Software testing is not a simple task but a challenging field that requires practice and experience. The main objective of testing is to ensure bug-free applications and continually deliver high-quality apps that meet user’s requirements. Testing is strenuous when test cases are executed manually against various applications to detect bugs and errors.
Therefore, to make the process less monotonous and shorten the application development cycle for both the coding and testing stages, testers utilize various automation testing tools like Selenium, which can maintain high user engagement and launch new features much faster without bugs. However, a newbie starting a career as a tester needs to first understand what is Selenium.
Early in the testing career, as a novice tester to become a great tester, individuals are probably concerned about what they should do, learn to grow, and set themselves on the right path in their testing career. New testers may feel lost, confused, and unsure of what to do and why.
This article will provide some practical tips for new teasers that will help them advance their career and prevent them from getting lost on their journey as a tester.
Who is a tester?
A tester is a person who is responsible for executing test cases, logging bugs and issues while testing, and reporting them to developers. While working in the field, testers may often experience a lack of organization, poor scheduling, and daunting bug reports. However, handling this messy task by creating order in one’s habits is the quality of a good tester.
Their role is to test the application’s functionality and security, identify defects, and report them to the development team. They closely work alongside the development team to ensure the application meets quality standards and requirements set by the organization and performs as expected. An efficient tester can not only find more critical bugs, but they can also contribute more energy to help their team.
What qualities and skills make a good tester?
Testers play an important role in the software development process, as they are responsible for delivering a bug-free application.
Below are a few technical and soft qualities of a successful tester are-
Attention to detail- The best quality of a tester is the ability to detect subtle defects. A keen eye for detail and the ability to identify even the smallest issues ensures precision in application components.
Critical thinking- A tester can analyze the application with a critical mindset that enables testers to address issues and foresee challenges.
Analytical insight and problem-solving skills- strong analytical and problem-solving skills are essential for analyzing complex systems and identifying potential issues. A tester with these qualities can develop effective strategies for testing and debugging applications.
Curious and creative mindset- A good tester should be curious and creative enough to always look for new ways to test the application and identify potential issues. Exploring new testing methods and techniques allows them to think outside the box and uncover issues others may have overlooked.
Communication and collaboration- Testing can not be performed alone. Instead, it is a team effort; hence, the ability to communicate clearly and concisely is another good quality of a tester. This collaborative skill helps them work effectively with developers and other team members. This will help testers convey results, collaborate with developers, and explain potential risks. Thus facilitating a shared understanding and informed decision-making.
Patience and persistence- Testing can be a time-consuming and sometimes frustrating process. But a good tester with patience and persistence can see it through. With these qualities, they can willingly invest the time and effort required to thoroughly test applications and identify potential issues.
Test automation- Tester’s ability to proficiently design and implement automated test scripts helps accelerate the testing processes and supports continuous integration.
Dedication to quality- A tester’s passion for quality and commitment helps ensure that the application is high quality.
Role of testers in software development life cycle
Millions of websites are being created daily and must be tested before release, making it integral for testing. This is where the tester’s role comes in the application development life cycle.
Various other roles that a tester needs to perform are-
- Reviewing and analyzing applications to validate the functionality in the target environment and ensure they satisfy all specifications and requirements.
- Identify functional bugs and run debugging programs to fix issues. When the issues are resolved, they should run additional tests before releasing the application to the end users.
- Recording bugs and errors and reporting defect details to development teams. This involves outlining the defects found and the steps taken to resolve these issues.
- Collaborating with developers to develop effective strategies and test plans to maintain quality throughout the development.
Practical tips for new testers
Application testing is often chaotic. Below are some practical tips for new testers to improve their testing efficiency and skills to become better testers.
Have a good test plan and organize everything.
In preparing for an effective testing environment, it is important to have a good test plan covering all testing areas, including a budget, activities, planning scope, test scheduling, risk identification, and more.
Additionally, having a method to store information is a good practice to keep all of the important details in place. Creating an organized structure to gather the relevant details helps in saving hours. Keeping all the important communication in one place also helps revisit information exchanged between team members.
Write clear and detailed bug reports.
An incomplete bug report or one that requests more information can create unnecessary overhead, leading to a quick dismissal by a developer. A good bug report provides complete information about bug reports.
