What do we know about Crowdtesting and Its Importance?

Within a short span of time, crowdsourced testing or crowdtesting has become a popular trend in software testing.  As the name indicates, crowdtesting involves a group of individuals in the software testing process. Under this distinct form of testing, the enterprises share prototypes of software application with a group of individuals through an online platform for testing purposes.

Thus, a software application is tested under real world conditions by the crowd that includes both software testers and end users. Many businesses opt for crowdtesting to get feedback from a wide variety of individuals, and identify all defects and performance issues in their software. An enterprise can also reap a number of additional benefits by involving more individuals in the software testing process.  

What Make Many Businesses Opt for Crowdtesting?

Flexibility

To test a modern application effectively, the testers must have adequate testing experience and domain expertise. Often enterprises find it challenging to pick the right professionals to test specific software applications.  Crowdtesting makes it easier for enterprises to get the software tested by a group of individuals with varying backgrounds and expertise. Further, most crowdtesters are passionate about identifying bugs in the application and improve its quality.

Reduced Testing Time

Nowadays businesses have to assess all aspects of the software application within a shorter amount of time. So enterprises have to deploy additional testers to complete the required tests on schedule. Often small businesses and start-ups find it daunting to complete an application thoroughly within a shorter amount of time. Crowdtesting helps businesses to identify all critical bugs in the software within a shorter amount of time. As the software is tested by a group of individuals simultaneously, it can be assessed thoroughly without increasing the time to market.

Unbiased Assessment

In an agile environment, testers and programmers work as a single team. Also, the testers have to collaborate with various stakeholders in the project on a continuous basis. That is why; often testers find it difficult to provide unbiased feedback and reports on the software’s quality. Crowdtesting helps businesses to eliminate the intrinsic biasness of in-house testers. As the software is tested by   diverse individuals, an enterprise can easily get more relevant test results and unbiased feedback.

Enhance Test Coverage

The testers must test the software under different environments and condition to assess its quality accurately. But often enterprises find it difficult to test applications across different devices, environments and platforms due to lack of adequate resources. Many businesses opt for crowdtesting to increase test coverage by overcoming the constraints related to resources. When the software is tested by a group of individuals, the business can easily find out all technical issues and bottlenecks affecting its functionality and performance.

Better Compatibility Testing

The modern applications need to deliver quality user experience across a wide variety of devices, platforms and browsers. But it is not possible for businesses to test the software using all devices available in the market. Many enterprises even use emulators to assess the performance of the application across many devices. A business can always share the software with crowdtesters to effectuate compatibility and usability testing. As the testers will assess the software on various devices and platforms, it will be easier for the business to assess the software’s compatibility more accurately.

Cost Effective

Often small enterprises and start-ups find it difficult to maintain an in-house team of software testers. Also, businesses find it difficult to find testers with adequate domain-knowledge to test the application effectively. When an enterprise opts for crowdtesting, it is required to pay to the testers only for the unique and relevant defects or performance issues detected by them.  So it becomes easier for it to get all aspects of the product tested without incurring additional expenses. At the same time, crowdtesting helps businesses to hire experienced testers, project managers and designers.

However, it is also important for the enterprises to make a comprehensive plan to overcome some of the major shortcomings of crowdtesting. The plan must focus on managing confidentiality, facilitating communication with crowdsourced testers, and detecting relevant and impactful bugs. The right strategy will help businesses to overcome these shortcomings, and take advantage of the emerging software testing trend.

Performance Testing and Types

Performance testing is the part of software testing which deals with the speed of performance or the effectiveness of a particular software under a specified workload. It basically checks the stability of the software along with its responsiveness when it is being put under extensive workload. The detailed study of the performance testing has divided the same into various parts which may be used to check various aspects of the software’s performance.

1.     Capacity Test: This is the method of performance testing of a software which is related to the number of users that can be handled by the specific application at any particular time. It helps you to enhance the capability of your application in terms of handling larger number of users at the same time.
2.     Load Test: Load test is done to check the work ability of the software under various loads which ranges from normal capacity of the software to the high end loads which may indicate the breaking point of the software. This helps in measuring the normal working capacity of the application that is being tested.
3.     Stress Test: Just as the name suggests, stress tests are usually performed by applying excessive working load on the application or software which is being examined. It determines how the application would respond in case of the increased stress environment. This helps the developer in increasing the test capacity of the application or to make it respond in a better way while under such situations.
4.      Soak Test: Soak test is usually performed o check the working capability of the software when it is being used for a long period of time. An application may be working well over short period of time and may mal function when it is being run for a longer time period. Soak test helps in enhancing the working ability of the software under prolonged period of work.
5.      Spike Test: Spike test is performed in order to check how the software responds when the load is repeatedly increased during the examination process, over a short period of time. The repeated application of load beyond anticipated capacity brings forth any kind of mal functions which needs rectification.
6.    Component Test: Component tests helps in checking the working ability of the various components of the software when featured under stress. When you need to check how the individual components or certain component of the software performs under normal or increased work load, you need to perform this test.
7.     Smoke Test: This is one of the simplest performance tests that the software is put under. This checks the functionality of the software under normal work load to check if it functions as desired. If the application fails the smoke test, it requires no further testing unless it has been rectified to work normally under the minimal load possible.
8.     Scalability Test: Scalability test is done on a software to check how the software has scaled up in terms of performances after the errors have been rectified or as compared to the previous tests done.
9.     Volume Test: Volume test is performed to check how the application works when it is allowed to process a large number of data.

