Currently, the world revolves around software, websites, and applications! Technology has created a profound impact on every aspect of our lives. People are trying hard to keep up with the constant innovation socially, physically, and culturally. However, it is the business world that has been affected the most! Businesses now rely heavily on technological tools for all operations, including production, sales, marketing, customer satisfaction, etc. In fact, some businesses have entirely shifted online. However, do you think dependency on technological development has no drawbacks? Surprisingly, entire businesses had to shut down just because of a few software glitches. Errors or loopholes in programming a website or application is a huge threat facing us in today’s digital era. The more technologically advanced we become, the more careful we have to be! This is why software testing is considered a crucial part of web development.
Let’s see what role does software testing plays in web development.
Basics of Web Development
Web Development refers to the creation of websites on the Internet (World Wide Web) or the intranet (private networks). This field is not just restricted to the development of simple static web pages of plain text. It also involves the creation of complex web applications, electronic businesses, and social networks.
Developing a website involves different stages. First comes the research and analysis. This is the stage where developers gather information like the goals of the website and the target audience. Next comes the planning stage, where you determine the design, content, technology, and architecture.
Next is the design phase, where designers decide the layout and structure of the site. After that, we produce the content for the website. Then comes the actual coding and programming. You now have the website in your hands! This is where the testing comes in.
Websites and web apps are thoroughly tested for any broken links. Every script is checked for spelling errors or typos. Code validators ensure that the software follows the current web standards. Developers then make any required changes, review the complete software, and get it ready to launch.
Now, let’s discuss the testing stage in detail in the next section.
Role of Software Testing in Web Development
Most people believe that testing is a separate activity carried out only after the coding stage in the web development process. Let me tell you this isn’t true at all!
Software testing is a whole process in itself. It has different stages that go on simultaneously with the software development life cycle.
The stages in a software testing life cycle include requirement analysis, test planning, test case development, test environment setup, test execution, and then test cycle closure. Web development and software testing both converge at the test execution process.
There are two basic purposes of testing software:
• Verification: Software is checked for bugs affecting its functionality and usability.
• Validation: Software is checked to see if it meets the current web standards.
These purposes further include software testing goals like improving performance, reducing costs, and increasing transparency of the product for end-users.
Why is Software Testing Important in Web Development?
There are different types of software testing, each dedicated to a different goal. Software
testing is important to ensure the following points.
1. Software Works Correctly
The software is checked for functionality. In simple words, the software is run in simulated business scenarios to see if it performs as intended by the developer.
2. Software Meets Customer Requirements
Experts test the software to see if it works within the system as per customer requirements. They look for the errors missed during the functional testing phase. The testing step makes the developer confident about high customer satisfaction with the end product. Simply put, software testing confirms whether the software is acceptable for delivery or not.
3. Software Performs Well Under the Workload
Quality assurance professionals evaluate the software for speed, responsiveness, and stability of a computer, network, software program, or device under a workload. Testing software highlights performance bottlenecks that affect the overall user experience.
Performance of the software is tested through typical measures like processing speed, network bandwidth, data transfer rates, workload efficiency, and reliability. For example, the testing process might tell you that the response time when a user commands is slow. The developer can check where the bottleneck is and solve the problem for a better user experience.
4. Software is Compatible with Other Devices
There are countless different devices in the market now. Such a wide variety of screen sizes and devices have raised the need to ensure the adaptability of web software and applications. Software testing helps quality assurance experts assure that the software’s functionality is not affected by the change in the device.
5. Software is Safe from Hackers
The more technologically advance we become, the more we are at risk of exposure.
Hackers are now discovering new techniques of breaking into systems and networks. This requires businesses to be more vigilant about software security. Software testing reveals all the bugs and loopholes in software that could provide hackers the door to enter the user’s systems. Precisely, it saves the system from information leaks and data gaps.
6. Software Avoids Potential Damage Costs
As mentioned earlier, software glitches can cause extreme loss to a business. Developers have to reimburse their clients for the costs caused by errors in software. Catching errors before the launch cost way less than the constant bug fixes and updates required to correct them. Plus, such software glitches can also ruin the reputation of developing firms, causing them to lose existing and potential clients.
Conclusion
Software testing is a crucial part of web development. Instead of performing software tests as a separate activity, firms should run software tests parallel to the development process. Software testing ensures that the software functions correctly meets the customer requirements, and performs optimally. Moreover, it protects the system from privacy leaks and damage costs. Software testing also confirms whether the final product is compatible with different devices or not