Writing clean and detailed bug reports can help other team members who will read the report later understand everything you did to expose that bug. As a result, this allows the rest of the team and the developers to save time by avoiding miscommunication or the need for additional communication. Writing a detailed bug report doesn’t mean writing too much or having a conversation inside the bug report. Writing only what is necessary is imperative.
Staying updated with industry innovations
Updating with emerging trends can help new testers grow professionally, get informed about industry shifts, and adapt to new technologies. For example, nowadays, AI-driven testing tools are becoming more popular because they allow for automated testing and quick identification of potential issues.
With blogs, websites, webinars, or virtual conferences, they can stay updated with the latest trends and emerging tools for testing. They can also join QA testing forums, both online and locally, for any queries, to share experiences, and learn from the broader testing community.
Write clear test cases.
Test cases are an important part of the application testing process. Hence the efficiency of testers depends on being able to write clear test cases that are for intended functionality first, that is, for valid conditions according to requirements, then include the invalid conditions. This way, the tester can cover the expected and unexpected behavior of the application during the test. Creating long test cases that add more steps to a test case increases the probability of other team members failing to execute a task.
Writing clear bug reports and test cases makes developers’ and other testers’ work easier because testers rely on the information displayed to carry out their tasks.
Take part in communication.
Testing is a team effort; opening up the communication lines between the testing teams from the beginning can make the testing smooth. Testers must get involved in more of the project; this way, they will better understand what the application entails and feel more comfortable and confident in their goals. Communicating with the test lead or manager allows testers to compare test results, share effective solutions to problems faced during the test, and get involved in decision-making meetings.
Gain hands-on experience
Getting practical experiences will enable new testers to gain insight into real-world skills by being exposed to various challenges. Consider gaining practical experience to help them find and fix bugs using their skills.
New testers can also expand their skills through personal projects like creating a new testing tool or building a test automation framework. They may also gain exposure to professional workflows, industry-specific tools, and collaboration within a team.
Network within the industry
Networking within the testing industry can help new testers stay connected, attend industry conferences, workshops, and events, and join with professionals.
Create a strong portfolio.
Building a strong portfolio shows the technical proficiency, experience, and challenges testers have overcome. It also demonstrates their ability to contribute meaningfully to application development projects.
Understand the basic coding.
A new tester needs to familiarize with a few programming languages and be prepared to learn more. They can start with the most common application languages like Java, C#, and Python. Further, they can start learning other languages like C, HTML, JavaScript, Ruby, etc. Learning coding enables new testers to efficiently create and maintain automated test scripts and troubleshoot failures.
Start with a positive mindset.
No app is flawless; it depends on the tester’s mindset, whether they can find the most critical bug in the app or nothing. If they start testing an app, thinking beforehand that there will not be any bugs in the application, they will not find any; therefore, new testers should start testing their application with a positive attitude that intends to find bugs or errors. This helps in improving testing efficiency.
Various situations can make or break an app. To find bugs from the beginning, the tester can succeed in uprooting that subtle critical bug.
Pursue certifications and high-quality technical training.
Testers must pursue specific IT certifications and technical courses from globally recognized professional associations, online communities, or testing platforms. They are helpful for beginners and experienced professionals in the software testing field. LambdaTest certification is one of them, and it provides in-depth, high-quality technical training.
With this certification, you will get to prove your expertise in technical skills, which include test automation tools, programming languages, and how to conduct testing on different mobile devices.
LambdaTest certification courses include structured lessons and practical exercises. In addition, learners can actively experience workshops and online webinars, engage with like-minded and experienced professionals, and gain insights from real-world examples.
LambdaTest is a cloud-based, AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform allowing large-scale manual and automated testing of web and mobile applications. The platform allows testers to perform real-time and automation testing by providing access to more than 3000 environments, device farm, and online browser combinations.
Whether you are new to application development testing or a professional with years of experience, the LambdaTest platform is a great starting point for moving forward, expanding your expertise, and making yourself effective in the testing field.
Conclusion
A good tester is expected to have a unique set of soft skills and technical qualities that enable them to perform their duties and responsibilities and be successful in their role. Since the world of information technology is rapidly developing, the tips mentioned above will help new testers to keep learning and expand their expertise and experiences.
By following these tips, testers can contribute to the application development process’s success and help deliver high-quality applications that meet user’s needs and expectations.
