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Can We Really Replace Manual Testing with Automation?

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Today, there's a pretty big debate among programmers. Some folks say manual testing is basically done and no one will bother with it anymore, while others swear it's still super important. We're here to figure out who's right and what makes manual testing actually useful.

What are manual and automated testing?

Automated testing is basically using some cool tools to test your project. It checks how well it runs, how secure it is, and if everything works right. It can be pretty pricey since you need to pay for the software and spend a lot of time writing custom scripts. But it greatly automates many routine processes.


Manual testing is when you just test things out without using any third-party tools. The person doing it reads over the code, checks the interface, and makes sure everything works like it should. This way, you can detect errors that are beyond the reach of automatic tools. It’s pretty cheap too. Works for big projects as well as small startups.

The ideal solution would be to use both manual and automatic testing types at the same time. In this case, you can identify as many errors as possible, which means you can correct them in time. However, if funding is limited, it is worth setting priorities, dividing the project into parts and testing separately.

Advantages and disadvantages of manual testing

Manual testing has many advantages. Among the most important ones you can turn off:

  • Primary report. Allows you to understand at a glance how the product meets the set initially goals;
  • UI check. It helps to know how convenient it will be for a potential user to use your product;
  • Price. Often this type of testing is used in small projects with minimal funding.
  • Flexibility. Checks the potential of the project in atypical situations.

In addition, the importance of retesting must be taken into account. After you have run all the tests, you need to make changes to fix possible errors. After you do this, you need to run repeated tests to check whether the corrections were completed successfully and whether this led to new mistakes. You can do this with manual testing.

However, this type of testing has several disadvantages:

  • Human factor. Since a living person does the tests, he or she may make mistakes;
  • Large labor costs and high duration. Automatic testing is as simple and fast as possible;
  • Does not allow modeling of large loads.

Of course, manual testing can't catch every possible bug, but it can determine how user-friendly your application is and whether it can perform all the necessary functions.

Advantages and disadvantages of automated testing

Advantages:

  • Saves time and effort. Runs tests faster and reduces manual work, especially for repetitive tasks.
  • Increases test coverage. Can run many tests across different devices and configurations at once.
  • Improves accuracy. Reduces human error in test execution and results reporting.
  • Supports continuous testing. Integrates well with CI/CD pipelines for faster development cycles.
  • Cost-effective in the long run. Pays off over time by catching bugs early and reducing fixes.

Disadvantages:

  • High initial cost. Setting up tools, writing scripts, and training takes time and money.
  • Requires skilled resources. Needs automation testers who know programming and automation tools.
  • Not good for exploratory testing. Lacks human intuition and creativity in finding unexpected issues.
  • Maintenance overhead. Test scripts often need updating when app features change.
  • Limited to what’s programmed. Only tests what it's told to; misses edge cases outside the script.

Why can't manual testing be abandoned?

Many today say that shortly specialists will be able to abandon manual testing completely. Nevertheless, let's consider the fundamental basics of web testing. It becomes clear that rejecting this testing type can lead to more low-quality products appearing on the market.

The problem with automation that tests cannot detect errors in the user interface. The main task of the tester is to understand how convenient it will be for potential buyers. There should not be too many ads here; all buttons are visible, nice font and color, and much more. It considers all the factors that can affect the slightest discomfort in using your application.

So, the tester must understand how convenient the registration process will be, how simple the interface is, whether all the necessary buttons and links work, and how well all functions are performed. For example, if your product must calculate the caloric content of dishes, then the specialist must double-check whether the calculations are correct.

Thus, not doing manual testing may result in customers not using your software, as it would be inconvenient and not serve the primary purposes.

Why can't we limit ourselves to manual testing only?

Although manual testing has many advantages, limiting yourself to only these tests is wrong, especially for large projects. It cannot test the performance of the application (how many people can use it simultaneously), its resistance to risks, and the level of security.

Of course, if you have a small startup that does not involve large loads, you can limit yourself to manual testing. But, if the project turns out to be successful, you will have to develop and scale it, add new features, and here you can't do without automated tests.

Conclusion

QA teams at this stage can not refuse manual testing since only with the help of this can they calculate how convenient and beneficial your product will be for the user. This type of test is relatively inexpensive and does not take as much time as it might seem.

author

Chris Bates



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