Directions of testing

Digging deeply into the topic of testing, it is important to separate different classifications of testing depending on certain characteristics. In this article, we will talk about a broader concept than types of testing, namely, directions in testing.

There are several directions in testing according to the specifics of the environment and the subject of testing, such as:

• web-testing;
• mobile-testing;
• API-testing;
• game-testing;
• desktop testing.

You should realize that this list is not explicit and also understand that the areas of testing are interconnected. So, mobile testing can be an example, it is quite often used in game testing when it is necessary to test a mobile game. Web testing is another example, it can be both desktop, that is, carried out on a PC, and mobile testing, which is carried out on mobile devices.

Let's analyze each direction in a more detailed way. The web direction in testing has a number of features related to the focus on security, load testing and the presentation part. The web product should look aesthetically pleasing and be intuitive and clear to the user. These aspects are given preference.

Mobile testing is one more specific area of testing. A significant feature that distinguishes it from others is the test environment, as the process of software testing is performed on portable mobile devices. You can find more details about the peculiarities of testing on mobile devices in the article «Peculiarities of mobile application testing». Testing can be done both manually and automatically. Doing mobile testing special attention is paid to checking compatibility, performance and usability. Compatibility is one of the key factors, since today there are a large number of phone models with different OS and system requirements, which should be taken into account when developing mobile and web applications.

In performance testing, you can identify weak points during application load by combining transactions. Considering the fact that app users are not permanent, it is important to keep usability in mind. The more convenient and «user-friendly» it will be, the higher the criterion of user satisfaction will be, and, accordingly, it will be possible to retain it longer.

The direction of API testing can be classified as the most difficult, as it requires knowledge of automation and some specialist experience in order to be able to perform testing without a graphical user interface (GUI). The demand for this specific direction in the field of QA is getting higher and higher.

API testing has a number of features:

• exact localization of the defect;
• saving time;
• the possibility of working with large numbers of input data.

Since the graphical interface in the API is almost not used, it allows implementing API testing at the early stages of the software life cycle.

The direction of game testing is also becoming popular. Testing while playing is not exactly what everyone thought of now. In fact, game testing is much more difficult, because it is quite difficult to play a game for dozens of hours, days or months if you do not like it. Also, some difficulties are caused by the specificity of the direction – knowledge and understanding of game mechanics, terminology, logic and physics of the game. The biggest problem in game testing is usually to determine the location of the defect, unless we are talking about localization bugs. It is quite difficult to find out what exactly prevents the normal progress of the game: the execution of some process/action, a specific object or something else. But the most unusual thing about game testing is testing the player's interest in the game. It is actually the first impression of the game, as well as the interdependence of such factors as the genre of the game, the age category of the audience, the difficulty of the levels, etc. You can read more about the features of PC and mobile game testing in the articles: «PC game testing features» , «Peculiarities of mobile game testing: screen size, touch-interface, resources».

The last direction is desktop testing, which involves testing applications on PC. The essential features of this direction are:

• installation testing;
• update testing;
• uninstallation testing.

Since during desktop testing, applications are installed on a PC, there is open access to the program's system files, which indicates vulnerability and complete dependence on user actions.

Each of these areas of testing is important and occupies a significant niche in the QA industry in general. There are a number of important features that distinguish each of the directions, but some of them cannot be categorically separated, but only considered as complementary to each other.