Is manual testing dying?

The role of manual testing in the software development life cycle has evolved, but it is not accurate to say that manual testing is dying. While automated testing has become more prevalent and is widely adopted for certain types of testing, manual testing continues to play a crucial role in ensuring software quality. The testing landscape has seen a shift toward a more balanced approach, often referred to as "shift-left" or "shift-right" testing.

Here are some key points to consider:

1. Automation Complements Manual Testing:

   • Automated testing is effective for repetitive, routine, and regression testing. It can quickly execute test cases, perform complex scenarios, and catch regressions. However, automation may not be suitable for exploratory testing, usability testing, and certain types of complex or subjective validations.

2. Exploratory Testing:

   • Manual testing, particularly exploratory testing, involves the tester exploring the application, identifying potential issues, and validating the user experience. This type of testing is highly creative and depends on the tester's domain knowledge and intuition, making it challenging to fully automate.

3. Usability and User Experience Testing:

   • Assessing the usability and user experience often requires a human perspective. Manual testing is well-suited for evaluating aspects such as user interfaces, accessibility, and overall user satisfaction.

4. Early-Stage Testing:

   • Manual testing is often performed in the early stages of development, where frequent changes may occur. Testers can quickly adapt to changes and perform ad-hoc testing to catch issues that may not be covered by automated tests.

5. Complex Scenarios and Niche Cases:

   • Some complex scenarios, edge cases, or scenarios with a high degree of variability may be more efficiently tested manually. Automated tests may struggle to cover all possible permutations.

6. Human Insight and Intuition:

   • Testers bring a unique human perspective, intuition, and creativity to the testing process. They can identify unexpected issues, provide feedback on usability, and assess the overall user experience.

7. Maintenance of Automated Tests:

   • Automated tests require maintenance. If the application undergoes frequent changes, maintaining automated test scripts can become time-consuming. In such cases, manual testing can be more flexible and adaptive.

8. Domain-Specific Testing:

   • Certain domain-specific or industry-specific testing may require manual intervention due to the complexity and specificity of the test scenarios.

In summary, while automated testing continues to grow in importance, manual testing remains relevant for specific types of testing and certain stages in the development life cycle. A balanced approach that combines both manual and automated testing is often the most effective strategy to ensure comprehensive software quality.