Back in the old days, software testing was just about finding errors in a software product. The goal was — to improve software quality. But nowadays, the range of software testing has broadened. When it comes to software testing, automation testing has always been in the vanguard. Going by the latest test automation trends, the software testing industry is expected to evolve even more than in the last decade.
As per the MarketsAndMarkets report, the global automation testing market size is expected to grow from USD 24.7 billion in 2022 to USD 52.7 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 16.4%. To keep up with the pace of the ever-changing testing landscape, you should be familiar with the latest test automation trends.
In this article, we will discuss the best test automation trends you must look out for in 2023.
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What drives changes in the future of Test Automation?
A business is often under pressure from several factors to change with the times. Let’s find out what factors will influence test automation in the future.
A requirement to center changes on test automation.
A requirement to modify test tools to fix shortcomings in the process.
A requirement to generate almost total test coverage.
Unique test automation techniques are required to get the necessary outcomes.
A requirement for proper test management procedures.
A requirement to analyze software goods left and right to outrank competitors.
A requirement to discover a more cost-efficient answer.
To begin automating testing, assembling a team of interchangeable specialists with a short learning curve is necessary.
Selenium 4 will be the heart of Automation Testing
In October 2021, Selenium released its long-awaited fourth major version. Selenium 3 had been on the market for five years, and the technology had undergone significant changes during that time. Selenium 4 has many feature improvements like better Docker support, identification of parent frame, better-formatted commands to access a Selenium Grid, and more.
Some of the new features in Selenium 4 are the support of relative locators, better windows & tab management of web browsers, a native Chromium driver for the Microsoft Edge browser, etc. Selenium 4 has been widely appreciated and accepted as an enhanced version of its prior versions. It will be one of the test automation trends that we should watch out for in 2023.
Codeless Automation Testing to rise again
Codeless automation testing tools are built on AI technology, and visual modeling allows the accelerated creation of test cases that cater to automation testing. Using these tools, testers can create test scenarios without coding knowledge and minimize the time spent on repetitive test cases.
Here are some of the benefits of codeless automated testing.
Since the test cases are generated without code, they are ideal for non-technical users to review them quickly.
Those unfamiliar with programming languages or coding can create and construct test cases.
Since the learning curve is shorter, test case creation is extremely fast, and the automation process is also accelerated.
Increased adoption of codeless automation tools will be one of the test automation trends in 2023.
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QAOps to be adopted at a broader scale
QAOps is a new flavor of DevOps. The software QA and operations team work together in close collaboration to deliver a quality software product. Continuous integration, continuous testing, and continuous development form the basis of the QAOps methodology. QAOps’ integration of quality assurance into the pipeline for delivering software improves the quality and speed of testing.
QAOps accelerates and smooths out the software development cycle because it adheres to the DevOps methodology. The business will have more time to work on additional functionalities due to shorter development lifecycles. Customers will have a great experience with QAOps because it relies on continuous testing.
In 2023, we expect more software product organizations to use QAOps to streamline their QA process and reap the benefits of DevOps in quality assurance or software testing areas.
Self-healing test automation will gain traction
Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) are widely used to solve a specific problem and optimize the process of development & testing. AI is leveraged in testing to reduce the test life cycle and is used in all aspects of testing, including automation testing, performance testing, functional testing, regression testing, etc.
To achieve the goal of automation testing and harnessing the power of AI in testing, AI has to become an integral part of software testing tools. Each test cycle generates tons of data, which can be used to identify and resolve test failures. After each test run, the data/learning can be fed back to the AI/ML algorithms.
This data will train the algorithm, and that learning will help the test tool to identify the ‘expected behavior’ for those tests. This enables decision-making at runtime as the device can flag a test as ‘failed’ if there is any deviation from the expected behavior.
Such scenarios are frequent in automated browser testing, where Selenium scripts are written to interact with a particular element (on a web page) identified by ElementID /XPath. However, the absence of that element on the page can break the test. With AI-based learning, the tool can identify an ‘alternate’ element on the page that can be used in place of the expected element so that automated browser testing can proceed. The tools can self-heal at runtime with the increased usage of AI/ML in the development of test tools. Self-healing automation testing will be one of the biggest test automation trends in 2023.
