Benefits of Model-Based Software Testing
For the last few decades, QA teams are limited by the 2 traditional options despite significant advances in Model-based and AI-driven approaches:
- perform manual testing via the user interface (UI)
- or automate testing via the source code.
Drawbacks of Manual Software Testing
Manual testing involves the tester reading text and observing images on the screen. Then, based on what is on the screen, the tester will send different keyboard and mouse commands on a desktop (or touch and swipe commands on a mobile device) to confirm the application does what they expect it to do.
Running through these commands manually requires a lot of time and effort. And when businesses are looking to scale, the number of tests gets bigger and bigger until there just aren't enough hours in a day (or week or month) to test everything required for go-live. This is why many QA teams have turned to software test automation tools to accelerate their software testing and make their lives much easier.
Drawbacks of Traditional Software Test Automation
Although it is a reasonable alternative to manually pointing and clicking to test your software, traditional software test automation has its drawbacks as well. The average software testing tool requires access to the source code to analyze it for potential errors and bugs.
While this approach may accelerate the testing process compared to manual testing, it does not account for what the actual end user will experience. For example, visual elements such as font color can squeeze past code checking algorithms, but the end user experience will still be affected.
Furthermore, neither manual nor the traditional automation approach takes into account every possible user journey of the application.
Benefits of Model-Based Software Test Automation
By taking a model-based approach to software testing, instead of testing the source code to ensure code compliance, you automate testing the same way a user would interact with your application – with mouse and keyboard commands.
What is a model?
In software testing, a model is a visual representation of any application, interface, or website you want to test.
Visually, a model resembles a flowchart, but functionally, it's more like a road map (see figure below). User journeys can go in any number of directions to, from, and between the states and actions you define.
The use of modeling shifts the focus of testing from basic code compliance to the overall user experience by utilizing data to guide new test creation. Such data includes:
- real user journeys
- test coverage
- past test failures
When you run your model, user journeys are defined using AI algorithms. As a user, all you need to do is build a simple model of the interface that you want to test. Eggplant applies AI reasoning to auto generate the test cases based on your model.
Four Key Benefits of Model-Based Software Testing
1. Point, click, automate!
One of the key benefits of this approach is that the tester does not need access to the source code. As long as Eggplant has access to and can interact with what’s on the screen, the test teams can run their required tests.
The Turbo Capture feature in Eggplant Test speeds up script creation by recording mouse and keyboard actions as you perform them against a system under test (SUT). While using Turbo Capture, Eggplant captures images on your screen and generates the appropriate SenseTalk code for the actions that are executed.
2. Test anything with a screen.
Another benefit is having the ability to test any type of technology. From mobile to desktop, model-based testing can test anything that has a display that the test team can interact with. This enables teams to test across multiple platforms with ease and without any restrictions.
Eggplant Test can connect to a variety of SUTs – mobile devices, desktop operating systems, and other devices to enable automated testing. Additionally, you can also connect to Sauce Labs, where you can access a plethora of browsers and mobile devices without having to host them yourself.
3. Test any platform.
In addition to testing any technology, model-based approach to testing enables users to test any type of platform, including Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS. As long as the application supports virtual network computing (VNC) or remote desktop protocol (RDP) connections, you can create a model and test it.
Keysight Eggplant can intelligently understand and control the user interface as a human would, but also via APIs, Objects, Databases, etc. It uses optical character recognition to accurately find and read text and images on the screen just like a real user would.
Related: VNC vs. RDP: When to Use One or the Other
4. No coding experience required.
Lastly, because model-based testing does not require coding experience. Anyone can do it, regardless of their technical training. This approach is ideal for businesses who are at the beginning of their automation journey.
Eggplant Test has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface so both technical and non-technical stakeholders can become familiar with the tool. Eggplant is designed to be easy to use, even for those who are new to automation. It provides a visual interface that makes creating and executing tests a breeze.
To see model-based testing in action, watch this demo.
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