.
2. Automation Testing Secures Data – Before a product is released, the QA automation testing performed brings to light any security flaws. Security and privacy are a major concern for consumers today. It’s not worth the risk of leaking consumer data to release a product early. Spend a little extra time performing additional tests to ensure the security of your product and maintaining the trust of your customers. That trust and security equate to revenue and loyalty.
3. QA Verification Reduces Discrepancies – Automation tests never fail when programmed correctly. In contrast, the risk of human error when performing quality assurance tests skyrockets when it comes to minor details. The failure to verify the conformity of minute aspects of your product increases as manual testing continues. To alleviate this risk, implementing automation tests verifies conformity among your products every time it’s run.
4. Customer Validation is Part of Quality Assurance – The phrase “the customer is always right” comes to mind when speaking of customer validation as part of QA. In the simplest of terms, the customer has an expectation of your product. Meeting that expectation is one of the purposes of quality assurance because in the end, it’s the customer who defines your product as worthy or not. That validation is needed to increase your ROI.

The Pros of QA Automation Testing Implementation

• Error Checking Rate – automation enables us to verify every change in code without a hitch. This decreases the worry a developer has about his code because he can test it at the blink of an eye. Instead of focusing on the “what if”, the developer can focus on the “what’s next”.
• Speed in Functionality Checks – Normally, a QA tester runs several regression tests alongside the software development process. This is a time-consuming process when features need to be tested for functionality with every code adjustment. Automation testing speeds up the process, checking if a feature is functioning properly, not just if its code appears errorless.
• Coverage of Tests and Reuse – Automation tests can be performed on various browsers or environments, simulating the different ways someone might use the product.
• Human Error Reduction – Human error is one of the biggest risks in testing. QA automation always runs the same, every time.
• Cost Reduction – Development costs and testing costs are greatly reduced when automation testing is implemented. Tests are run more quickly and more often, allowing your product to be delivered sooner. The time saved in testing and development is replaced with sales and revenue.

 

The Cons of QA Automation Testing

• Initial Investment – It can be pricy to build a QA automation infrastructure. This initial cost extends to licensing, as some of the development tools need to be purchased.
• Required Manual Testing – Initially, manual testing is required to test the automation software. It is a conundrum, but one that is inevitable.
• Error Investigations – With every error that arises from a QA test, an investigation needs to be performed. However, sometimes those errors are not with the software being developed but with the automation software. This can be costly to remedy.

 

Types of Tests for QA Automation

QA automation testing is best for some aspects of the software, but not all. Sanity, regression, multiple data, and visualization tests as well as logging and errors are all acceptable for quality assurance automation. But that doesn’t cover every type of test that’s usually performed before a product is released. Tests, like usability, that don’t produce explicit results are useless for automation. QA automation testing doesn’t fit every product, but it is incredibly beneficial to those that do fit the mold. The earlier it’s implemented, the better. You’ll see an increase in ROI, but as always it takes a hefty initial investment. See what QA automation testing can do for you by contacting us today.