Testing visual QA basically involves inspecting a web application’s user interface to ensure it appears as intended.
The main objective of the testing procedure is to identify visual errors, such as the misalignment of objects.
Of course, any web page needs to be visually right, so visual QA testing is an important step to take.
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A Brief Overview of Visual QA Testing and Tools
If you do not want your website’s submit button to suddenly disappear or its text to overlap, you need to perform visual QA testing.
You will be able to create applications that are visually perfect, consistently, and quickly.
To test visual QA, you need the right testing tools. The first step is to use a test runner to write and run tests.
Basically, with test runners, you can create code that reproduces user actions. Each test that is carried out will have assertions that define conditions for passing or failing.
You also need tools for managing the testing process. For example, you will need a tool that can capture screenshots and compare them to your baseline images. Visual changes are highlighted, so it is simple for you to fix any errors.
Automated Visual QA Testing
The precise tools you should use will depend on your specific needs. First, you need to look at whether you will perform manual or automated visual QA testing. Then, you can select the right tools for your requirements.
The online test platform TestProject is undoubtedly one of the best tools available. The free, community-powered end-to-end test automation platform is suitable for web, mobile, and API testing.
TestProject is also ideal whether you want the simplicity of a cloud solution or the control of hosting your tests locally.
Regardless of the precise tools you choose, automated visual testing uses software that detects any discrepancies in your user interface, making the process of identifying errors much faster and simpler than manual testing.
It can take a while to find automated visual testing tools that are right for your purposes and have all the features you need.
Sometimes, what appears to be fine software does not look right to the human eye. So, some form of manual testing will be required when first selecting your visual QA testing tools, but once you find the right tools and learn how to use them, you can rely on them to provide accurate test results.
Manual Visual QA Testing
When you deploy human resources to look for visual discrepancies and inconsistencies across your user interface, it is known as manual visual QA testing.
Relying solely on manual testing is incredibly time-consuming and it never guarantees that all errors will be spotted. So, you should most certainly use automated visual QA testing tools if you want to ensure you spot all mistakes and problems.
However, as mentioned above, human assistance in collaboration with automated tools is often the best way of finding out whether your user interface really is error-free.
But as the process develops, and you begin incorporating combinations of screen sizes, operating systems, browsers, and orientations, you will need to rely on automated testing tools more and more, so it is important you select the best ones for your needs.
The Takeaway
While manual visual QA testing can certainly be beneficial, if you want to ensure your web application’s visual appearance is tested thoroughly, you need to use automated testing tools.
Determine what your needs are so that you can compare different automation tools and find the option with the features that you need.
