Test Like an AI Rabbit, Mobile Testing and More

Have you heard of the Rabbit large action model and its potential impact on automation testing? What are the 6 software testing trends for 2024? And what are some of the biggest takeaways from the Catch Point 2024 SRE report that was just released? Find out in this LinkedIn Newsletter edition of the Test Guild News Show for the week of January 14th. So grab your favorite cup of coffee or tea and let's do this!

Automation Guild 2024

Only two weeks are left to register for my 8th annual online event, Automation Guild, a five-day online conference, and the community dedicated 100% to helping you succeed with automation testing in the new year. We also just added a further bonus, the Test Automation Accelerator. After the 5-day event, I will also bring you one new, interactive, and premium LIVE training (+ Q&A) session EVERY month — for nine straight months. That means that every month, Automation Guild '24 registrants will get a brand new training session hosted by one of our community experts. This way, you'll get expert guidance and community support on nine more relevant topics over the year — for FREE. Don't miss out register now.

6 Trends for 2024

First up, software testing expert Daniel Knott released his 6 top trends that he sees for 2024 like

• The increased use of AI in software testing for tasks like test generation and code explanation.
• API testing is highlighted as essential for all testers.
• The importance of Low-code no code
• Accessibility testing
• Security testing
• Mobile testing.

I also have most of these on my top automation trends with 2024, which I released a few weeks ago.

I was happy to see mobile testing on his list of predictions. And I think mobile testing is so important that I asked Daniel to join us at the Automation Guild to do a session on Removing the Pain from Mobile Test Automation.

So, if you want to make sure you're constantly up-skilling yourself to make sure you're more and more valuable to your company, head over to Automationguild.com and register today.

AI Automation Rabbit

I was on a call last week with Moshe Milman, just talking about things in general. He said, hey, have you seen Rabbit R1? I was like, no, never heard of it. So he sent me a link. It turns out to be a new AI-powered virtual assistant just launched at CES. About 15 minutes into that video, the founder of Rabbit mentioned something called LAM, Large Action Model, which was developed by Rabbit and the main takeaway from the LAM was. It was designed to interface with various applications in a more human-like way, bypassing the need for numerous APIs. It was trained by humans to recognize and interact with multiple app interfaces, such as identifying a setting icon or using a search bar, and it also has a way that the model can be taught a new task or retrained model. As I was thinking of this, I felt that even though this wasn't explicitly mentioned for the application of LAM, how about its application for software test automation and its potential capabilities? So, could LAM's ability to understand and interact with app interfaces be used for automation testing of software applications? You could train the model of LAM that allows it to learn and adapt to new test scenarios and how it can help streamline testing processes by reducing reliance on multiple APIs and interfaces. LAM could simplify and speed up the testing of software applications. Check it out and let me know in the comments if you see the potential for LAM for automation.

In Acquisition News

I'm always fascinated by companies that acquire other companies because it's a signal of where companies are betting and where the trends in the industry are going. One of them is Harness's latest announcement, which, last week, made a strategic move to acquire its venture-backed rival Armory, signaling Harness's ambition to expand its footprint and capabilities in the automation in the CI/CD space. This move is expected to enhance Harness's offering, providing more comprehensive and advanced tools for automation professionals.

Visual Match

I've noticed a few tools focusing on innovation in mobile test automation have emerged recently. For example, one tool, Sofy has just unveiled Visual Match, a new feature enhancing their scriptless automation platform. This tool is designed to streamline the testing of visual elements in mobile applications, addressing the common challenges we all see in this industry, and that is the need for more tooling and better mobile testing for automation of mobile testing. Visual Match allows software testers to fine-tune click targets and automated test scripts, improving the accuracy and reliability of the testing process. This feature is handy in scenarios where traditional identifiers like XML paths are ineffective. It offers a new approach to handling Dom structures, simplifying the debugging of visual design discrepancies, and helping to reduce flaky tests. This no-code solution platform includes new features like swipe until element found, manual override, assert, conditions at packages, and a whole bunch more. These additions help testers and developers maintain tests easily, making quick automated adjustments to test scripts and ensuring a flawless user experience.

