The level of human participation required for automated software testing depends on the test being carried out. The common misconception that automated testing can replace humans is a fake notion. Humans monitor most of the automated processes, feed data into the applications, and compare the output with the expected values.
That's why there is a need for the active participation of humans in test automation. Otherwise, how can you judge the functionality of an automated test without human participation? There are sharp differences that exist between automation testing and manual testing. Automation testing is usually carried out using tools, while humans mainly carry out all processes in the manual testing process. It's possible to carry out batch execution in automated testing because all scripts can be executed simultaneously, while batch execution is not possible with manual testing. In automation testing, the process is usually faster than in manual testing, and that's why automated testing is time-saving.
Human participation in automated testing
There are various solid reasons that determine how much human participation is required for automated software testing. Even though computers have powerful computing power, humans have superior brains. You need to understand that tool overloads in the test automation process won't replace humans soon.
Automated tools simplify the process by performing most of the tasks. That's especially when dealing with lots of computation and repeated tasks. Most of the automated tools function as per instructions fed at the input. Hence, you need humans to check whether the process is working out smoothly and actively.
Here are various reasons why active human participation is needed in automated software testing.
Humans judge situations
Computers work under instructions. That means if you direct your computer to perform a specific task, it will do those tasks only. But with humans, things are different. With just an automated testing tool, it's very challenging to discern if a process will be appealing to the general target customers or not.
But with humans, you can judge situations as per what's happening on the ground. That's why humans are needed in the testing process to validate and assess whether specific processes are working within their limits. Still, it's very challenging for a computer to judge whether the applications being automated in the user interface are pleasing to the target customers.
With the automated test, you can easily detect a broken link, but your testers will navigate the system and see exactly what's happening. There is no better judgment for software testing than the use of humans.
It's easier to sport errors
One of the reasons why you need active user participation in the automated testing process is that humans are better at spotting errors. Humans' multitasking ability helps them easily detect errors in the automation process. For the automation process to be carried out effectively, you must consider the following.
Computers are best for automation when needed to carry out processes that are so repetitive. That's especially true if you are running tests across multiple web browsers. But what happens when you want to move from point A to B? you must input some key parameters, and humans are also needed in the software development process.
Remember that computers only catch errors designed to catch, and you cannot overly rely on them. That's because they are limited in their scope of understanding of various programs. So, if something is wrong and the computer has not received instructions, it will not be covered in the article.
Initiating collaboration easily
Even though there are sophisticated automated testing tools, humans must actively participate in the process. Humans can easily judge the situation and stop the testing process from making the necessary adjustments. An automated tool will result in a significant loss if the process doesn't stop in case there are missing parameters.
Whenever humans detect new challenges not considered in the first phase of the automation process, they communicate with the other members who are supervising the process. This is where new collaboration comes in. In most cases, software testing is usually spread across multiple teams. The work is more complex if the automation process is being carried out with outsourced tools or teams.
So, one of the reasons humans should participate actively in automated testing is to spot those changes and communicate them to other team members. This shows that humans aren't good for snacking in automated software testing.
Humans write better error messages
Just imagine getting an error that you cannot interpret from the machine! There is nothing that you can do with the error that you received not unless you figure out how to fix it. Suppose it's a computer that's receiving all these errors, even including the unexpected errors. Most of the tools used for texting will display the error on the screen, and the whole testing process stops.
With humans, the situation is different. They will analyze the error and communicate the changes that need to be fixed in the system for the whole process to work harmoniously. That means the testers will recognize the common foible and recreate the error message correcting every inaccuracy.
On the other end, the team members will receive a detailed message about the error and how it can easily be fixed in different ways. This explains why humans should actively participate in the automation testing process.
Conclusion
Even when running the most obvious automated process, you need a supervisor to oversee the whole process. What automation testing does is that it reduces the number of humans needed by performing most of the repeated tasks efficiently. The above points explore why you need active human supervision to monitor the automated testing process of the software product.
