First and foremost, so we get any confusion or misconception out of the way, what is a QA tester? A QA (Quality Assurance) tester, in software development, checks new software releases for any defects or issues. They run tests on software to make sure that it meets the requirements and standards and that the software is ready to go to production to be used.
A software development process without a QA tester leaves the task of testing and debugging the software fully up to the developers. They write code, add unit tests, push it to a development environment, use the product a little bit to see if it works and, if there are no bugs or defects, they are done. However, the more a developer focuses on a product, the more likely he will ignore certain issues and use cases. He will get tunnel vision and forget to test some situations. The more they are into the product’s development, the less probable it is that they will look at it from another perspective.
For this reason — and others that we will explore in this article — we put the product through a QA tester, especially one that, initially, has not looked at this application and, therefore, can provide a new perspective.
A QA tester’s role is unavoidable if you want to produce quality software. Even without a QA tester, you can’t avoid having someone on a development team that is responsible for QA — unless you are trying to build a poor-quality product on purpose. If that is the case, may God have mercy on your soul. ;)
QA testers don’t only test an application manually by simply using it. Sometimes they are equipped with software development skills and use specific tools to test the application to find and help fix certain bugs.
Unit testing
One QA methodology is unit testing. Unit testing looks at single units, also known as components, one at a time. Its purpose is to validate that each component of the product works as intended. Each unit is the smallest functional part of a product that can be tested and normally has only one input and one output. It is usually done during the coding stage while the product is being developed just to be certain that it has no bugs and is ready to be published to production. This step is usually done by a developer.
Regression testing
Another methodology that can and is used along with unit testing is regression testing. This is where the QA tester truly shines. Regression testing consists of validating that recently produced code meets expectations and, most importantly, checks that previously existing code is not compromised by the new changes. It’s a repetitive testing process where previous test scenarios are repeated when new features or bug fixes are added to the product. Why is this method important? There are so many possible changes that can impact existing functionalities of an application that even the smallest change to the product can impact previously tested scenarios.
Regardless of the methods used in QA, the key factors for having a QA tester on your project include:
- It improves user experience: User experience (UX) is the general experience your user has with your product — either good or bad. This includes the different features and if the User Interface is clean, beautiful, and easy to use. UX can have a direct impact on how you acquire and retain clients. A product with a bad UX will more likely lose clients. QA testing guarantees that things like usability and accessibility are good in your product so that all users have a positive experience using it.
- Saves time and money: Adding another person to a team may look expensive. However, if you take into account that a tester can make sure you have a quality product before launching it or putting a release into production it really saves you money. Bugs are way more expensive to fix later in the process. Not to mention that a buggy product can cost you significant sales.
- Prevents problems from happening: If your app is up and running, it’s highly likely that you will want to add features or make changes to your product later. You will need QA to check for any bugs or issues before you commit anything to production. Even small changes can cause big problems if your product isn’t thoroughly tested. With QA, you can automatically test changes before rolling them out and prevent problems.
- Last but not least: It protects your brand: There is no brand that can survive having a crappy product. QA testing plays a key role in assuring that your product is high quality and provides a flawless user experience to its users. A quality product speaks volumes about your brand and about your company. If you don’t care about product quality, will you care enough about anything else?
If you decide to implement QA testing in the life cycle of your web or mobile app’s development, you can be more certain of the overall quality of your product. By making your product run as smoothly as possible, QA testing helps you deliver the best product that you can.
If you want to build a high-quality product with a tried and tested team of developers, designers, and, obviously, QA testers, as you can find at Runtime Revolution, you might be interested in talking to us! Let’s chat!