Simplifying Manual Testing with clear concepts

Source: Dev.to

Manual Testing

• Understanding the Application – Helps testers explore workflows and user behavior.
• Identifying Stable Scenarios – Manual testing filters the right test cases to execute.
• Catching Early Defects – Quick validation during frequent requirement/UI changes.
• Cost‑Effective in Early Stages – No need to invest in heavy frameworks until the product stabilizes.
• Exploratory and Usability Checks – Human intuition finds what scripts cannot.

SDLC vs STLC – How Manual Testing Fits

SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)

A structured process for delivering high‑quality software efficiently. Main phases:

1. Requirement Gathering – Understanding what the business and users need.
2. Design – Architecting the solution.
3. Development – Writing and building the code.
4. Testing – Ensuring quality and identifying defects.
5. Deployment – Releasing software to production.
6. Maintenance – Ongoing support and updates.

This approach reduces risk and ensures predictable delivery.

STLC (Software Testing Life Cycle)

A structured testing process that ensures quality at every stage:

1. Requirement analysis (testing perspective)
2. Test planning
3. Test case design
4. Test environment setup
5. Test execution
6. Test closure

Terminologies Every Manual Tester Must Know

• Test Scenario – High‑level condition to be tested.
• Test Case – Step‑by‑step process to verify functionality.
• Test Suite – Group of test cases for a module.
• Test Data – Input values used during testing.
• Test Plan – Strategy, scope, and schedule of testing.
• Test Coverage – Mapping of requirements to test cases.

Types of Testing

• Integration Testing – Checking interaction between modules.
• System Testing – Checking the complete integrated system.
• Smoke Testing – Basic build verification.
• Sanity Testing – Quick check for specific areas.
• Regression Testing – Ensuring new code doesn’t break existing features.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) – End‑user validation of requirements.
• Exploratory Testing – Learning and checking the system without scripts.
• Ad‑hoc Testing – Random exploration without scripts.
• Unit Testing – Checking each unit performs as expected (typically done by developers).

Non‑Functional Testing

• Performance Testing – Testing under various loads.
  • Load Testing – Testing under expected load.
  • Stress Testing – Testing under extreme loads beyond expected capacity.
  • Scalability Testing – Assessing how well the system handles increased workloads, users, or data volumes without performance degradation.
• Usability Testing – Evaluating the user‑friendliness of the application (e.g., login, add to cart, checkout).
• Security Testing – Verifying the system’s ability to protect data and functions from unauthorized access and attacks.
• Endurance Testing – Testing system performance and stability over a prolonged period.
• Reliability Testing – Testing the system under continuous and repetitive conditions.

Test Case Design Techniques

• Boundary Value Analysis (BVA) – Example: Age must be 18–60.
• Decision Table Testing – Example: Login scenarios (password correct, user blocked, login outcome).

Future of Manual Testing in the Age of AI

The future of work is transforming rapidly, with AI offering new opportunities and challenges such as automation testing tools. While AI can eliminate boring, repetitive tasks, it won’t replace human thinking, judgment, and responsibility. Manual testing remains essential for:

• Exploratory work and usability checks.
• Scenarios where human intuition is irreplaceable.
• Collaboration between development teams and real end‑users.

AI is emerging in testing, providing smarter test‑case generation and predictive defect detection to focus on high‑value tasks. However, manual testers bring creativity and real‑world business insight that algorithms can’t replicate. In the future, manual testers will collaborate with AI, focusing more on complex problem‑solving in a structured way.