As an application testing guru with over a decade of expertise validating software on thousands of real-world devices, user interface (UI) quality is a passion of mine.
Why care so much about UI testing? Because your application‘s visual layer makes a crucial first impression. Buggy interfaces frustrate users, crushing engagement no matter how good the backend may operate. Without strategic UI testing, you’re flying blind into inevitable disappointment.
That‘s why I‘ve distilled my hard won lessons into this comprehensive interface testing guide just for you. I‘ll demystify key concepts, share actionable tips and reveal optimal workflows – all to help you deliver delightful user experiences.
What Exactly is UI Testing?
First, let‘s level set on what user interface testing entails.
UI testing evaluates how your software looks and feels to end users as they flow through all screens and user interactions. It focuses solely on the front-end visual presentation layer rather than backend business logic.
Some examples of UI components and flows under test include:
- Navigation menus and links
- Data entry forms and text fields
- Tables and grids displaying data
- Command buttons triggering actions
- Wizards and multi-step workflows
The goals vary too:
- Assess visual appeal and consistency
- Validate elements appear in right places
- Verify workflows behave correctly
- Check functionality across environments
Proper UI testing builds confidence that your application appears, feels and functions intuitively across the diverse scenarios your customers will encounter.
Why UI Test Cases Matter
As applications grow in complexity, effectively testing UIs requires documentation codifying important validation criteria. Enter UI test cases.
UI test cases are scripts mapping out step-by-step user interactions, expected system responses and pass/fail criteria focused on graphical elements. They ensure specified components display and dynamic flows operate per expectations across all UI contexts.
Think through common real-life workflows like purchasing a product, browsing inventory or updating personal details. Transforming these into test cases creates an inventory of UI requirements, facilitates review cycles and enables execution reuse across releases.
Let‘s peek at an example…
Test Case: Validate Checkout Form Fields
- Navigate to checkout process after adding item to cart
- Verify visible text fields for name, address, payment info
- Submit empty form and confirm error messages appear as expected
By scripting test cases at proper scope and detail, you can efficiently guide assessment of priority UI functionality.
Now that you grasp the point of UI testing and cases, let‘s explore popular techniques and workflows.
UI Testing Types and Tradeoffs
Like any complex quality challenge, a one-sized fits all approach won‘t cut it for UIs. Multiple testing styles provide unique insights, including:
Functionality Testing – Validates intended UI behavior through real user workflows. Example: Purchase flow.
Accessibility Testing – Confirms UI compliance with disabilities standards. Example: Screen reader capability.
Visual Testing – Catch rendering defects early by comparing UI screenshots over time.
Usability Testing – Understand intuitiveness through observing real users interacting with it.
Cross-browser Testing – Check consistency across the browsers your audience uses – Chrome, Firefox, Safari and so on.
Here is a breakdown of popular UI testing styles used by leading technology teams according to DevTest Research:
| UI Testing Type | adoption | Typical ROI |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-browser | 95% | $35 per test hour |
| Visual | 86% | $45 per test hour |
| Usability | 78% | $120 per test hour |
| Accessibility | 62% | $250 per test hour |
As indicated, usability and accessibility testing deliver outsized payoffs despite higher effort. Why? By truly seeing through your customer‘s eyes, you uncover UI blindspots early when easier to fix.
But balancing cost, human insight and test coverage still necessitates combinational approaches. Let‘s walk through…
Executing a Manual UI Test Plan
While teams eventually automate for efficiency, starting manual builds intuition. Here is an optimal workflow:
Document Test Cases – Script critical user paths through system based on functionality.
Define Test Data – Capture form inputs, names and other data varieties required to cover edge cases.
Select Test Devices – Tablets, mobile phones and desktop browsers matching your audience mix. Manage with a cloud device lab.
Establish Baseline – Perform initial test pass recording screenshots, videos and notes on expected behavior.
Execute Scripted Runs – Walk through scripts on priority devices checking for deviations from baseline.
Log Defects – Document failing visual elements, inconsistent behavior, crashes and other deviations with screenshots.
Prioritize and Remediate Issues Based on severity and user impact with dev team.
Regression Test Fixes – Rerun related test cases to prove resolution.
This process ensures you methodically check most significant UI scenarios and build working knowledge of the system‘s personality quirks. Once comfortable with the basics, consider balancing with additional feedback loops.
Usability Testing reveals confusing flows by having everyday users attempt common tasks on your interface and gauging reactions. Are they struggling with icons? Confused by menu options? You watch pain points directly.
Exploratory Testing encourages freely interacting with the app without scripts to discover gaps in test coverage. Clicking menus randomly, mashing buttons harmlessly…Smart testers unlock exotic issues through playful tinkering!
Now let‘s shift gears to scaling execution through test automation.
Automating UI Test Cases
Executing interface testing manually supplies critical human insight but proves time consuming and limited in coverage. Test automation unlocks new possibilities.
By scripting UI test cases using frameworks like Selenium, reproducing boring checks becomes a breeze. Just run your suite and failures signal surprises requiring human context.
Here is an example walking through using Selenium and Java to automate validation of key checkout form field behavior:
1. Initialize test, open browser and navigate to checkout form page
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("http://myapp.com/checkout");2. Script test case assertions and steps
WebElement name = driver.findElement(By.id("name"));
Assert.assertEquals(true, name.isDisplayed());
name.sendKeys("Tom"); // Populate field
name.clear(); // Clear value
Assert.assertEquals("This field is required", name.getAttribute("validationMessage"));3. Parameterize data for reusability
String name = testData.getName(); // Fetch dynamic inputs
WebElement field = driver.findElement(By.id("name"));
field.sendKeys(name); This executable test codifies required field behavior – streamlining regressions across releases. By handling tedious rechecks, test automation multiplies your impact.
Special Considerations for Mobile UI Testing
Validating mobile interfaces introduces extra complexity from device fragmentation across form factors, resolutions, makers and OS versions.
Special attention should be paid to touch targets, latency, text readability and workflow interruptions on cellular networks. Certain best practices emerge:
- Emulate mobile hardware constraints using device simulators
- Test native, mobile web and hybrid application layers alike
- Automate across real phones managed via a cloud device lab
- Confirm usefulness in distraction-rich outdoor scenarios
Investing in real world mobile UI testing predictably uncovers more unique issues. For example, we recently discovered an adapted e-commerce hybrid app failing to load images on certain Android models – crashing the purchase flow for segments of shoppers. Without proper mobile test environments and techniques in place, such gaps go undetected far too long!
Emerging UI Testing Trends
While foundational tactics evolve slowly, smart teams push the boundaries to overcome environmental complexity as apps scale. Two trends stand out:
Parallel Test Execution – Leveraging CI/CD pipelines to fan automated test suites across dozens of browser, device and resolution combinations in one test run.
Cloud Testing Labs – On-demand access to 1000+ real mobile devices and desktop browsers to optimize test coverage while minimizing overhead of maintaining custom test lab hardware.
Forward thinking teams realize robust interfaces demand keeping pace with customer experience expectations across the mosaic of access methods. Testing in production-representative environments prevents surprises.
Hopefully this guide provided ideas on elevating interface testing sophistication while avoiding common pitfalls. Start with well-scoped test cases for maximum coverage of functionality and usability pain points. Manual execution builds knowledge, while test automation and real device cloud labs drive scale.
What next steps resonate regarding your current UI testing efforts? I welcome connecting to exchange ideas and expound on any areas requiring clarification. Simply email me through my website.
Now go unleash powerful user experiences!
