GUI testing phase in SDLC

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In this article you get to know about What is GUI testing, Role of GUI in SDLC and GUI testing techniques.

GUI testing which includes testing the appearance of elements such as fonts and images conform to design specifications.In GUI testing environment, the “simple clock application” available in desktop of a computer,mobile app and that is available on all of the major mobile platforms or, it may be a cloud application that must be supported by all of the major browsers. As testers the responsibility lies in performing cross-browser and cross-platform testing to identify defects and ensure that the application fulfills all requirements.

To understand the role of GUI testing in the development life cycle, it includes test levels and test types.

Test levels : It tells you when a test occurs in the development life cycle. Each level corresponds to one phase of the development life cycle. 

The V-model of software development identifies testing tasks for each stage of development

Component testing/Unit testing : It checks individual units of code. Component testing is often called unit testing, but may also be called module testing or program testing. Developers write and execute unit tests to find and fix defects in their code as early as possible in the development process. This is critical in agile development environments, where short release cycles require fast test feedback. Unit tests are white-box tests because they are written with a knowledge of the code being checked.

Integration testing : It combines individual units and tests their interaction. A common type of integration testing is interface/API testing. An application programming interface (API) is a set of rules that two modules of code use to communicate with each other. Interface/API tests validate this interaction. Interface/API tests are also white box tests because they require knowledge of the code being checked.

System testing : It verifies that a complete, integrated system works as designed. As no knowledge of the underlying code is necessary, this is black-box testing. System testing is the level where GUI testing occurs.

Acceptance testing : It is usually performed either by end-users or their proxies, such as a product owner.

Test types:

Non-functional testing : Non-functional testing tests how well the system works .Non-functional testing considers elements such as usability, responsiveness, and scalability. This type of testing answers questions such as “How easy is it to perform division with this app?” and “Does this app look right on screens of different sizes?”.

Structural testing : Structural testing is a white-box approach. It verifies that all components of a system are covered by an appropriate test. If coverage gaps are found, then additional tests can be designed to ensure that each component is tested properly.

Regression testing : Regression testing involves re-running previously-successful tests after code changes, to confirm that no additional defects (regressions) have been introduced. Regression tests are ideal for automation since they are often repeated.

End-to-end testing : End-to-end testing validates the workflow of a system. For example, end-to-end testing of a purchasing app would ensure that a user can search for an item, add it to a cart, enter payment and shipping details, and complete the purchase.

Major GUI testing Techniques:

Scripted testing : In scripted testing, software testers design and then execute pre-planned scripts to uncover defects and verify that an application does what it is supposed to do. The script defines the entries that the tester makes on each screen and the expected outcome of each entry. 

Exploratory testing : Rather than following pre-written test scripts, exploratory testers draw on their knowledge and experience to learn about the AUT, design tests and then immediately execute the tests. After analyzing the results, testers may identify additional tests to be performed and/or provide feedback to developers.

User experience testing :In user experience testing, actual end-users or user representatives evaluate an application for its ease of use, visual appeal, and ability to meet their needs. The results of testing may be gathered by real-time observations of users as they explore the application on-site. By its nature, user experience testing is manual and exploratory.

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