We all can safely agree that automation is the new trend of providing the best end-user experience to customers through softwares and applications. This is because, with the implementation of automation testing, app developers can achieve new limits of app development practices and qualities. For instance, test automation verifies the performance and placement of all individual elements and also the combined infrastructure. However, while executing app testing, the app developers will come across multiple repetitive processes. It is one of the most important practices to automate these repetitive test cases. in the modern world, repetitive test cases are also known as Regression Testing. Regression test cases form a crucial part of the modern app infrastructure. So, companies must plan their test cases accordingly to improve the efficiency of their test bench.
With this article, we’re going to venture deep into the world of regression test cases. Through our discussion, we will try to understand some of the modern advancements and trends in the field of automated Regression Testing. We will also analyze some of the best platforms and tools that can assist app developers and testers while working with Regression Testing.
The Concept of Regression Testing
As we already mentioned earlier, Regression Testing includes all the repetitive test cases that the developers must perform while developing and testing an application. For instance, after every subsequent update, the app developers must verify the proper placement of all the user interface elements present in the app. During this testing process, it is also very important to ensure that the new elements do not hamper the performance of the existing elements. Since the application developers have to initiate regression test cases every time after an update, it can massively slow down the application development life cycle if conducted manually. On the other hand, with the help of test automation, app developers can automate these test cases and focus on other important areas.
For instance, the application developers can work on new features that they can add in a future update to the web application. Moreover, automating regression test cases massively helps to push the quality of the application undergoing the development process. Since automation testing is completely conducted by a computer system, it can run 24 hours round the clock and is not limited by human restrictions.
The Idea of Test Automation
To properly understand the concept of automated Regression Testing, the application developers must have a clear idea about automation testing. For the basic introduction, we can say that automation testing is the process of eliminating human involvement in the application development lifecycle. As a substitute, the system will use a text file consisting of all the test codes, data sets, and important statistics. This text file will allow the system to emulate human behavior and interact with the application undergoing the development process. Based on its introduction and communications, the system will generate a detailed report showing whether the app is ready to be released to the open market.
The application developers and testers can later go through this report and make the necessary changes. So, it is also possible to make subsequent changes in the automation test file to ensure the test report is customized according to the requirements of the application undergoing the development process. Moreover, the concept of storing, maintaining, and reusing automation test files is very simple. An expert guess suggests that it is possible to almost reuse 60% of the existing test data. However, test automation comes with a massively high initial investment. This investment will cover the expenses for integrating multiple tools, plugins, and libraries that are critical for the execution of automation testing.
Therefore, we suggest that app development companies must have enough revenue resources and investment to justify the transition to complete test automation.
Best Trends and Advancements in the Field of Automated Regression Testing
While initiating automated Regression Testing, the application developers must be aware of multiple trends and advancements that can massively influence their automation testing efficiency. So, to prevent any confusion and assist the new application developers and testers, we have created a list of the most important trends that must be implemented. They are as follows:
- While using automated Regression Testing, the application developers must implement artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. This is because, with these technologies, app developers can massively improve their test generation capabilities. With the help of these techniques, developers can analyze the code changes, historical test plans, and also system behavior. All this data will help to identify the potential areas for Regression Testing and generate the required target test cases.
- In the current generation, the complexities of the applications are continuing to rise. Modern apps consist of thousands of different elements that play a unique role in the functioning of the app. So, the application developers need to prioritize the test cases and conduct them accordingly. This step can be easily conducted with the help of a proper test plan. While devising the test plan, the application developers must make sure to include not only the development and testing teams but also the production teams. This process will help to maintain a general awareness of the basic status of the app development project.
- During the implementation of automated Regression Testing, the application developers must ensure to adopt the shift left testing process. This is a practice where the application developers ensure the early adoption of the testing process during the app development life cycle. The massive benefit of this process is that it ensures that all the critical bugs and errors in the app are detected in the early phases and removed as soon as possible. This process can also benefit a lot with the integration of continuous testing. Continuous testing ensures that the development and testing processes are conducted side by side to prevent any flaws in the app development life cycle. Continuous testing also reduces the total time required for the app development process.
- Cloud testing can massively benefit Regression Testing. This is because, with the help of cloud platforms, app developers can massively improve the reach and test coverage. Moreover, cloud platforms allow app developers to verify the functioning of the application on certain devices and platforms that are no longer available in the market. Cloud platforms also eliminate the need to have physical devices on site. We will learn more about the influence of cloud platforms in the later part of this article.
- The application developers need to implement cross-browser testing and cross-device testing while using Regression Testing. This is because cross-browser testing and cross-device testing ensure that the application’s performance remains stable irrespective of changes in the platform, device version, or operating system. Moreover, with the help of automated cross-browser test cases, the application developers can run multiple test instances at the same time. Currently, there are thousands of such platforms and tools that are easily available in the market.
- Finally, the app developers need to pay proper attention to the test reporting and test analytics process. This is because, with the help of properties analytics, app developers can quickly detect the bugs and remove them during the debugging process. Test reports and analytics also help to maintain an activity log that shows the current status of the application development process. Simple test reports also help to update the status of the business team who might lack the required technical knowledge.
It is very important to understand that the market is continuously evolving, and new trends may arise at any point.
Integration of Platforms and Tools with Automated Regression Testing
As we already mentioned earlier, application developers can massively improve the quality of their regression test cases with the integration of various tools and platforms. These platforms also play a critical role in improving the efficiency of the test cases. Various app developers integrate cloud platforms in their test bench as they remove the hassle of having an onsite device testing Laboratory. This is because these laboratories help the application developers to verify the proper performance of their application based on various physical parameters like broken display, unstable bandwidth, or user interaction errors. However, cloud platforms can initiate similar test cases on real devices stored on remote servers that can be accessed through the Internet.
With the help of these platforms, it is also possible to remove geolocation barriers and initiate test cases from anywhere in the world. Application developers can also access legacy devices that are no longer available in the market with the help of cloud platforms. We can further update our knowledge regarding the grasp of cloud platforms in the modern app market by bringing in LambdaTest as our discussion point.
For the basic introduction, we can say that LambdaTest is a modern cloud-based automated cross-browser platform for web apps. The latest app development community considers automation testing as a new standard of ensuring the best end-user experience for customers. This is because, with the help of these test cases, it is possible to guarantee the app’s stability irrespective of the user’s change in the operating system, device version, or any other browser parameters. Application developers can also use parallel test execution to improve the efficiency of the test cases by multiple times. LambdaTest is also a great choice for verifying the proper performance of web pages that have local host servers.
While using this platform, the application developers can initiate automation test cases from various well-known test suites and platforms like Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright. It is a very interesting fact that LambdaTest can execute the Selenium-based automated regression test cases on more than 3000 simultaneous browsers. Finally, the combination of hundreds of real devices with thousands of existing simulation software massively improves the efficiency of the testing process.
The Conclusion
The primary motive of this article was to spread adequate awareness regarding the execution of automated Regression Testing. All the trends and advancements that we discussed in this article will help application developers to massively improve the quality of their apps. We are slowly moving towards an app development market that will be completely dominated by automation testing practices. So, it is very important for app developers to not only adopt the automation testing trends but also continue updating their knowledge regarding all the new additions in this segment. Additionally, app development companies can help in this process with the help of awareness campaigns and seminars to spread the required knowledge regarding the healthy practices of automation testing. Finally, app companies must properly utilize the correct automation testing tools that can boost their requirements and preferences.
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