In the software testing industry, the most controversial topic is "Whether manual testing or automated testing is better". Although automated testing is most often talked about buzzwords and is slowly dominating the field of testing, the importance of manual testing cannot be ignored.
In this article, we will explore the deeper differences between manual testing and automated testing.
Time costs
In a project with a lot of content and a long time running in the test phase, automated testing is an ideal choice because
- It reduces the amount of resources required.
- A single script can be used to execute multiple types of similar test case scenarios at the same time.
- For large projects, the estimated budget is sufficient to cover the setup and maintenance costs of the automated test tool.
However, in small projects where the testing phase only runs for a few weeks, manual testing is preferable because
- The resources do not have enough time to receive training on tools and start testing.
- Maintenance and installation are time-consuming and expensive.
- There is less need to execute multiple test cases of similar nature at the same time.
Acceptance Test
The use of automated testing to test the interactivity in the user interface of an application has been widely appreciated. However, this should not be a help, but can improve your UI testing capabilities. Automated testing tools in UI work by checking the position, alignment, and distance between the element and the container. A very small error in the test script will cause such alignment to produce false positives.
During user acceptance testing, the intuition of manual testers is very important. Experienced testers can observe any objects or elements that appear to be misaligned or do not meet the requirements.
Test accuracy
For long-duration test phases, undetected errors are likely to occur when manually executing the test. Every time a small defect is fixed, the entire application needs to be tested to ensure that no other errors occur. This process is very boring, tiring, and monotonous. Testers often miss some small but critical defects when performing repeated tests.
Automated testing involves the execution of scripts that repeatedly test the application over and over again. Since the machine will not feel, if the script is written correctly, the test accuracy will be more advantageous when the test is executed again and again.
Regression Testing
Regression testing is a stage that involves constant code changes and testing how the application responds to frequent changes. When performing regression testing manually:
- The possibility of error is high because the human eye often misses small changes when observing the same thing repeatedly.
- For large applications, a large number of testers are required to perform these repetitive tasks.
When using automated testing:
- Regression testing tools speed up the process by repeatedly executing test cases.
- Multiple test case scenarios can be executed simultaneously.
- Save time through parallel execution and other test cases.
Project nature
In addition to the complexity of the application and the duration of the project, the nature of the application determines which test is better to test it.
For banking applications, many scenarios need to be tested. like,
- Authentication during user login.
- Security agreements during bank operations.
- Security testing of fraudulent activities during transactions.
In such cases, testing can be completed faster when executing well-written scripts. Because most of the tests involve the same scenario but have different operations or different data. Therefore, manual testing is better.
For small web applications or small business pages, the appearance and user experience of the application are critical. In this case, it needs to be tested based on human intuition. Testers should think from the perspective of the end user and test the application to find errors or defects that may hinder the user experience. Since there is no automated testing tool that can replace human instincts, manual testing is more preferable for this situation.
The automated program can quickly execute multiple test cases. Organizations rely more on automated testing, and manual testing is generally considered a waste of manpower and time. However, it is the basis of testing, and to write automated test scripts, experienced manual testers are required. Although automatic testing is preferable for load testing or regression testing, manual testing will still prevail for user acceptance testing or exploratory testing.
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