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Distributed Cloud for Cross Browser Testing
Selenium automation testing approach on the local Selenium Grid is not scalable. This shortcoming has prompted many enterprises to shift their automated browser testing activities to cloud-based platforms. With the rise in the number of browsers, devices and OS released each year, cross browser testing on the cloud seems a more viable option.
With a growing customer base worldwide, there could be intermittent delays in the test execution if the tests are being executed on a cloud-hosted in a distant location. The adoption of distributed cloud will rise exponentially in 2023, thereby improving the speed and efficiency of test execution.
LambdaTest continuous quality cloud testing platform has been leveraging the advantages of distributed cloud to enable users to perform web automation testing efficiently and efficiently. Usage of the distributed cloud for automated browser testing is one of the test automation trends in 2023 that will be on the radar of cloud technology and automation testing enthusiasts.
Extensive use of Hyperautomation
Hyperautomation is a combination of tools, including AI, ML, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), used to leverage the advantages of AI-driven decision-making. Hyperautomation tools enhance human productivity by automating mundane processes that do not require human intelligence.
Organizations are expected to use a combination of AI and RPA for test automation and analysis of automation reports. Hyperautomation is one of the test automation trends in 2023 that will be in huge demand.
Enterprises to lean towards Shift-Left Testing
With the evolution of Agile and other methodologies, testing is no longer performed at the end of the development life cycle. On the other hand, shift-left testing is used extensively, enabling testing to be performed much earlier in the product life cycle. There are many benefits of shift-left testing — reduced costs in development & testing, early detection of bugs, and timely communication between the development & testing teams.
The development and testing teams work together in the shift-left testing approach to achieve common goals. Shift-left testing techniques are instrumental in detecting bugs at an early stage of product development, as their detection at a later stage can hamper the timelines of product development and release.
Shift-left testing will be one of the key test automation trends in 2023 as more organizations plan to leverage the benefits of this testing approach.
Cloud-Based Cross Browser Testing
Gone are the days when developing a website meant you had to make it responsive for a specific mobile, tab, and desktop. Nowadays, most companies and customers prefer a site developed with the mobile-first approach. At present, there are hundreds of devices in the market, each with its resolution and browsers. It’s pretty costly to set up such a vast testing infrastructure. That is why most companies and individuals have started moving towards cloud-based cross browser testing platforms.
2023 will see an increasing demand for the use of such platforms. It’s time for you to become a part of such test automation trends. And, if you are using a platform like LambdaTest, you can seamlessly perform automated and manual testing of your web and mobile application across 3000+ real browsers, devices, and OS combinations.
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Performance Testing of IoT-Based Apps
As per the survey, the Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices globally are expected to reach 30.9 billion units by 2025, a significant increase from the 13.8 billion units expected in 2021.
The usage of IoT devices is growing considerably. With more users purchasing smart interconnected devices, new business opportunities will continue to replace the old solutions in 2022. Since the job of IoT devices is to simplify the everyday task of a user, if you are developing an IoT app, you must take special care of performance testing.
With the increasing number of IoT devices and apps, organizations and developers will focus on their products’ performance testing. Thus, going by the latest trends in automation testing, in 2023, we will see a boom in the use of tools like IoTIFY, MATLAB and Simulink, and other simulators. These tools ease developers’ life by simulating real-time prototypes and checking how optimized the apps are to handle the load of multiple devices and commands.
Automation in Risk Compliance and Security Testing
Data security and compliance is a huge thing to look out for while developing a product in 2023. Remember the incident that happened with Facebook? Government regulations are in place that restrict the usage of a customer’s data by a company.
For example, if you are developing a product in Europe, you must comply with Global Data Privacy Regulations or GDPR. You have to follow other privacy laws based on the nature of the product you are developing. For example, if you are developing an app for medical use, you must follow HIPAA. But how does it impact testing? Not only that, but what role does automation play in it?
The bad news, you can no longer use a customer’s actual data to test real-time scenarios.
The good news, there are alternatives. There are tools like Chef.io that scan your software system and find out if any test data is not in compliance with a specific data security standard.
You can also use an automated test management tool like Datprof or EMS Data Generator that helps you with data masking or synthetic test data generation. The generated test data simulates a real user’s data. You can use that to test your application while complying with privacy laws.
