A Complete Tutorial on System Testing

Testing is one of the most important steps of the modern software development process. Due to the complexities of modern apps, it is a common phenomenon that there might be an unnoticed critical bug present in it. These bugs can massively harm the functioning of the application and completely crash it in a worst-case scenario. These events can have a huge negative impact on the end-user experience and completely shatter the reputation of the brand. So, the developers must explicitly test all the components of the software to ensure that it is functioning as expected. System testing is one such critical component of the testing process that we are going to discuss in this article. We will also discuss all the minute details that a developer must note before initiating system testing.

The Basics of System testing

System testing is the process of ensuring that the finished software is capable of meeting the end user’s expectations.  It consists of a series of tests that ensures that different hardware and software configurations do not have any negative impact on the functioning of the application. To ensure that individual tester knowledge does not hamper the testing process, different tests are conducted in separate environments by individual testers. In simple terms, we can justify that system testing involves verifying the end-to-end functioning capabilities of the software. 

It is important to understand that the software is only one part of the entire computer-based system. So, system testing aims to verify the functioning of the entire computer-based system. Some of the common terms related to system testing are as follows:

System Requirements

This defines the hardware and software requirements that the application will need to function properly. For example, some heavy applications need a lot of computing skills to work smoothly and provide the optimal end-user experience.

Function

This refers to a tool present in the program which helps the users accomplish a certain goal. For instance, it can be a button in the application that can open a new window. Testers need to verify the proper functioning of all these tools. 

Feature

It consists of a detailed protocol that will let down all the working features of a program. For instance, it can consist of a step-by-step guide regarding the installation process. 

Coding Language

It consists of the words and grammatical structures that the developer will write in a software program to create a specific feature. The testers must remember that they will see only the program in a usable format for testing. 

Test Case

It consists of a list of tasks that the developers will use to assess different functions and features at present in the application. Testers often create multiple test cases to verify the working of a single important function. For instance, to test the ability of a user to log on to an E-commerce website.  

Types of System Testing

Functionality Testing

It is the process of verifying that all the functions and elements present on the web application are working as expected. It is one of the most important processes to provide optimal end-user experience. While performing functional testing, the developers must ensure that the basic functions of the application are accessible at all times.  

Usability Testing 

Usability testing verifies the application is functional and meets the basic requirements of the developers. Using this test, the developers can also check whether the users can complete the basic goals with simple interactions. It is very important to check the proper functioning of all the navigation features in this form of testing. 

Installation Testing

Installing a program is the most basic and important step in driving its popularity. A company must ensure that the installation process is as simple and brief as possible. This process will allow users from multiple levels of knowledge to access the application with ease. It is also a good idea for the company to have an elaborate documentation process having a step-by-step guide for the installation process. 

Recovery testing

In a real-world scenario, it is common to have either hardware or software issues while a program is functional. Recovery testing verifies how an application can cope with this situation without completely crashing on the user. This testing is very critical for sensitive applications like banking and e-commerce. This is because it will be a nightmare experience for a user if the application crashes during a financial transaction. 

Stability Testing

The amount of data handling that an application needs to perform will fluctuate with time. So, stability testing verifies how an application can cope with this major fluctuation. There can be many scenarios when thousands of users may try to use the application at the same time. So, it is critical that the program can maintain its integrity functioning during these scenarios. 

Security Testing

 Security testing is one of the critical features that built the backbone of modern web applications. In the current times, many applications store a lot of sensitive user data. So, it is very critical for the companies to ensure that the program is immune from any type of data leak. The developers have to perform a series of test cases to ensure that no third-party user or application can access the data stored in their program. 

Exploratory Testing

Exploratory testing is a unique form of the testing process that evaluates the application according to the preferences of an individual tester. In simple terms, we can say that exploratory testing doesn’t go by any form of fixed guidelines. The testers have to create specific test cases that they might think are critical for the application to be functional in real-world scenarios. Companies must remember that it is impossible to implement automation testing in this area. This is because it is completely dependent on the expertise of human developers. 

Compatibility Testing

Compatibility testing shows that the application remains functional irrespective of dated hardware or software. It is a very important form of testing as major market data reveals that a lot of users do not use the latest form of software or hardware. The companies must improve the compatibility of the software to capture a wide portion of the market. In this competitive application Development Industry, it’s illogical to alienate any segment of the industry due to loss of compatibility. 

Regression Testing 

Regression testing is mostly conducted after rolling out a major update to the application. In this form of testing the developers have to verify that the changed code segments do not have any negative impact on the functioning of the application. Since it is a repetitive process and needs to be performed multiple times, it is a good idea to implement automation testing in this segment. Regression testing also ensures that none of the user inputs has any form of unexpected errors or outcomes. It is an important process that keeps the program functional over the long term. 

How to Choose the Perfect Type of System Testing

The perfect system testing that you must choose will depend on the following factors: 

• Time Allotted 

Different test cases require different periods to complete. One thing that every developer must remember is that it is never a good practice to hastily complete a test case. So, the developers must analyze the available time and choose the perfect test case accordingly. It is also important to remember that you must have enough time available for the second round of evaluation if required. 

• Type of Procedure

Before choosing the type of system testing, you must understand your preferences. For instance, you can analyze whether you prefer manual testing or automation testing. You can also analyze what programming languages are you most comfortable with. Based on these factors you can choose the perfect system testing from the above list. 

• Budget Available

A company’s available budget will affect the types of testing that the testers can implement. For example, a huge budget can help developers to implement not only automation testing but also manual test cases. A wide budget will also help the developers to implement more complex testing tools. Lastly, the budget will also affect how many testers a company can hire and eventually affect the overall number of test cases.

How to perform System Testing

The overall process of system testing is quite simple if you have the basic idea. The developers can follow the following steps to implement system testing:

• The first step is to create a test plan.
• After this, the developers have to write test cases according to their requirements.
• The next step in this process is to create a testing environment for the test cases. 
• The final step is to implement the testing protocol and execute the test cases. In this case, the developers can also use multiple tools for ease of testing. 

Tools to Automate System Testing

Certain system testing processes like regression testing and functionality testing can benefit from automation testing. There are various cloud-based automation testing platforms like LambdaTest. To Understand the basics, it is the process of automatically conducting the testing processes with the help of predefined test scripts. Let us use the example of LambdaTest to understand how an automated Testing platform can benefit from this process:

Using LambdaTest, the developers can automate the cross-browser compatibility testing processes on a web application.  For new testers, cross-browser compatibility testing is the process of ensuring that neither a web application nor an operating system has any negative impact on the functioning of an application. LambdaTest helps the developers to implement parallel testing on the test cases. With the Selenium framework, Lamdatest can perform the test cases on more than 3000 browsers. Lastly, it helps to improve the accuracy of the test results with the help of real device testing over the cloud interface. 

The Conclusion

We can easily conclude that system testing is one of the most important processes related to the proper functioning of a program. In this modern application Development Industry, the two primary goals of a software developer should be quick delivery of applications and elevated quality. These two features are critical for maintaining the company’s position in this competitive market. The proper execution of system testing is one such step towards achieving this goal. So, app development companies must take a leading role in this segment. The proper integration of automation testing and system testing can help a company achieve new heights in testing standards. Lastly, the developers should not forget the rule of proper tools in this process.