What is Manual Testing?
Manual testing is a commonly used software testing method in which testers manually execute test cases without the use of automated tools. It involves a human tester actively interacting with the software, like an end-user, to identify bugs, defects, and issues, ensuring the software functions as expected while providing a satisfactory user experience.​
Definition and Purpose
Manual testing is the hands-on process of testing software by following predefined test cases. The tester uses the application’s features and functions to identify inconsistencies, bugs, and areas that do not meet requirements or user expectations.
It primarily aims to validate the software’s behavior before automated tests are implemented.
Manual testing also helps identify new features, assess the ease of use, and ensure it functions correctly in various situations.​
Automated testing utilizes scripts or tools, whereas manual testing relies on people’s judgment, intuition, and real-world user feedback.
This makes it quite helpful in identifying flaws with the user interface, logical faults, and subjective difficulties, such as ease of use.​
Key Types of Manual Testing
Software projects commonly employ several forms of manual testing:
- Functional Testing: It checks that the product’s functionalities work as intended, such as the ability to log in.
- Usability Testing: Checks how simple and intuitive the software is to use.
- Regression Testing: After upgrades, it retests existing features to ensure that no new defects are introduced.
- Exploratory Testing: The tester scrutinizes the software without predefined test cases to uncover unintended flaws.
- Compatibility testing: It ensures that the software functions properly on various devices, browsers, and operating systems.
- Ad-hoc testing: It occurs when you test something without a plan, aiming to identify problems as they arise.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Users test the program to ensure it meets their needs.​
Why Is Manual Testing Important?
Even if automation is becoming increasingly frequent, manual testing is still essential for several reasons:
- Human Insight: Testers can identify bugs, usability issues, and visual defects that automation may miss.
- Flexibility: Manual testing allows you to address software issues that arise unexpectedly quickly.
- Early Defect Detection: It helps uncover critical bugs early in the development process.
- Cost-Effective for Small Projects: It may be more suitable for smaller projects or when the costs of setting up automation are substantial.
- User-Centric Evaluation: Manual testing simulates genuine user scenarios, providing a more accurate representation of how the program functions from the end user’s perspective.​
Real-World Applications of Manual Testing
Manual testing is widely used in various contexts, such as
- New Software Releases: Every new app is tested by hand before automation is included.
- Checks for usability and interface: Ensuring the software is easy to use and provides users with a positive experience.
- Exploratory Testing in Agile Development: Agile teams utilize spontaneous human testing to identify issues that scripted tests may overlook.
- Testing for Complex Scenarios: When automated testing isn’t possible or is too expensive, such as specific security or accessibility tests.
- Cross-Platform Compatibility Checks: Manual testers verify that the software functions consistently across various devices, operating systems, and browsers.​
How Does Manual Testing Work?
The most common steps in the manual testing process:
- Requirement Analysis: Understanding what the program does and what it needs to perform.
- Test Planning: When you design a test, you decide what to test, what tools to use, what goals to reach, and when to do it.
- Test Case Development: Writing clear directions for each step to ensure everything works.
- Test Execution: Following the test cases and doing the tests by hand, then writing down what you find.
- Bug Reporting: Keeping track of bugs and telling the development teams about them.
- Retesting and Regression Testing: Making sure that fixes work and that new changes don’t break current features.​
Features of Manual Testing
- Human-Driven: Testers must be actively involved, without relying on automation scripts.
- Takes a lot of time: Manual testing is time-consuming, particularly for large software projects.
- Susceptible to Human Mistakes: Testers could miss problems or inconsistencies.
- Hands-on Understanding: Gives you a complete understanding of how software works and how to use it.
- Exploratory Capability: Testers can look for flaws that aren’t in the scripts.Â
