What is the Criteria to Choose the Best App Testing Test Automation Tool?

Success in any type of test automation depends entirely on recognizing the right tool. To accomplish your application development objectives, you need to select the right testing tool. Identifying the top test automation tools have become a crucial component in ensuring the quality and reliability of the applications.

We all know how crucial the role of testing plays in app development. It helps ensure that the final user experience is as seamless as was intended by your development team. With the constant evolution of technology, automated testing has become incredibly popular.

Nowadays, there are a number of paid and open-source automation testing tools to choose from. Selecting the right platform can be a daunting task for your QA team if they don’t know the basics. Listed are the aspects to consider to select the best test automation tool for your testing needs.

The Requirements of Your Project

Before selecting a test automation tool, you must carefully analyze the requirements of your software development project. The selected device should meet your project’s needs to save time and resources. Go through the below list to get a clear idea of the requirements of your app development project.

• The language in which the application was built by your team.
• The type of application that needs testing. Check if the team is working on a desktop or web application, Mobil or both?
• Assess whether you need cross-device testing or cross-browser testing. If you are developing a mobile or web application, you will need this functionality.

Once you have a clear idea of these requirements, you can easily select one of the best test automation tools for your project.

The Application Type and Tech Stack

While selecting test automation platforms, you must know about your application type and its compatibility with the other tech stacks. Different test automation tools are optimized for different applications, like web, mobile, APIs, etc. You should ensure that the tool seamlessly integrates with the programming languages and frameworks on which your app is built. It helps minimize disruptions to your development processes.

The CI/CD Integration Capabilities

The main objective of CI/CD is to decrease the TTM (Time to Market) by developing software or apps faster. With CI/CD integration, you can also make the overall testing process bug-free. Therefore, the tool you are selecting must support CI integration. Otherwise, it can reduce the effectiveness of the test in Agile projects.

Learning Curve

Your automation tool evaluation checklist must comprise the learning curve associated with the testing platform. The last thing you will want is to select a testing tool that your QA team finds challenging to work with. The efficiency of your team can be compromised if it requires extensive training or a complicated setup. That’s why you must search for automation tools that offer a faster learning curve and easier user experience. Your main objective here should be to select a tool that aligns with the skill set of your team.     

Evaluate the Tools and Vendors

Based on your project’s requirements, you should analyze the commercial and open-source tools in the market. Here are some ways to quickly evaluate tools and their vendors.

• Develop a shortlist of the tool which best meets the requirements of your project
• Carefully consider the reputation of the vendor and their after-sales support, total update frequency, etc.
• Assess the tool’s quality right from the demo session 

Consider Your Budget

Test automation can overshoot your stipulated budget in many scenarios. Based on your budget, you can choose an open-source or commercial test automation tool. The tool should provide a positive ROI to your team in the future.

Things to Know About Cross-Browser and Cross-Device Testing

If you are developing web apps or mobile apps, you’ll need a tool that can validate cross-browser testing and cross-device testing. It allows you to recognize and rectify issues that might arise from the variations in rendering and functionality on different platforms.

Scripting and Test Creation

Any suitable test automation tool must help you create and maintain test scripts. Therefore, you should carefully evaluate the scripting capabilities of the tool. Ideally, it will support numerous programming languages and offer a lucid syntax. Furthermore, the tool must also support reusable and modular test scripts to reduce redundancy.

Active Support for Test Data Management

Effective management of test data is essential for ensuring comprehensive test coverage. The automation tool must let you manage test data easily, including data-driven testing, data parameterization, etc. The tool should be adept at generating and manipulating the test data. It ensures that your app testing process goes through a wide range of scenarios.

Conclusion

The main objective of selecting an automation tool is to enhance the testing processes. Sometimes, the team spends significant time exploring the best automation tools only to get confused. We hope that these considerations help you evaluate and choose the right automation tool to streamline your QA team’s productivity.