Our Approach to QA

Our manual testing includes functional testing, usability testing, and exploratory testing, while our automated testing includes clickables testing, regression testing, and performance testing. By using a combination of manual and automated testing, we can ensure that our products work as intended and provide an excellent user experience.

Manual Testing

When conducting manual quality assurance (QA) testing in web development, several approaches and techniques can be utilized to ensure thorough and effective testing. Here are some common approaches used in manual QA testing for web development:

• Functional Testing: Functional testing focuses on validating the functionality of the website or web application. Testers verify that all features, buttons, forms, links, and interactions work as intended. They assess whether the system meets the specified requirements and performs the expected tasks accurately. Test cases are designed to cover different scenarios, user inputs, and edge cases to ensure comprehensive functional testing.

• Usability Testing: Usability testing aims to evaluate the user-friendliness and intuitiveness of the web interface. Testers simulate real-world user interactions, and assess the website's navigation, information architecture, and visual design. They identify areas where improvements can be made to enhance the user experience. Usability testing often involves collecting feedback from end-users to gain insights into their perspectives and pain points.

• Cross-Browser and Cross-Device Testing: Since websites are accessed on various browsers and devices, it is crucial to test compatibility across different platforms. Testers verify that the website functions correctly and appears consistent across major web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. They also test responsiveness and adaptability on different devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.

• Performance Testing: Performance testing involves evaluating the speed, responsiveness, and scalability of the website or web application. Testers measure and analyze key performance metrics such as page load time, response time, server resource utilization, and throughput. They conduct stress testing by simulating heavy user loads to determine the system's stability and identify performance bottlenecks or limitations.

• Accessibility Testing: Accessibility testing ensures that the website adheres to web accessibility standards, making it usable for individuals with disabilities. Testers assess the website's compliance with guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). They verify the presence of alternative text for images, proper labeling of form elements, keyboard accessibility, and the ability to navigate using assistive technologies like screen readers.

• Exploratory Testing: Exploratory testing is an unscripted approach where testers explore the website or application without predefined test cases. They intuitively interact with the system, looking for unexpected behavior, usability issues, and edge cases that automated tests may not cover. Exploratory testing encourages creativity and critical thinking, allowing testers to uncover hidden defects and provide valuable feedback.

It's important to note that the selection and combination of these approaches may vary based on project requirements, timeline, and available resources. The goal is to ensure a comprehensive and balanced approach to manual QA testing that covers functional aspects, user experience, compatibility, performance, security, and accessibility, ultimately delivering a high-quality web solution to end-users.

Automated Testing with Cypress

While manual testing is crucial, it can be time-consuming and prone to human error. Therefore, we also use automated testing to complement our manual testing efforts. We use Cypress, an open-source testing framework that helps us cut down on testing time and improve accuracy. 

Cypress is a popular JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework and automation tool specifically designed for web applications. It provides a comprehensive solution for automating tests, from interacting with the user interface to making assertions about the application's behavior.

Cypress follows a unique architecture compared to other testing frameworks. It runs directly in the browser and operates alongside the application being tested. This architecture offers numerous advantages, such as real-time test execution, interactive debugging, and full access to the application's state. It eliminates the need for external dependencies or plugins and provides a seamless and intuitive testing experience.

Our automated testing includes three types of tests:

1. Clickables Test - Automated tests for clickables typically involve interacting with elements on a web page that can be clicked, such as buttons, links, or dropdowns. The purpose of these tests is to ensure that click actions trigger the expected behavior or navigation within the application. This test clicks through the product (web/mobile app or website) in random order and random places. It monitors the browser console for any errors that may arise during the process. These tests ensure that click actions trigger the expected behavior, verify navigation, and help identify potential issues or regressions as the application evolves.

2. Regression Testing - Cypress can also be used for visual regression testing, which involves comparing visual representations of the application before and after changes to identify any unintentional visual discrepancies. Visual regression testing helps ensure that the visual appearance of the application remains consistent across different versions or updates. This test compares the staging environment with the live environment and reports any visual differences. This test is particularly handy when we update dependencies and plugins, as it allows us to identify any issues that may arise after the update. It helps us ensure that the product looks and behaves the same way in both environments. By incorporating visual regression testing into your Cypress test suite, you can verify that the visual output of your application remains consistent and detect any unintended visual regressions caused by code changes or updates. This helps maintain a high standard of visual quality and consistency across different versions of your application.

3. Performance Testing - This test runs Google Lighthouse and similar tests to ensure that the product is performing well. It raises a red flag if the product is not performing well, allowing us to identify and fix performance issues before they impact the user experience. Cypress integrates with Google Lighthouse, an open-source tool for auditing and measuring the performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO aspects of web applications. By leveraging Cypress and Google Lighthouse together, you can automate the process of running Lighthouse tests and collecting performance metrics for your application. You can analyze the Lighthouse reports to identify areas for improvement, potential performance bottlenecks, accessibility issues, or SEO optimization opportunities. The reports provide insights and recommendations for optimizing your application based on industry best practices. By combining Cypress and Google Lighthouse, you can automate the process of running Lighthouse audits and ensure that your application meets performance, accessibility, and best practice standards. This integration allows you to incorporate continuous testing and monitoring into your development workflow, enabling you to catch any regressions or issues early and maintain a high-quality web application.

Cypress is a powerful and user-friendly testing framework that simplifies the process of automating tests for web applications. With its unique architecture, interactive test runner, expressive syntax, and powerful debugging capabilities, Cypress offers a seamless testing experience. By enabling developers to write reliable and efficient end-to-end tests, Cypress contributes to the overall quality and reliability of web applications, allowing teams to deliver robust software to end users.

Customization and Communication

We understand that no two projects are the same, and therefore, we customize our testing approach to meet the unique requirements of each project. We work closely with our clients to understand their needs and requirements, and we tailor our testing approach accordingly.

Effective communication is crucial in ensuring that the product meets our client's requirements and exceeds their expectations. Therefore, we collaborate closely with our clients throughout the development process to gather feedback, answer questions, and provide progress updates.