The Dos and Don'ts for Effective Manual Testing

Manual testing is an important part of making sure software works correctly. It is indispensable, particularly during the early stages of product development when features and designs are frequently changing. While automated testing becomes more viable as the product stabilizes, skilled manual testers still hold a valuable role throughout the development lifecycle. 

Manual testing allows testers to adapt swiftly without the need for continuous updates to automated scripts. It also excels in areas requiring human intuition and creativity, like exploratory testing and usability testing, which are difficult to automate but essential for delivering a great user experience. 

In this article, we’ll guide you through the key dos and don’ts of manual testing. Discover the best practices for manual testing and how you can improve the overall quality of your software product.

The dos of manual testing

1. Test from users’ perspective

When performing manual testing it is important to step away from a QA tester’s mindset and think like a regular user. Consider how the product will be used in real-life conditions. Unlike software testers, regular users often approach the software more spontaneously as they don't have a predefined understanding of how the software should perform. Every software tester needs to ensure that the software not only works as expected, but is also convenient, efficient and satisfies the end user's expectations.

2. Keep records and document everything

Comprehensive test documentation saves time and effort, and ensures nothing gets lost or misunderstood during the manual testing process. It also serves as a valuable reference for future tests, regression testing, and communication with developers and stakeholders. Here are the main things you should keep records of:

• Test cases and test scripts. Make sure your test cases and test scripts are clear, well-documented, and traceable to specific requirements.
• Test execution results. Include the outcomes of tests, whether they passed or failed, with timestamps.
• Test logs. Recording manual test logs can help in determining what was done during exploratory testing, especially if any bugs were found.

Document all variables involved in testing, such as environmental conditions and the specific device models used. This level of detail provides a comprehensive picture of the testing process and helps reproduce issues and results when needed.

3. Use different test environments

Testing across different environments is essential to identify environment-specific bugs that might not appear in development but could surface in production. Each environment serves a unique purpose in the testing lifecycle:

• Development environment. Early-stage testing, usually the first level of testing after coding.
• Staging/re-production. A replica of the production environment where final tests are done before going live.
• Production environment. The live environment that end users will interact with. Testing here is usually minimal but essential for ensuring no critical issues exist in post-deployment.

Each environment may differ in terms of hardware, software configurations, database versions, and network conditions. Bugs can be environment-dependent, so testing in multiple environments helps ensure that the application behaves consistently and reliably in all conditions.

4. Balance attention to detail and big-picture thinking

Manual QA engineers must balance between focusing on the details and understanding the overall goals of the project. Thoroughly checking for small bugs, like layout issues, typos, spelling errors, or minor functionality problems, ensures the product is polished and professional. However, it’s also crucial to understand how each bug or feature fits into the larger system. Does the issue affect the user experience as a whole? How does the feature support integration with other parts of the software? Is it delivering the value the business wants to achieve?

Balancing both approaches ensures that you don’t just test in isolated conditions but understand how all the individual components interact and contribute to the end product.

5. Report bugs clearly

A well-written bug report is essential for quick and efficient resolution. Clear communication helps developers understand and address the cause of the issue without unnecessary waste of time. A good bug report should include:

• Title. A clear, descriptive title that summarizes the problem.
• Steps to reproduce. Detailed steps that can reliably reproduce the bug.
• Expected vs. actual results. A comparison of what should have happened and what actually happened.
• Environment details. Information about the operating system, browser, or device where the issue occurred.
• Severity/priority. An assessment of the bug’s impact on the application and its urgency.
• Attachments. Supporting materials, like screenshots, videos, or logs that visually or technically describe the bug.

Clear bug reports reduce back-and-forth communication, speeding up the debugging process and improving the quality of the application. 

You may be interested in: Best Practices for Effective Bug Reporting in Software Testing

The don'ts of manual testing

1. Don't test without an objective

Every manual testing effort should have a clear goal. Testing without a purpose is a waste of time and resources, and may result in incomplete or irrelevant test coverage. Before starting any test, it’s important to understand what is the feature or functionality being tested. Additionally, you should think about what you expect the outcome to be. And lastly, consider which risks or issues you are most concerned with.

