The Lessons I Learned This Year In Software Testing

It was only several years ago when I started writing Selenium tests, first with Selenium IDE, then in Java with Webdriver, then in Ruby with Watir. Now I don’t write a lot of Selenium tests anymore, ever since I found out that it is often better (faster and more stable) to write automated checks for application features through the API. Or through unit tests. Selenium has its place in checking user flows or automating the UI, but only if I have to, if its value exceeds that of its costs. There lies an important lesson in automation: there is not a single tool that does it all. It is us who decides which tool to use for a particular test, and it helps to understand if a tool fits the specific use case.

And I think I’ve familiarized myself with a number of tools this year: Postman for API testing, Winium for automating Windows applications, BackstopJS for open-source visual testing, Cloud9 for cloud-based software development, Phonegap for HTML-based mobile app development, Docker for building shareable self-contained images of applications for development or testing, PHP testing tools (PHPUnit, Guzzle, Behat), and source code linting tools like Rubocop for Ruby. I’m not a master of these tools, but I know enough to be able to decide whether I need them (or not) for a particular thing I want to achieve. They’re in my tool belt.

Needless to say, I have outgrown the hype of automation. It is programming and tooling at its core. It helps us perform repeatable tasks without breaking a sweat, not limited to testing apps, if done with care. It is not easy. It can be rewarding. It all starts with a deep understanding of what definite task or problem actually needs solving.

And this year’s experiences has lead me to better grasp the nuances of software development, which is actually a problem of people, of teams and their habits and biases. Our team certainly has its defaults, some of which are not helping us get better at what we do. And as such from here on I’d like to contribute in key areas I believe our programmers have not had much time to think about because of project deadlines and resource constraints – dockerized application environments and shift-left testing – solutions for providing testing feedback earlier in the software development cycle, which in turn can help us build better apps and release faster.