Web Application Testing and Its Importance in the Software Development Lifecycle

The online retail market is set to dominate the global market, which is why it has become imperative that businesses come up with web-based applications that are performance ready fundamentally as well as functionally. In this concern, software testing of web applications is required to be a part of the software QA program. Broken or flawed web applications can have a negative effect on the business efforts leading to augmented costs and loss of business reputation.

Web application testing comprises of the testing of web-based applications or systems before they go live. This testing fears various critical constraints such as functionality, security, stability, usability etc.

A practical and economical approach for businesses to test the performance of their web application would be to outsource the web application testing to a professional and specialist software testing company. By outsourcing the software testing requirements, businesses can reduce their cost and management overhead as well as accelerate their software development lifecycle.

Types of Web Application Testing Services

Here are the various web application testing services.

Functional Testing:

Functional Testing comprises of testing the system or component against the functional conditions provided by the client. It facilitates software companies to ensure that the product is steady and usable, and is working without any anomalies. Functional testing has become a necessity for businesses as applications might undergo frequent revisions in their lifetime.

Though executing in-house functional testing can become time-consuming, expensive and resource intensive, particularly for businesses competing against time while launching multiple products into the production pipeline. Outsourcing functional testing to a professional software testing partner can prove to be a more effective approach for businesses as it would accelerate the development of the applications.

Usability Testing:

Usability testing is divided into three categories, i.e. exploratory, assessment, and comparative. The tests are further divided into the following types:

• Problem Discovery Usability Test (Formative)
• Benchmark Study (summative study)
• Competitive
• Eye-tracking study
• Learnability

Compatibility Testing:

Compatibility testing is non-functional testing and is a more practical and cost-effective way for businesses to test the performance of their software. It is typically carried out to define the compatibility of an application in its operating environment.

Performance Testing:

Performance testing tests the subject under different types of loads and evaluates how well it bears up in terms of scalability, stability, and speed.

It is an important form of testing and is required to launch a good application or product. Investing in in-house performance testing might prove to be good if enterprises have the time and resources for it. Though, most businesses have targets by which they have to deliver their applications. Implementing performance testing necessitates considerable knowledge about applications, networks, and browsers and their familiarity with various tools. However, this can prove to be costly and time-consuming. Quality assurance testing services performance testing can prove to be a better and cost-effective option for companies.

Security Testing:

Security testing of applications is a critical step for businesses to secure their applications from cyber-attacks and other security vulnerabilities. By testing the application for possible security vulnerabilities and defects, probable external attacks may be prevented.

However, it is unrealistic for businesses to bestow their valuable time and resources to in-house security testing team, as it can end-up averting them from their main business goals. A practical and cost-effective step for businesses can be to outsource security testing to an experienced software testing provider.