After reading this article you’ll know:
How to perform end-to-end and user testing
Best practices to overcome usability issues
The real-world scenarios for the above-mentioned test types
Building applications on the Betty Blocks platform is an exciting journey, enabling users to transform ideas into useful functionality rather quickly. However, before taking your application live, it's essential to conduct thorough testing. This process involves evaluating the application's functionality, performance, and user experience from the perspective of end-users. Here, we will delve into two key aspects of user-based testing: end-to-end testing and user testing.
End-to-end testing
End-to-end testing (also known as E2E) ensures that all components work as expected and the software application functions correctly in real-world scenarios. This type of testing verifies the entire application from start to finish, including components and integrations. E2E aims to confirm overall behavior, encompassing functionality, reliability, performance, and security.
Have a look at some of the steps to perform end-to-end testing:
Examine and analyze software requirements. Make sure you understand all the application functions and workflow
Set up a test environment aligned with all requirements
Define system responses and testing methods with clear standards
Design test cases
Execute tests, analyze, and save results
Certainly, there are many real-world applications of end-to-end testing, and the difficulty of them depends a lot on how complex is the application’s user flow. To make it as clear as possible, here are some of them:
Use case examples
Nothing works better for illustrating the application of testing methods than some real-world scenarios. Based on these, you can develop the steps for test planning.
Train ticketing system example:
Enter the valid link/URL, log into the system with valid credentials
Choose the source and destination, date of the trip, passenger class, and transport options
Tick the preferred options and select the number of tickets; accomplish the payment (though the same application)
The flow is going to end in receiving the ticket to be printed out; the copy of it is sent to the email address
Gmail account example:
Enter the valid link/URL, log into the Gmail account with valid credentials
Access the inbox and open the read and unread emails
Create a new letter and send it to the chosen email address
Reply and forward one of the existing emails
Open the spam folder (and other folders). Check emails collected there
Logout of Gmail
Evaluate requirements for testing, create suitable testing environments, and establish system processes. For instance, the login page for banking software requires entering a username and password, clicking 'Log In' or 'Sign Up,' and using 'Forgot Password' for password reset. Select testing tools, highlight necessities for each test case, and list input/output data. These preparation steps ensure successful testing.
Test scenarios
Working with end-to-end testing starts with designing these kinds of end-to-end scenarios. If you can’t come up with these yourself, our Services department can help you out by providing the test scenarios list.
Keeping track of bugs is recommended as well. You can set up the procedure yourself or ask Betty Blocks for help.
E2E testing can also be automated. Human testers perform manual testing, identifying hidden user interaction paths and aiding future test automation. Automated testing is a time-efficient way to create automated scripts that simulate real user interactions. It is recommended for extensive processes and large applications. Using tools like Katalon Studio saves time, discovers bugs faster, and aligns with the rapid addition of software features.
User testing
User testing verifies the entire application from start to finish, including components and integrations. Separate individuals interact with the Betty Blocks platform to accomplish specific tasks, and by doing this, evaluate and validate the application’s functionality and intuitiveness of user interface and design.
In the case of working with Betty Blocks, user testing is an ongoing and iterative process that can start at any point: from the prototyping phase to pre-launch. We recommend engaging real users of the application to handle the round of testing each sprint as it empowers a profound understanding of user behavior, facilitates the identification of strengths and weaknesses, and guides continuous improvements.
Follow the next steps to facilitate user testing:
Define objectives and user personas. Find out what is necessary to evaluate at a specific point in time and who’s going to do that. Testers can be divided into two groups: managers (administrators) and real users.
Create test scenarios. Similarly to end-to-end testing, it’s recommended that you define realistic and relevant test scenarios for the current state of the application. For example, if the platform is being used to create a customer relationship management (CRM) application, a test scenario might involve creating a module for managing customer data.
Engage the participants. Make sure that they match the user personas identified earlier and that they have a needed level of knowledge and experience.
Prepare the test environment. Check whether you’ve set up the roles and permissions right. Find some useful tips on Betty Blocks management here.
Collect the feedback. Use qualitative and quantitative methods of gathering information, and find the right approaches for specific cases. Analyze the pain points, pay attention to unexpected issues
Implement changes and iterate. This is pretty self-explanatory - make iterative improvements and repeat testing
It's worth mentioning that at this stage, the key stakeholders and the implementation team can perform a go-live readiness review - a deep dive into the status of your project. This review is a way to ensure all activities have been completed and that recommendations and best practices are being followed which helps the team anticipate unforeseen issues during the last sprints.
Use case example
Imagine you are testing a new feature in your Betty Blocks application for creating dynamic forms. The scenario involves a user and a business analyst, tasked with creating a complex form for capturing customer feedback. During the test, the user struggles to find the right configuration options and expresses frustration. This feedback highlights an issue with the user interface’s intuitiveness.
Upon analysis, you discover that the terminology used in the interface confuses users. As a result, you decide to iterate on the user interface by simplifying the language and providing clearer guidance. In subsequent tests, users find it much easier to create dynamic forms, leading to a positive user experience.
By looking at this scenario, we can clearly see the distinction between end-to-end testing and user testing. The user’s struggle to find configuration options emphasizes a user interface (UI) issue which the user testing aims to uncover along with other usability and user experience (UX) issues. On the other hand, if the testing goal were to examine the entire workflow, including functionality and synchronization with external systems, it would align more with end-to-end testing.
Summary
Although you can swiftly transition ideas to functionality with Betty Blocks, you should be aware of the issues that might arise in your applications before going live. Employing user-centered testing methodologies such as end-to-end and user testing, you can make sure all components function properly and your application has proven to be usable, reliable, and intuitive. You can benefit from user involvement and finally eliminate the issues that were overlooked during the development process.