How Human Factors can affect Software Testing and QA?
From identifying and reporting defects to preventing defects, software testing has seen changes with time. Today, there are a number of software solutions to choose from, which has changed the way software is being developed and tested. Human factors like user experience, user behavior, and user requirement plays key role in determining the quality of software. That is the reason software testing has been converging with programming for quite some time.
Significance of Human Factor in Testing
Software testing not only ensures a bug free product, but also minimizes the usability gaps in the product. Software testers consider user factors and provide feedback based on that. In this way they try to cover the maximum scenarios possible considering the user behavior and experience.
Let’s take an example. While filling a transaction page, a user might not have the required information to fill the fields, e.g. debit card pin. He can either go back and provide the required information or cancel the transaction. However, in the worst case, the browser can reload or process an incorrect transaction due to a bug.
Such scenarios often get missed while testing, as they are not provided in the requirement sheet. Such situation can impact the users, resulting in a loss. This can be avoided by considering human factors like behavior, experience, and requirements while testing. In fact, there are different test methodologies like regression testing, exploratory testing, and usability testing that consider user experience by making the testers act like users.
Role of Testers as a User
We have seen testers adopting more agile and DevOps practices in the recent past, which has redefined software testing to some extent. Being an important part of the SDLC, such practices are no longer confined to development phase. This has evolved the role of testers to an important contributor in SDLC.
There are many testers who have enhanced their skills and help in fixing the code as well. Though software testing is their prime focus, coding skills has always proven to be a value addition.
With the focus on simplified solution and shorter release cycle, the testers must also consider user experience. The agile and DevOps practice have made a significant turnaround in adverse situations. Today, software quality is a collective responsibility of testers and developers, where one needs to quickly adapt according to the need of customers. The scope of involvement of both results in removing any communication gaps between them, ensuring a high quality product.