Software testing is a crucial aspect when developing a new software platform, as it determines the quality of the software once a programmer has developed it.
It’s a particularly important stage within the software lifecycle because competition within the software industry is extremely cut throat; new and innovative technology is being developed every day. All software companies want to remain competitive and to do so it is imperative that they are releasing technology that is consistently of the highest quality. This can only be achieved through thorough testing of their product.
When software testing, a business aims to pinpoint defects or bugs present (if any) and make appropriate corrections, in order to improve overall system capacity and accuracy. By continually improving the parameters within the software system, testers and developers can ensure the system lasts longer and will perform resourcefully even if pressed to maximum capacity. They can also configure the software so that it will operate well, even when conditions are less than optimal. Considering that conditions are prone to changing within the software environment, this is a considerable benefit.
When testing software, there are two standard methods: manual and automatic testing. At aXcelerate, we engage in both and to ensure all elements of the system are tested thoroughly, we have two team members dedicated solely to testing different applications within aXcelerate. These team members are Ryan and Jenna, who both have a background in information technology and a keen interest in software programming.
Both Jenna and Ryan will divide their time managing the automatic systems we have in place to detect bugs or defects within the system (automatic testing). While this method focuses on identifying specific defects, both Jenna and Ryan also manually go through new features to test their usability and functionality. These tests focus on more ‘human’ based criteria. For example, if a feature is too ‘clunky’ or awkward to navigate through or whether a button doesn’t hover in front of a person’s eye for long enough. This ensures that when a feature is realised to clients, that it is not only working as it should but that is also as intuitive and straightforward to our clients as possible. Once these tests have been conducted, Ryan and Jenna report their findings and any bugs identified back to our development team, who work together to fix them and make improvements.
This process will be repeated until both the testers and developers feel the new feature is ready to be released to our clients. Without our testers, we wouldn’t be nearly as efficient when releasing new features, or have the ability to provide as high quality a product as we do. Consequently, the aXcelerate team would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all of their efforts. We’re extremely grateful for both Jenna and Ryan’s hard work and ‘bug-busting’ ability; aXcelerate would certainly be unable to run as smoothly without them.
(Our testers above: Jenna and Ryan)