QA engineers must stay ahead of crucial software testing trends to remain competitive and job-ready. According to the World Quality Report (WQR) 2021-22, companies are now emphasizing testing and QA objectives equally as they do on IT strategies such as enhancing customer experience, security, high quality of software, and responsiveness to business demands. QA role is no longer just about testing and bug fixing. In 2022, the QA function must contribute to improved outcomes for business growth.
The changed outlook has initiated some fast-paced technological developments in the software testing industry. Ability to scale automation, improved mobile testing, AI/ML-based testing, and blockchain testing are some of the trends you need to stay on top of to thrive as a QA engineer.
Let’s take a closer look at current QA trends.
1. Automation testing
Automated testing is perhaps the most important trend to keep up with. QA engineers can add value to the projects in terms of quality and cost with automation testing.
As a QA engineer, your role is to enable product development without compromising quality. You should anticipate bugs and errors early on. A key advantage of automation is running tests in batches without human intervention. With automated testing, you can run multiple scripts and regression tests at any hour. This approach makes it possible to test numerous system and configuration settings in parallel. The time saved can be invested in crucial in-depth manual testing.
The rising popularity of DevOps is enabling faster product development. It requires consistent testing to deliver results from every build. Automation testing can help keep up with speed. It is also essential to provide a quality product every time.
2. AI/ML-based testing
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are not new terms, but their application in software testing is a recent development. QA engineers must follow the trend. With the use of AI, you can generate several test cases faster. It can also help generate test case data for varying fields and validations.
Machine learning, the basis for AI, can help analyze any defaults or leaks in testing procedures, even before the test cases, to save time. Another impressive development AI is bringing to the software testing industry is the ability to write test cases in the English language that are automatically translated into programming language by tools. Testsigma is one such tool utilizing the power of AI and ML for software testing.
3. Mobile testing
Mobile devices now make up 55% of the devices used to connect to the internet, and mobile testing has become a standard for companies to deliver customer services at scale. There are three types in the current mobile app landscape: native, web, and hybrid. To cover an extensive array of platforms, most organizations choose hybrid apps.
QA engineers must be able to perform usability tests to ensure that the mobile apps are there as per users’ requirements. For guaranteeing a convincing mobile user experience, exploratory testing is also essential. While expert QA testers recommend using physical devices wherever feasible for mobile testing, familiarity with mobile testing tools such as Frank, Robotium, Appium, SeeTest, and Calabash is also a requirement for QA engineers. Mobile testing ensures that hybrid applications perform seamlessly both on small and large screen sizes.
4. API testing
API or Application Programming Interface testing is a software practice of testing APIs directly. It is part of integration testing that allows seamless integration with third-party API services. As the software systems grow complex, the APIs have to keep up to enable communication and data exchange.
API testing is another trend that will be on the rise in 2022. As thousands of applications use the same API, developers and testers need comprehensive test cases to test these APIs and ensure error-free application performance. Automating the API testing process can help QA teams quickly test APIs’ functionality, reliability, performance, and security.
5. Blockchain testing
Blockchain is a trending technology used by fintech applications to verify and trace multistep transactions. It is also used for verification and traceability by other applications. Ever since cryptocurrencies became popular, blockchain has been in great demand. Also, companies are increasingly leveraging blockchain to secure transactions.
Performing blockchain testing will be necessary for companies to establish a secure and functional infrastructure. As the technology is still evolving, the possibility of performance bottlenecks is higher. Testing can help anticipate such issues and eliminate any existing flaws. With blockchain testing, companies will be able to deliver high-quality services.
Bottomline
QA testing is essential for organizations as it can significantly reduce product delivery time and accelerate progress. QA engineers should keep a tab on testing trends such as automation testing and AI/ML to leverage these technologies for faster product delivery.
Large-scale enterprises and fast-growing start-ups trust Talent500 with their workforce requirements. We help candidates to upskill and keep in touch with recent industry developments for the best career opportunities. Join our pool of elite QA engineers to get hired at the best companies.
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