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In today’s world of software development, QA has become an important part of making sure that the product or application is successful. QA is responsible for making sure that the application meets the users needs and is functional. This is where manual testing comes in.

In this article we will understand the manual testing concepts, including its types and advantages. We will also learn the difference between manual and automated testing.

What is Manual Testing?

Testing is important in making sure that the quality and functionality of software applications is as required by the user. It goes hand in hand with automation testing and together they make sure the quality of the products.

It requires the human effort for testing of the software application. This helps us identify issues that are difficult to be detected by automated tools. It is a testing approach which requires testing software applications manually without the use of automated tools and frameworks. In the testing process, testers explore the application and write test cases to cover every possible condition. These test cases help identify bugs and other issues in the software. The tester executes various test cases and scenarios manually to validate the functionality and behavior of the software.

Different Types of Manual Testing

It consists of different types of testing techniques that are performed manually. Here are some of the most common types of testing:

Functional Testing

Functional testing is done to validate the applications features and functionality to make sure they meet the users requirements.

Usability Testing

Usability testing is the type of testing which is performed to test how easy it is for users to use the application, including its user interface (UI) and overall user experience (UX).

Regression Testing

Regression testing is performed after changes are made to the application and the new build is released. This validates that the existing functionality is not affected by the new changes. 

Exploratory Testing

In exploratory testing the tester explores the applications functionality to identify issues that may not be documented in test cases.

Integration Testing

This is performed to ensure that various components of the software application are integrated correctly and work together as expected.

System Testing

This testing is performed to test the entire system to ensure that it meets the specified requirements and functions correctly in a production environment.

Acceptance Testing

This testing is performed to make sure that the software meets the users requirements and can be accepted for deployment.

Performance Testing

Performance testing is the testing is performed to assess the applications performance under various workloads and scenarios.

Security Testing

Security testing is performed to identify security issues and make sure that the software application is secure from cyberattacks.

Advantages of Manual Testing

Testing has many advantages that make it an important part of the software testing process. Here are some of the advantages of manual testing:

Cost-effective

Manual testing is accessible to small teams or projects with a limited budget as it is a  cost effective testing approach. It does not require any automation tools or frameworks.

Human touch

Humans are required to use their critical thinking skills and expertise to perform testing. There are a lot of issues that can not be detected by automation tools and require human touch.

Flexible

Unlike automation testing where testers have to write scripts and maintain them so they work as intended, this allows testers to be flexible and adaptable to application changes. They can easily modify test cases and scenarios as needed to ensure the software’s quality.

Easy to learn

Manual testing does not require any specialized skills or programming knowledge. Anyone with a basic understanding of software testing can learn and perform testing.

Real-world testing

Manual testing allows testers to test the software in real world scenarios that may not be captured by automated testing. This includes testing the UI and UX and other non-functional aspects that are important for the applications success.

Early bug detection

Testing can help detect bugs early in the software development life cycle, preventing them from becoming more significant problems later in the development process.

Manual vs Automation Testing

Manual and automated testing are two different testing approaches that are different from each other in various aspects. Here are some of the key differences between manual and automation testing:

Execution

Manual testing is done manually by humans on the other hand automation testing is executed using tools and frameworks.

Speed

Automation is much faster than manual. Automation can execute a large number of test cases quickly and repeatedly. On the other hand, testing manually is time consuming especially for large applications.

Cost

Manual testing is less expensive than automation testing. This is due to the fact that it does not require any tools. Automation testing requires investments in specialized tools and resources.

Accuracy

Automation testing is more accurate and reliable than manual testing because it removes the possibility of human error. Manual testing is more likely to have human errors and inconsistent results.

Test coverage

Automation testing covers a large number of test cases. That is why it is ideal for testing repetitive tasks or large volumes of data whereas manual testing can be limited in its ability to cover a large number of test cases quickly.

Flexibility

Manual testing is more flexible than automation testing because it can quickly adapt to changing requirements and new features. Automation testing may require effort and resources to modify the automated scripts and test cases.

Why is Manual Testing Important?

Manual testing is a crucial part of software testing that cannot be overlooked. It plays a critical role in ensuring software quality by providing a human touch that complements automated testing, enabling early bug detection, conducting real world testing, ensuring flexibility, and achieving cost effectiveness. 

This helps ensure that software applications meet desired quality standards and specifications by providing quality assurance. Additionally, it complements automation testing, which cannot detect every type of issue. A balanced approach that combines both manual and automated testing can help ensure comprehensive software testing and software quality.