What is the disadvantage if directly go for automation without learning of manual testing?

While automation testing is a valuable and efficient approach, there are disadvantages to directly diving into automation without first gaining a solid understanding of manual testing. Here are some potential drawbacks:

1. Lack of Testing Fundamentals:

   • Manual testing provides a foundational understanding of testing principles, methodologies, and techniques. Without this knowledge, it can be challenging to design effective test cases, identify appropriate test scenarios, and interpret test results accurately.

2. Inability to Verify Test Results:

   • If you don't understand manual testing, you might struggle to verify the accuracy and validity of automated test results. A thorough understanding of expected outcomes and manual testing helps in ensuring that automated tests produce reliable results.

3. Limited Problem-Solving Skills:

   • Manual testing often involves exploratory testing and the ability to think critically and creatively to uncover defects. Jumping directly to automation may limit your problem-solving skills, as automation scripts tend to follow predefined scenarios.

4. High Maintenance Cost:

   • Without a good understanding of manual testing, there's a risk of creating automation scripts that are difficult to maintain. If changes occur in the application, testers might struggle to update or adapt the automated tests without a foundational understanding of the underlying functionality.

5. Incorrect Assumptions:

   • Automation tools work based on the assumptions and instructions provided by the tester. Without manual testing experience, you might make incorrect assumptions about how the application functions, leading to ineffective or inaccurate automated tests.

6. Limited Test Coverage:

   • Automated tests are only as good as the scenarios they cover. Without manual testing experience, you may miss critical test scenarios that are not easily automatable, leading to incomplete test coverage.

7. Overlooking Usability and User Experience:

   • Manual testing often involves aspects of usability and user experience testing that automated tests may not capture. Directly focusing on automation might lead to overlooking critical user-centric issues.

8. Difficulty in Identifying Defects:

   • Manual testing allows for intuitive identification of defects by experienced testers who can explore the application dynamically. Relying solely on automation may result in missing certain defects that might be more apparent through manual exploration.

9. Difficulty in Handling Exploratory Testing:

   • Exploratory testing, an important aspect of manual testing, involves real-time exploration of the application to discover defects. This dynamic and creative testing approach is not easily replicable in automated testing without manual testing skills.

10. Dependency on Tools:

    • Automation testing often involves using specific tools. Without manual testing knowledge, you might become overly dependent on these tools without understanding the underlying testing principles, making it challenging to adapt to different tools or situations.

In summary, while automation testing is powerful and essential, it is beneficial to first gain a solid foundation in manual testing. This ensures a well-rounded testing skill set, improves problem-solving abilities, and provides a better understanding of the application under test. Combining manual and automated testing approaches often leads to more effective and comprehensive testing strategies.