These are the various types of performance tests that can truly evaluate the workability of the software under examination. 

Common mistakes to avoid during Load Testing

For any organization that is arranging another framework execution or redesign, load tests are basic to carry out. These tests approve and provide a fair base of whether a framework can handle the normal future load needed to bolster the organization's developing business needs. While there are numerous assets that detail how to perform load tests.

Many people imagine that the most critical criteria for an effective burden test venture is whether focused on key execution markers Key Performance indicators (KPIs) are met. In any case, another critical rule is the manner by which you handle the arrangement of framework and coding advancement proposals that the heap test yields — a variable which can likewise influence how well you meet your KPIs. In the event that legitimately understood and actualized, these proposals are effective instruments to guarantee strong, long haul performance inside of the generation framework.

But many a times, focusing on the most important of aspects make an individual forget about the petty ones and this is where the organization or an individual commits very common mistakes while load testing. Thus below are a few very common mistakes that are made by the load testers. If avoided can yield output and utmost efficiency.

In order to get the best out of any specific load testing. Planning and preparation are the key. Without the two the execution cannot be carried out effectively. Thus, before starting a venture one needs to build a team of owners, functional experts, SAP technology experts as well as performance experts. This team runs after the performance and load testing process. They assume complete responsibility of carrying out a proper execution and can be trusted with the work.

Now, although an individual has assigned a great bit of a professional team. He must not forget the basic ground works. And thus we look deeper into the process and see how it can be avoided:

Not determining the scope of test: Now before anyone starts testing the load at initial place. It’s quite mandatory for the host to go through the scope. A proper study must be conducted before including into the process. The mistake can be corrected if the scope of the test is determined as it will help an organization to know and serve the very purpose of the test.

Sorting out testing process: There is an enormous amount of testing takes place in every section. For a load testing or a testing as a matter, one needs to know that which processes needs testing and which doesn’t and accordingly the load testing is to be put to use.

Determining the time frame: When cannot allot the testing time forever. It needs to be efficient and less time consuming and thus a proper time frame is required to be set to evaluate the Key Performance Indicators.

Identifying a data: Before conducting a load test. It’s quite important that one studies the type of data that is to be loaded in the test system. A data must be properly examined before being processed. As it will help the tester to save time and unproductive work.

Differentiating set-up: One of the most prominent step is differentiating the type of set-up and putting it to proper use. Whether an organization wants to set up a unit testing or single user testing is to be decided by them to derive the most effective output.

Testing e-Commerce Sites - Some Guidelines

With the commencement of internet, one of the fastest developing phases of the same are the e-commerce platforms which help people buy anything and everything they want, sitting right on their couch. However, with the massive advantages provided by the e-commerce sites come various risks and problems which can cause havoc if not dealt with on time. This is why it is absolutely important to test these sites before they are released for public use.

Security Tests: When a person is buying something online, in most cases they tend to pay with the help of their credit or debit card or with the help of a net banking procedure. While they do it, they trust the particular e-commerce site with the details of their banks and hence it is absolutely important that their details are protected by the admin of the site. Hence security testing becomes very important in case of such sites to make sure that breaching he parameters are next to impossible

Usability Tests: The prime purpose of the e-commerce sites is to provide the customers with desirable product which they can add to their cart and shop. Hence the sites must be easily uploaded with new products in order to keep the customers updated with the latest items as well as the old ones that were available previously. Thus the usability testing is to be performed regularly on such websites.

User Friendly Interface Test: No one will waste their time on understanding the complicated work structure of the e-commerce site and hence will move on to a site with a simpler interface. Thus, as and when the features of the e-commerce sites are being upgraded, tests must be conducted to check that the user interface is still simple and it can be handled with utmost ease.

Performance Tests: The traffic on an e-commerce platform on a particular day is completely unpredictable. Hence the sites should be prepared for zero traffic as well as a huge surge of customers trying to buy products concurrently at the same time. This makes performance testing along with stress testing an absolute vital part of the software testing life cycle when it comes to the e-commerce sites.

The following tests can be conducted in order to make sure that the e-commerce sites are up and running at all times and are providing the customers with a superior experience while using the same.

1.    The accelerated functional test cycle should be conducted with QA strategies and various business process libraries which can be customized according to organizational needs, paying special heed to reusable test scenarios.
2.      With the help of performance modelling frameworks, performance-critical business flows and Service Level Agreement (SLA)-based performance reporting, the improvement in the performance issues should be checked.
3.     Features of the e-commerce sites like data security testing, legal compliance checks, and compliance with Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) should be thoroughly tested with the help of Effective Test Data Management services.
4.      As the customers are capable of using various types of browsers as well as different devices and OS to access a particular e-commerce site, hence the compatibility of the site with these features must be checked.
5.      In-house solutions like Functional Test Case Generator should be used to form test cases from customised libraries.