#software functionality testing

The user expectations for any software product are changing fast. Therefore, the risk of releasing any software application with glitches can be detrimental to its performance in the market. To ensure that the software meets all its desired requirements and delivers the best user experience, it should be subjected to rigorous software functionality testing. Here, the QA specialists validate the software for features or functions that were agreed upon by the client. Functional testing services focus on meeting customer requirements/experience rather than customer expectations (non-functional testing.) To cite an example, an eCommerce store selling apparels should offer a comprehensive view of the store and individual items. If the same is not offered owing to glitches, the customer experience can go for a toss.

A functional QA specialist analyzes the individual units of an application and their integration touchpoints with other units. This is of utmost importance as most glitches make their way into an application at the integration touchpoints.

Highlights of software functionality testing

In this type of testing, the QA specialists verify the presence of features or functionalities in the application as per the specifications provided by the client. The highlights of functional testing for web or mobile applications are:

·        The testing should be executed early as opposed to non-functional testing.

·        Both manual and functional test automation can be a part of this testing. However, manual testing is relatively easy to conduct in this type of testing.

·        It tests and validates the functional aspects of the software product.

·        Examples are unit testing, sanity testing, smoke testing, user acceptance testing, black-box testing, white box testing, and regression testing.

Functional testing: the procedure

The process of executing this type of testing is as follows:

·        Understand and analyze the functional specifications given by the client

·        Identify the test data

·        Ascertain the expected results based on the selected input values

·        Conduct the test using test cases

·        Compare the results – expected vs actual

·        Analyze any incongruities and send them to the developers for fixing

Why is software/mobile functionality testing imperative for an application?

In a day and age where the quality of an application overrides all other aspects as far as making it market-ready is concerned, functional testing has become imperative. It delivers a slew of advantages including:

Functional suitability

This confirms whether the web or mobile application executes its basic functions. The testing identifies the functional flaws and highlights the risks of not fixing them. The testing of functions should depend on their risk possibilities and then prioritized. This means more focus on functions that carry more risks rather than omitting them from testing.

Seamless interaction with better integration: The dynamic nature of today’s applications means they should offer seamless interaction with other applications. For example, an eCommerce application should ensure secured payments, which can only be possible with better integration with the payment gateways. What if the customer could not make the payment due to poor connectivity with the payment gateway? No points for guessing, the customer experience will be severely dented.

Interoperability: Another aspect of customer experience is the ability of the software application in offering an omnichannel experience. In other words, the application should be easily accessible on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, and across operating systems and browsers. To check interoperability, the automated functional testing of application should be conducted across devices and other environments.

Early detection of glitches: Functional automation testing helps the QA team to test the code repeatedly. This way, any hidden glitches can be identified quickly and early on in the development process. In the Agile-DevOps model of development and testing, any early detection and fixing of glitches would mean quicker release of the software to the market and cost savings.

Changes not impacting the overall application: An application can undergo specific changes to its features or functionalities depending on the market/client demand. Regression testing can ensure the changes do not impact the overall application. Here, through functional test automation, the specific change area is tested instead of the whole application thereby saving time and effort.  

Conclusion