Testing should be structured around validating the requirements, ensuring the product works as intended, and uncovering potential areas of failure. Look through test documentation to better understand requirements. Without a goal, testing can become aimless and ineffective.

You may be interested in: Common Challenges in Manual Testing and How to Overcome Them

2. Don't assume the application is bug-free

Even if an application has been through several testing phases, no software is ever entirely bug-free. Assumptions like “this feature has always worked” or “the code was written by a senior developer, so it must be perfect” can lead to missing critical bugs. A good QA engineer should remain curious and skeptical. Key things to keep in mind are:

• Implement regression testing to revisit old features that may have been affected by recent changes. 
• Test with different combinations of inputs, environments, and user behaviors.

This mindset helps to uncover hidden bugs that assumptions or overconfidence might overlook.

3. Don't rely on testing only happy paths

Happy path testing refers to testing the system under normal, expected conditions where everything works as intended. While necessary, testing only these scenarios leaves significant gaps in test coverage. A reliable test suite should also include:

• Negative testing. Testing how the application handles invalid inputs or unexpected user behavior.
• Edge cases. Testing unusual scenarios, like very large inputs or strange action sequences, that might reveal hidden problems.
• Boundary testing. Checking how the system behaves at the limits of acceptable input values.

Relying entirely on happy path testing is a recipe for missing critical bugs that can manifest in real-world use cases.

4. Don't work in isolation

QA engineers who work in isolation without communicating with developers, project managers, or other stakeholders risk missing important insights or misinterpreting requirements. Collaboration between QA engineers and developers is key. Here are some tips to improve collaboration:

• Discuss progress regularly. Keep the team informed about test progress, results, and any concerns. Regular updates ensure everyone stays aligned and can address potential challenges early.
• Seek clarity. Ask developers for clarification about any uncertainties to gain a better understanding and streamline testing.
• Share findings early. Report bugs and issues as soon as you identify them so that developers can address issues before the full testing cycle is complete. 

Working closely with the team fosters a more productive testing process. This approach ensures alignment on goals, reduces misunderstandings, and contributes to a higher-quality product.

5. Don't ignore non-functional testing

While functional testing is crucial, non-functional testing (such as performance, security, usability, and accessibility testing) ensures that the application meets quality standards in areas that are critical to the end user’s experience. Neglecting non-functional testing can lead to various issues.

Performance bottlenecks 

Performance testing, such as load testing and stress testing, should be part of the test strategy. These tests simulate heavy traffic or extreme conditions to identify the system’s breaking point and reveal possible issues. Software might work fine under normal conditions but break down under high traffic.

Security vulnerabilities

Security testing, including vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, is essential to identify potential entry points for hackers and strengthen software defenses. Ensuring encryption of sensitive data and following best practices for secure coding are also crucial. Lack of proper security testing can lead to data breaches or compromised user information.

Poor usability

Even if the features work, a confusing or unintuitive interface can lead to user frustration. Usability testing helps identify points of confusion or frustration by observing users as they interact with the software. 

Accessibility issues

Not testing for accessibility could impact users with disabilities. Accessibility testing involves ensuring compliance with guidelines like WCAG. This includes testing for color contrast, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and more. Implementing accessibility early in software development is critical to creating an inclusive product. 

Final thoughts

Manual testing plays a crucial role in ensuring software quality, but it needs a balanced approach to be truly effective. By following the dos for effective manual testing—such as testing from users’ perspective, writing correct documentation and maintaining good communication—critical issues can be detected early and ensure a better overall user experience. At the same time avoiding the don’ts of manual testing, like testing without a clear objective or ignoring non-functional testing, helps to prevent common pitfalls which can lead to missed bugs or incomplete test coverage.

Combining these best practices into the testing process not only improves the reliability and usability of the product but also enhances collaboration within the team. A well, fully executed manual testing process can lead to higher-quality software and more satisfied users, making it an essential part of the development lifecycle.

Are you looking to streamline your manual testing efforts? Get in touch to learn more about our QA services and what we can do for your project.