XBOSoft Web Application Testing Challenges
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The document outlines the challenges in testing web applications, emphasizing the evolution from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0 and the increasing complexity of features. It discusses unique factors affecting web application testing, including user diversity, usability, performance, and security concerns, noting that traditional testing methods often fall short. The quality assurance of web applications must adapt to meet diverse user expectations and varied usage paths, ensuring a seamless user experience across multiple platforms and devices.
XBOSoft Web Application Testing Challenges
- 1. Challenges in Web Application Testing XBOSoft.com www.xbosoft.com
- 2. About XBOSoft • Software Quality Assurance Experts – Software quality and testing consulting – Software testing services • Totally focused on software quality improvement • Totally independent from hardware/software vendors • San Francisco, Beijing, Oslo, Amsterdam 2
- 3. Agenda • Evolution of web-based applications • Differences between web-based applications and conventional applications • Testing issues and challenges
- 4. Introduction-background • Web 2.0 technologies and Software as a Service (SaaS) business models are here to stay especially with today’s economic crisis – No up front expenses-subscription payment • Measuring and testing for quality needs to adapt to new business models and technologies – New definitions needed based on providing a service rather than a product – New technologies – New expectations from more and different users
- 5. Web-based applications have come a long way Print Web 1.0 advertising Web sites E-commerce Telephone Web-based applications books conventional Web 2.0 software Fully applications functional User applications> profiling, segme >Higher ntation, personal complexity ization data collection New ideas, integrat ed Web 3.0 platforms, mo Information Semantic re integration Web components
- 6. Differences between web-based, Web 1.0, and Web 2.0 applications and conventional software applications Web-based 1. User diversity applications 2. Uncontrolled and unpredictable use Web 1.0 scenarios 3. Service quality versus product quality Conventional 4. Gap between developers Software and users Web 2.0 Applications 5. Focus on user interface 6. Accessibility 7. Information and data driven 8. Platform and architecture Web 3.0
- 7. Differences between web-based applications and conventional software applications
- 8. Testing Web-based software applications • Web based Applications are increasingly becoming more feature rich. – Expected to have „look and feel‟, aesthetic and graphic appeal. – Users expect web applications have to offer high-performance, reliable, and easy-to-use services round the clock. Making sure it works is just the beginning
- 9. Testing Web-based software applications • Testing these applications with growing features is more complex. – Traditional test methods and techniques concentrate largely on testing functional requirements and do not focus on the broader quality requirements important for Web application users • Performance • Usability • Security Making sure it works is just the beginning
- 10. Factors effecting Testing of Web Applications • Global availability and usage lead to challenges with in multi-linguality and usability – Must recognize cultural interdependencies, i.e. reading orders in different cultures (e.g., Arabic, Chinese) imply specific lateral navigation aids in the browser window. – Different lengths of text messages in different languages - layout difficulties.
- 11. Factors effecting Testing of Web Applications • Numerous Application Usage (Entry – Exit) Paths are possible: – Different users follow different application usage paths. • For example in an online banking application a user may directly go to “Bill Pay” page and other users may check account balances, view previous transactions and then “Bill Pay”. – Large number of usage paths are possible and all are supposed to work – All Permutations and Combinations need to be tested You don’t know how users will use the application Or where they will come from
- 12. Factors effecting Testing of Web Applications • People with varying backgrounds & technical skills may use the application: – Not all applications are self explanatory to all people • For instance a Business Intelligence application with “Drill-Down-Reports” may work out for certain users but not for others. – These factors should be designed in and tested in usability testing of the applications. – There is no longer a manual • Online help • Error messages • Design for intuitiveness – Easy of use for the masses – Customizable and efficient for experts
- 13. Factors effecting Testing of Web Applications • Many different software components (e.g., Web servers, databases, middleware) and integrated systems (e.g., ERP systems, content management systems) – Supplied by different vendors – Upgrades or migrations of different components may impact functionality of the application • Need for increased frequency of regression and smoke tests – Frequent changes in platforms, operating systems, internet technologies and configurations (not just your side, but also the customer side) • Browsers X operating systems x languages
- 14. Factors effecting Testing of Web Applications • Firewalls and virus software – Different behavior across firewalls. – Applications may have certain web services or may operate on different ports that may have been blocked. • Security Aspects – Crucial to test the security strength of the application and safekeeping of personal or sensitive information – Privilege escalation – Injections, etc…
- 15. Summary • Success for web applications includes more than ‘it works with no bugs”: – Diverse audience leading to wide range of requirements and expectations • Crashing and system resets not acceptable • Customers can easily switch • Look and feel/aesthetics important across many platforms – Test Cases should be written covering the different scenarios not only for functional usage but also technical considerations for end user and operational platform variations – Performance, security and user experience are key success factors