Today, we have hundreds of organizations developing a software application. Every software application has similar functionalities. Then, have you ever assumed what makes a software application different from other software applications? It is the user experience provided by the software applications. The end users of the software applications sometimes do not have a technical background. In such cases, they judge a software application based on the experience they get after using the software application. Therefore, providing the correct functionality is equally important for a seamless user experience. We use visual regression testing to maintain a good user experience.
Visual regression testing is a key technique most testers and developers use to test the seamless functioning of the software application at the user’s end. It systematically takes screenshots before and after the execution of the test cases and compares them to find any visual differences present in the software applications. It also tests software applications on multiple devices and platforms to find the differences present. Also, visual regression testing involves human effort to test the software application and improve the user experience of the software application.
This article has several benefits of testing software applications through visual regression testing. We also discuss its role in improving and providing an excellent user experience.
What is Visual Regression Testing?
Regression testing is utilized to confirm that framework changes don’t influence existing usefulness or code structure. There’s a reason regression testing is a part of nearly each test suite in software development. Developers regularly alter or include segments in code that inadvertently break something that worked fine earlier.
Visual regression testing applies the same rationale, but the testing is constrained to the visual perspectives of the software application. In other words, it confirms that code changes haven’t influenced any viewpoint of the software application’s visual interface.
Visual regression testing approves what clients see after a code alteration by comparing screenshots taken before and after the code change. For this reason, visual regression testing is sometimes called visual snapshot testing.
Benefits of Visual Regression Testing for User Experience
Visual regression testing offers an improved user experience. But, with this, it has several other benefits. Here is a brief detail about them.
- Maintaining Consistency
Visual regression testing allows you to maintain consistency throughout the software application. It guarantees uniformity to your software application over every device and platform. Also, visual regression testing allows you to keep the design components of the software application steady. This further inculcates a belief among your clients by promoting familiarity with your software application. It also improves the client’s experience by developing a reliable and seamless user experience. Furthermore, visual regression testing maintains consistency by making a difference in the client’s navigation.
- Detecting Visual Bugs
The changes made to the code can generate new bugs in the software applications. And even a small bug can bring visual discrepancies in the software application. Furthermore, these impact the user experience of the software application. Therefore, it is essential to find bugs present in the software application on time and debug them. Visual regression testing is the best technique that can be used for the same. The software application is tested after every code change in visual regression testing. The screenshots are taken before and after the change. Then, it is compared to find any difference present in it. Also, if a difference is found, it is analyzed as early as possible and removed from the software application. This also improves the credibility of the software application.
- Optimizing Performance
Performance optimization is another benefit of visual regression testing. Visual regression testing works on the speed upgradation and responsiveness of the software application. It also increases the productivity of the software applications. The main aim of visual regression testing comprises minimizing loading time and decreasing server demand. Furthermore, it initiates code optimization to guarantee quick and consistent client interaction. Performance optimization also ensures that the content of software applications is rapidly visible to its client. Thereby providing a smoother and more agreeable client experience. Performance optimization also increases the search engine ranking of the software applications.
- Enhancing Accessibility
Another benefit of using visual regression testing is to enhance the accessibility of the software applications. A software application with good accessibility helps provide an excellent user experience. It means that the software application can be easily navigated and used by everyone, irrespective of their abilities and disabilities. A software application must be compatible with every reader and must have proper color contrast in its layout. A software development team that focuses on enhancing the accessibility of the software application is somewhere increasing the end-user engagement. This further helps strengthen your software application and develop software applications for everyone.
- Streamlining Collaboration
Visual regression testing mainly focuses on the end user. Therefore, it requires human involvement. Various individuals are involved in software development, such as developers, testers, designers, and QAs. Everyone needs to collaborate among themselves to work seamlessly. Visual regression testing is beneficial for streamlining collaboration. This collaboration involves the implementation of efficient communication channels along with collaborative tools. A streamlined collaboration also requires a clear image of the task. Visual regression testing incorporates its performers with quick decision-making and problem-solving skills. Streamlined collaboration further helps understand the end-user’s requirements from the software application. Thereby providing them with a satisfactory software application.
Implementing Visual Regression Testing
Automating visual regression testing and coordinating it into your CI/CD pipeline is best. This spares time, diminishes the possibility of human mistakes, and guarantees that your software application remains visually appealing.
Create a test scenario. Characterize what should be captured in a screenshot and at what point the screenshot should be captured in the test. Make sure these scenarios incorporate a variety of client interactions, as your software application will have to handle a variety of client interactions within the real world.
Utilize automated visual testing tools to compare the screenshot taken after the code alter was executed within the software application with an already taken screenshot. This tool makes a report that records the contrasts between two screenshots.
One or more evaluators check and report whether the presented changes are driven to the expected results or if any disturbances were made. In case you discover a mistake, fix it or send it to a suitable developer for fixing. Once this is complete, update the new screenshots as a basis for future visual regression testing.
Best Practices for Visual Regression Testing
The best practices mentioned below let you get maximum visual regression testing. Also, these will help improve the user experience of software applications.
- You must first set the baseline for testing the software application. You need to capture the screenshot for the initial state. Then, compare it with the screenshot taken after the update in the code. Once debugging is done and visual issues are solved, you must update the current screenshot as the baseline.
- Visual regression testing is a time-consuming testing technique. Integrating it with an automation framework can save time and effort. Also, automated tools let you easily find minor or major discrepancies between the screenshots.
- The visual regression testing must be integrated into a CI/CD pipeline. This will let you test your software application whenever there is a code change. It also lets you detect the errors as early as possible so that they do not affect the user experience.
- You must continuously take feedback about the software application from the end-user. This will help you to improve software applications accordingly. Also, an optimized software application with a seamless user experience can be developed to satisfy user’s requirements.
- To improve user experience, you need to monitor the execution of test cases and analyze the test report. This will help you address the issues in the software application easily. Also, monitoring and analyzing test execution and results will help you prioritize debugging critical issues.
- Use version control to log the history of the changes made to the software application. If a code change creates a lot of bugs, then version control can be used to undo the changes. The developers can then make effective changes in the software application to avoid bugs.
- You must test your software application across every viewport. For this, you may use cloud platforms like LambdaTest. LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform to run manual and automated tests at scale. The platform allows you to perform real-time and automation testing across 3000+ environments and real mobile devices.
The cloud platform replicates every device and environment to test your software application and improve its performance.
LambdaTest stands out for its remarkable capacity to expand testing operations. It caters to various testing requirements, whether live, manual or automated, spanning various environments. LambdaTest offers the necessary infrastructure and resources to support testing on a large scale.
LambdaTest allows users to interact manually with applications and websites in real-time testing. This feature is invaluable for exploratory testing, debugging, and ensuring consistent user interface performance across diverse environments.
Regarding automated testing, the platform facilitates scripted execution of test scenarios. This functionality is crucial in achieving quicker and more dependable test runs, particularly for repetitive tasks like regression testing.
Conclusion
Visual regression testing is more than just maintaining a visually appealing software application. It’s about providing a great user experience. Visual regression testing plays a key role in achieving this goal by detecting visual bugs and debugging them.
A user-centered approach and the tools and practices mentioned above allow you to maintain the visual consistency of your software application. It tests the software application across different platforms and devices, increasing user trust, engagement, and satisfaction.
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