Comprehending the future of software testing requires tech stakeholders to identify how existing and upcoming technologies could condition the test process.
Over the years, I have seen the IT industry witnessing a dynamic expansion.
From the introduction of the Internet to the widening of the mobile industry and the introduction of technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and high-speed network solutions like 5G, things have never been the same.
Nevertheless, the initial focus of the development process and the technologies was only limited to converting every manual process to digital while enhancing the user touch with the technologies. However, I believe, the growing interactions of the users with the digital environment and the need for sustainable solutions have definitely become a reason for greater focus on quality and software testing.
In other words, when working on a digital product, the quality assurance and software testing process allows for determining the fate of an application in terms of end-user experience, reliability, performance, security, etc. And therefore, the entire idea of software testing evolved tremendously, allowing the introduction of concepts like shift left testing and test automation.
With that being said, it becomes necessary for testers, developers, business analysts, and other stakeholders to stay informed of how the future of software testing will likely change. And based on my personal experience and knowledge, here is how I see the future of software testing.
Future Of Software Testing In 2023 & Beyond
To underline, the future of software testing is more about existing and upcoming technologies and how they can be used to harness the maximum potential of QA processes. From refining the user experience to the integration of test automation with machine learning, IoT, and practices like Agile and DevOps, let us quickly jump on learning how they are likely to change the future of software testing.
- Machine Learning (ML)
Right now, machine Learning is one of the most hyped concepts that are likely to change the quality assurance industry. With some remarkable changes made to the software and application development process, I can say, ML has all the potential to redefine the quality landscape.
According to Statista, the machine learning market is expected to grow from around 22.6 billion U.S. dollars to nearly 126 billion U.S. dollars by 2025, which likely increases the adoption of machine learning technology in the IT sector.
To underline, machine learning in software testing can be used to run code-specific tests with test suite optimization. Besides, Machine Learning could be used by testers to work on predictable test configurations and can run those tests automatically.
Above all, integrating machine learning solutions into a test process could simplify the identification of high-risk application states, simplifying the ranking of the regression tests.
- IoT Testing
Earlier, the vision of developers, tech enthusiasts, and users was limited to IoT devices when it came to the concept of IoT. However, with time, I see IoT as a developed market where every new product launched into the market is tuned to complement the IoT objectives.
Moreover, the expansion of IoT signals a lot of advantages in the context of performance, security, and usability testing. From checking the device compatibility for different protocols and versions to data integrity assessment or tracking of connection delays, IoT offers all the scalability benefits.
- User Experience
Another significant objective that comes with any software or application development project is the need for a pleasing user experience. From developers to testers as well as business stakeholders, UX testing allows the creation of products built to rule the market while aligning with the users’ needs.
As for me, user experience makes an extremely important aspect of the software development lifecycle and comes as an inherent element for any app or software landing in the market. So, when working on a high-quality product, it is necessary that every element of the product must be identified and checked for the ultimate user experience while eliminating any elements that do not deliver the required effects.
- Test Automation
Automation has become a buzzword for the tech audience of the future, and therefore everything designed in IT aims to include automation in the process. Though some organizations consider automation as a provision for increased benefits, I have always emphasized test automation as a tool that organizations need to yield quality and speed of development.
In the past, I have personally gone through various opinions that stated automation interacts better when a high cost is associated. However, automation presently could allow organizations to yield high results at feasible costs.
Besides, integrating automation into any process requires adjusting your test requirements as per the varying trends. Moreover, test automation could be leveraged in the quality assurance process to foster codeless automation, robotic process automation, IoT testing, complement agile practices, & more.
- Performance Engineering
Another significant revelation that highlights the need for advanced software testing is performance testing. Also known as performance engineering, testers working on performance-oriented test scripts could work on improving aspects related to software and hardware.
These include security, user experience, and configurations related to system functionalities. In short, performance engineering widens the scope of test initiatives allowing developers to meet customer expectations. Moreover, sticking to all these objectives is necessary to create high-performing products.
- Agile & DevOps
With time, Agile & DevOps have become business essentials. From process improvement to streamlining the software development lifecycle, agile and DevOps have enabled businesses to yield tremendous value.
While agile holds all the potential to adopt rapidly changing requirements, DevOps makes it easy for developers and testers to collaborate and deliver end products with improved output at greater speed. All in all, agile and DevOps are crucial to ensure both speed and quality when a team is developing technology while keeping a focus on quality assurance initiatives.
To Sum Up…
It would be nothing wrong to say that the role and contribution of software testers are going to be huge in the near future. However, the process might involve various twists and roles that will happen around the evolution of the software testing industry.
Therefore, it would not be easy to predict what factors could reshape the industry with technologies like blockchain, cyber security, etc., that are dwelling to get bigger with each day. However, it can be confirmed that quality assurance and software testing will contribute a lot to the development of futuristic technologies, from user-oriented applications to enterprise solutions.
More importantly, the future of software testing will likely be geared toward advanced testing practices like Agile, DevOps, DevSecOps, and QAOps, which will deliver all the potential to the development, operations, and testing activities. However, it can be predicted that the future of development or, say future of testing would need individuals who can showcase their value in both development and testing.
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