At the same time, you must check that the customer’s data is entirely safe from breaches or hacks. Carry out security audits, educate your employees, and arrange security and compliance training to prevent an unfortunate lawsuit.
The role of automation in risk compliance and security is one of the most prominent test automation trends to look for in 2023.
Mobile Automation Testing
Organizations have started following the mobile-first approach in web development in the last few years. In recent years, organizations have begun developing native app versions of their web applications. With the count of mobile apps increasing regularly, the organization will focus more on testing mobile apps. According to a report, the mobile app testing market will generate a revenue of $8.23 billion by 2025.
With the growing number of mobile devices of different resolutions and OS behavior, we can undoubtedly say that companies will look for testers with experience in automated mobile app testing.
Seeing the latest test automation trends, frameworks like Appium, Selendroid, and Robotium will be more prevalent in 2023. Additionally, the demand for testers with experience in these tools will also increase.
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Use of Automated tools for Blockchain Applications
The term blockchain technology strikes our mind as bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. But currently, the scope of blockchain technology has grown a lot. Also, it is used for food, shipping, supply chain management, and other industries. This is because — blockchain provides the highest level of security for any financial transaction.
In 2023, the demand for QA experts with specific domain knowledge of blockchain app testing will increase and will be among the best test automation trends to look for. That being said, apart from domain knowledge, testing professionals should have some knowledge of automated tools. There are popular tools like the Ethereum tester or Exomum Testkit.
With the help of these tools, you can test the execution of a transaction and the API in a blockchain system. Blockchain development mostly follows the agile approach to development. But when it comes to testing, the Shift left approach is becoming popular to minimize the defect count.
Exploratory Testing to become routine
With an increased emphasis on automation testing implementation across various organizations. Exploratory testing will become a routine for every QA on board a project. As automation testing will help to take care of the repetitive tasks, automation testers will be expected to find more unique test cases around their web application in their added bandwidth.
Automation testing will help them to emphasize exploratory testing more so they can come up with critical test scenarios unnoticed by the scripted testing. Due to faster go-to-market and the growing importance of Agile & DevOps in the development & testing departments, exploratory testing will become inevitable.
Increased adoption of Selenium alternatives
When there is a discussion about automation testing, especially automated browser testing. Selenium will always be the primary focus of the forum.
The usage of Selenium might not witness a downturn, but organizations might look for Selenium alternatives to perform automation testing. These tools can either be open-source or commercially licensed tools. One reason to look for alternative means could be different project requirements and team preferences related to the automation task.
Cypress, Playwright, Jest, and a few other test automation tools will be the trendsetters in 2023 as far as AI-based automation is concerned. Though the Selenium framework will be the ideal choice for test automation, the offerings of AI-based tools will shape the automation testing industry in 2023.
Agile and Test Automation to go hand-in-hand
Many industry experts predicted the death of scrum. However, the bottom line is that the majority of the organizations world over still make extensive use of Agile methodologies.
Agile development approaches have received attention and will continue to do so in 2023, thanks to Covid-19-powered remote work scenarios. Increasing transparency and flexibility will be made easier with an agile testing strategy. As it accelerates the rate at which several apps may interact with one another, it guarantees quicker deployment, a shorter time to market, and a higher ROI.
Developers can integrate their code into a repository when agile testing is supported by continuous integration, making it easier to find coding errors even within the software iteration process. Hence, this suggests that significant issues can be resolved in the initial stages of development.
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Bottom Line
Although automation aims to eliminate manual effort, it’s needless to say that a machine can’t operate alone. We need a human to use a machine. Although automation testing has evolved a lot in the past years, manual testers’ importance is still there. A skilled manual tester can write test cases so that fewer automation scripts can provide huge coverage.
Even now, when AI and ML aim towards codeless automation, we still need manual intervention to configure the AI processes. And there are still some domains like user acceptance testing or UX testing where automation will fail to beat the keen observation and instinct of a manual tester. A company will succeed in delivering a product with the optimum quality only with — a proper strategy to utilize manual and automation wherever required.
What would be your say for test automation trends in 2023? Let me know in the comment section below. Happy testing! 🙂
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