Codeless Automation Testing- What, How, and Why

The software development engine is set to grow more aggressive than Alfa-X.

Software development companies experience tremendous pressure to pick speed- to assess market needs, shorten release cycles, introduce updated features, and respond to changing trends. While the Development teams answered these demands with agile and DevOps processes, the Test teams fell behind. Automated testing did resolve these issues – by eliminating mundane manual testing activities. However, it was not always practical to automate large test suites. The time and effort needed to automate large test suites failed to keep up the Test teams’ pace.

Also, as most tools are code-reliant to automate tests, automation became impractical for manual testers. The age-old attitude that testers must know to code is giving way to the gradual acceptance that testers are not programmers. This acceptance resulted in Codeless Automation. Codeless Automation Testing was the coming of age for the Testing engine- where we abhorred time-consuming, and code-based processes in favor of easy-to-use and interactive tools to enhance the testing process.

What is Codeless Automation

Codeless Automation means to automate your tests without having to write codes. Testers can avail drag and drop features to create tests. One can run them simultaneously as they can operate in multiple browsers and environments. So does Codeless automation eliminate the need to code? Not really. Codeless testing tools provide a user-friendly GUI to the users and let them record the test steps. While you work on your test steps, the tool records it and creates the automation script that you can later run at large. In short, the tool minimizes your efforts to write massive chunks of code and breaks it down into simple activities instead.

How does Codeless Automation work

Testers can create test cases by choosing objects and adding operations to them. Codeless automation tools function very similar to the apps we interact daily: drag and drop, button selection, action recorder, playback. A host of tools offer varied functionalities that you can customize per requirements. Careful tool selection is a primary criterion for making Codeless Automation a success in your Product Testing cycle.

Modern codeless automation tools leverage interactive UI to create a less-daunting interface for testers. These tools are equipped with machine learning and analytics frameworks that detect changes in the app, enable self-healing, modify elements on the fly, and adapt the process accordingly. This makes the ‘record and play’ feature of these tools self-reliant, giving them the edge over legacy automation tools.

Why you need to consider Codeless Automation Testing for your team

Here are 5 reasons how Codeless Testing Automation tools augment productivity levels of your existing test teams:

1. Stay at par with Dev team

Traditional QA tools require days to weeks of a timeline to create automated test scenarios. The visual UI workflows, on the other hand, make automation easy to implement. Testers can avoid complex codes and frameworks and start automating cases without wasting much time.

2. Scale Automation testing

Codeless Automation allows testers to capitalize on continuous testing opportunities instead of running time-consuming manual tests. Because of automating most of the testing cycle, there is a considerable reduction in feedback cycles and the overall testing process.

3. Lower Maintenance

The best way to reduce the cost of automated testing is to make the process faster and more accessible. ‘Codeless’ dramatically reduces the need for code-based debugging making test maintenance easier.

4. Increased testers’ effectiveness

Codeless Automation allows testers to undertake more research-based testing, instead of being bogged down by never-ending code. It lets testers focus their efforts on testing functionality and evaluating the user experience rather than struggling with test creation.

5. User-friendly

Code-based testing can be exhaustive and frustrating. The visual and interactive appeal of Codeless Automation greatly enhances test creation. The ease of use even enables manual testers to carry out automation, as Codeless reduces the skills disparity.

How To Implement Codeless Automation In Your Team

Before you finalize on moving to codeless, you ought to know that you can’t do away with manual testing altogether. Some tests still require to be monitored manually.

a. Start small: Before completely migrating to the codeless process, it is advisable first to define and run trivial tests and ensure they meet the requirements. Gradually you can move the more significant test flows to codeless automation. Identify time-consuming and repetitive tests and move them to codeless.

b. Reuse your tests: It is essential to build smart scripts to minimize bugs. These scripts will need minimum iterations in case of a change in app or testing scenarios.

c. Hybrid Testing: The best way to approach codeless would be to adopt a hybrid approach. A right mix of manual, automation and codeless can prove to be easier to migrate, apply and reap faster RoI for your investments.

Conclusion

Codeless Automation Testing has a number of benefits for the testing process- be it agile or waterfall methods. Its adaptability and ease of use make it a perfect fit for agile projects even in cases of tight deadlines and limited scope. The elimination of code creation and interactive GUI creates a fair playing field for all members- developers, manual and automation testers alike – to synchronize and collaborate throughout the process. As mentioned earlier, you need to ease into Codeless Automation with deliberate strategizing to create a solid foundation to scale and expand your future testing strategies. Teams adopting the right approach will ultimately profit with higher visibility, collaboration, and enhanced test automation analysis.

Not sure where to start with codeless? We can help you visualize the best Test Automation solutions for your team.