AI for RPA

If you're dealing with RPA and want to see how AI can help you with your automation process there. Here's an announcement that you might be excited about, and it's how Automation Anywhere has unveiled a Generative AI-powered process automation solution as well. This technology was created to help speed up automated development to reduce cycle times. It's built on top of an advanced large language model and trained with data from over 150 million automation processes, enabling businesses to automatically develop and run complex workflows across various applications. The automation copilot solution for automakers offers a suite of Generative AI-powered capabilities that streamline the creation of enterprise-grade automation. It allows users to describe their automation needs in natural language, which the software then translates into efficient personalized automation. According to them, this technology is not only expected to enhance employee productivity but also promises substantial financial benefits with potential returns of up to nine times. The generative AI automation model is designed to learn and improve from user feedback, ensuring continuous enhancements. And so once again, another use of AI, and this one applies to robotic process automation.

LambdaTest + New Relic

Another trend I highlighted in my 2024 predictions is the need to develop for observability. This next news article highlights this as well. So LambdaTest has announced its integration with New Relic, and this collaboration aims to tackle the challenges in observability and streamlining the software development process, ultimately leading to faster product delivery. This integration makes a notable advancement in test automation, promising to enhance efficiencies and effectiveness in software testing and monitoring.

This development is particularly relevant for professionals to test automation as it represents a step forward in addressing some of the key hurdles of the software development lifecycle, especially in 2024. This move is on trend for what I predicted in my 2024 automation test and predictions with the rise of observability. When I see a testing company or a company known primarily for software testing investing in this as well, I feel we're on the right track of where we're going in 2024 and beyond, and that is observability. As a software tester, if you're not dealing with observability or need to learn about it, you should know more in 2024. One great way to do it is to join us at this year's Automation Guild, where we have a great session on observability and telemetry from a tester's perspective; this is another news trend going over some innovations in mobile test automation.

Low-code for Mobile Test Automation

And so here's another company (ContextQA) I stumbled across when I was doing some research on mobile testing news. They just announced a new feature that ensures mobile apps function seamlessly across various devices and operating systems. They also focus on the performance and reliability of mobile applications. This service also employs AI-driven testing to simulate real user interactions and identify issues that could impact app functionality. A key feature is its focus on real-world scenarios, testing apps under diverse conditions to guarantee optimal performance. It's also another mobile-focused solution with a Low-code, no-code testing approach. It also includes object recognitions for easy identification of UI elements, AI-powered self-healing, and adaptive test UI changes in cloud-based testing, eliminating the need for extensive infrastructure that large teams struggle with.

SRE for 2024 Survey Results

If you're a software tester, you should be involved in any testing or at least be aware of it. One of those areas is Site Reliability Engineering.

Here's a report on the realities of site reliability engineering in 2024. This report was drawn from insights from over 400 IT professionals globally. The report underscores the pivotal role of SRE in maintaining and monitoring digital services and applications. Some key findings of the report reveal a paradigm shift in the field, with a significant 64% of respondents agreeing on the necessity of monitoring productivity or experiencing disruption endpoints, even those outside the direct control, and this reflects a changing mindset towards greater visibility in reliability practices.

Also, the report delves into the impact of AI in SRE, with the majority of 53% view AI as a tool that will ease their work, with only 4% fairing replacement by AI.

Next Step

?? Join Us at the Premier Automation Testing Conference of 2024! ??

I'm thrilled to announce that our next online Automation Testing Conference is just around the corner, and you're invited to participate in this groundbreaking event. ??

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• Learn from the Best: Engage with top industry experts, sharing their invaluable insights and cutting-edge practices in automation testing.
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• Stay Ahead of the Curve: Discover the latest trends, tools, and techniques that are shaping the future of automation testing.

Event Details: ?? Date: February 5-9 2024 ?? Time: 10-6:30 (Eastern Time)?? Venue: Online at TestGuild Automation Conference 2024

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Let's make this event a milestone in the world of automation testing. Can't wait to see you there!