Business & Integration IT Consultant
Manual testing vs automation testing: advantages and disadvantages
Manual testing is at the beginning of every IT tester’s journey. Only when a junior IT tester – student has mastered creating manual tests can he slowly shift his attention to automated testing.
What is manual software testing?
Manual testing is a basic verification of the functionality of software, a program or an application, which aims to detect errors affecting usability. It is referred to as manual due to the fact that it requires human input. Thus, one manually checks the functionality of the software and looks for bugs.
IT testers uses manual testing especially for new code that they are not familiar with. We are talking about so-called exploratory testing. This is because the automated test is set according to the conditions that the IT tester defines when creating the test case. In order to know what to look for in an automation testing program, the tester must first familiarize themselves with the application and its functionality. Well, this is exactly what a manual test is suitable for, where the program is not guided by predefined conditions, but by the tester’s requirements in real time.
Types of software testing
Both manual and automation testing can be divided into several groups or levels. Each level is specific and suitable for detecting other software bugs.
Black box testing: testing software without looking into its internal structures
White box testing: testing the internal structures and functioning of the application
Unit testing: specific units and parts of the system are tested, they are often automated
Integration testing: testing the combination of modules and groups, looking for a match
Acceptance testing: a test of the quality of a product or service
What tools are used for manual testing?
As we wrote in our article on the most commonly used manual testing tools and test management tools, most testing programs allow you to create manual tests as well as automate them. Popular tools for manual testing are, for example:
Manual testing vs. automation testing
Manual testing cannot be replaced by automation testing – at least not completely. The manual test is a form of input that is required before the automated test can be defined. An experienced IT tester who works on a project requiring regression testing at the beginning of an automated test builds on manual testing experience. (Read the article What does a software tester do.)
Both types of testing have their time and place, and both have their advantages and disadvantages:
Manual testing advantages
- It can be used for every type of application
- It provides a high degree of flexibility and improvisation
- It helps in discovering new bugs in the application
Manual testing disadvantages
- It requires human intervention to perform the test
- It is time consuming
- It becomes repetitive for the tester
Automation testing advantages
- Huge help with regression testing
- It minimizes human error (if the test is properly defined)
- It reduces testing costs (in the long term)
Automation testing disadvantages
- It requires knowledge of programming when defining a test (e.g. JAVA)
- It can find only tester-defined bugs in the software
- Less flexibility and improvisation, not suitable for monkey testing
Continuous improvement and continuous delivery strategies, which we follow at msg life Slovakia, require a different approach to testing. Continuous improvement of the system means frequent code changes. Manually entering the test after each change would be extremely time consuming.
With a properly set up and defined automated test, the time, error rate, and workload for the IT tester is reduced.
Manual and automation tester salary difference
A software tester salary matches tester’s experience and the technology they use. In the case of manual testing, the IT tester is also paid for doing the test manually – as opposed to automation testing.
Nevertheless, automation testing specialists are better paid, as their job also requires a certain knowledge of code, which allows them to create test cases for automation testing.
Different job description, same company benefits
At msg life Slovakia we make sure that our IT testing teams are satisfied with the working environment and conditions. Although the job description of manual IT testers and automation testing specialists differs, employee benefits are same for all: pleasant atmosphere, fitness center, massages, corporate lunches, teambuilding events and many more.
Important is that the IT tester junior student has the opportunity to choose their path, whether it is progressing towards automation testing or towards a job as an IT tester consultant for insurance clients. One of the biggest company benefits is education, which can be applied in practice on projects.
