Manual testing involves testers manually executing test cases and is often more tedious and time-consuming than Automated testing. Despite the benefits of Automated testing, it is widely acknowledged that it is not possible to automate 100% of testing, thus Manual testing is crucial.
In Manual testing, tests are undertaken manually by executing test cases with the aim being to find any bugs in the software. Fundamentally, Manual testing represents a human tester interacting with the product just as a real ‘user’ would, highlighting any bugs and determining whether the product meets the requirements.
Despite technological advances which have seen the introduction and popularity of Automated testing rise, there is still the need for Manual testing. It is widely acknowledged that Automated testing cannot entirely erase the need for Manual testing and it will remain relevant and critical to software quality for the foreseeable future. Manual testing is imperative for complex scenarios which rely on human judgment and decision making. Yes, Automated testing adds value for repetitive tests, but Manual testing is required for tests which rely on human experiment and judgement.
The following steps represent a series of steps that must be undertaken to perform Manual testing.
Any software testing type can be executed both manually and automated. In each testing type, a range of testing methods are available, methods which are covered on this site, such as Black-box testing, White-box testing, Integration testing, System testing, Performance testing, and Load testing. Some methods are better suited to Manual, and others to Automated.
Manual testing is best suited to the following scenarios
Exploratory testing is an approach that accentuates the engagement of the tester by providing a certain level of freedom to discover, investigate and learn about the product being tested. Exploratory testing requires minimal planning with the direction of testing being dependant on the thought process of the tester. Testers choose where their focus lies and how they will evaluate the product. Such freedom allows testers to focus on specific areas they believe will be problematic. While other types of testing follow a predefined plan, Exploratory testing achieves results without following a predetermined route.
Think of Exploratory testing as a holistic approach to test design, execution, and analysis. All of you have or will, consciously or subconsciously performed exploratory testing at some point during your course.
Usability testing is an area that you have or will cover in greater detail on your course which is why it is only briefly covered here. In summary, Usability testing is used to evaluate specific products user experience. By gaining insight from the products users, problems can be fixed by identifying them early, user satisfaction can be improved, and the product can be made efficient and effective.
Ad-hoc testing is not reliant on test cases at all. Ad-hoc testing is a random act of testing and with the aim being to find defects by its random approach. Like the typical Black-box technique, Error Guessing, Ad-hoc testing calls on the experience of testers to ‘guess’ where errors may occur.
Due to its random approach, Ad-hoc testing requires no documentation, no planning or any process to be followed; however, such an approach can cause testing issues. Defects cannot be linked to test cases (because there are not any) which can make it difficult to reproduce the defects as there are no steps or requirements associated with the defect.