This presentation explains the evolution of web-based applications and discusses the top 3 challenges in testing them.

1. Challenges in Web
Application Testing
XBOSoft.com
www.xbosoft.com

2. About XBOSoft
• Software Quality Assurance Experts
– Software quality and testing consulting
– Software testing services
• Totally focused on software quality
improvement
• Totally independent from hardware/software
vendors
• San Francisco, Beijing, Oslo, Amsterdam
2

3. Agenda
• Evolution of web-based applications
• Differences between web-based
applications and conventional applications
• Testing issues and challenges

4. Introduction-background
• Web 2.0 technologies and Software as a Service
(SaaS) business models are here to stay
especially with today’s economic crisis
– No up front expenses-subscription payment
• Measuring and testing for quality needs to adapt
to new business models and technologies
– New definitions needed based on providing a
service rather than a product
– New technologies
– New expectations from more and different
users

5. Web-based applications
have come a long way
Print Web 1.0
advertising Web sites E-commerce
Telephone
Web-based applications
books
conventional Web 2.0
software Fully
applications functional User
applications> profiling, segme
>Higher ntation, personal
complexity ization
data collection
New
ideas, integrat
ed Web 3.0
platforms, mo
Information Semantic
re
integration Web
components

6. Differences between web-based, Web 1.0, and Web 2.0
applications and conventional software applications
Web-based 1. User diversity
applications
2. Uncontrolled and
unpredictable use
Web 1.0 scenarios
3. Service quality versus
product quality
Conventional 4. Gap between developers
Software and users
Web 2.0
Applications 5. Focus on user interface
6. Accessibility
7. Information and data
driven
8. Platform and architecture
Web 3.0

7. Differences between web-based applications and
conventional software applications

8. Testing Web-based software applications
• Web based Applications are increasingly
becoming more feature rich.
– Expected to have „look and
feel‟, aesthetic and graphic appeal.
– Users expect web applications have to
offer high-performance, reliable, and
easy-to-use services round the clock.
Making sure it works is just
the beginning

9. Testing Web-based software applications
• Testing these applications with growing
features is more complex.
– Traditional test methods and techniques
concentrate largely on testing functional
requirements and do not focus on the
broader quality requirements important
for Web application users
• Performance
• Usability
• Security
Making sure it works is just
the beginning

10. Factors effecting Testing of Web Applications
• Global availability and usage lead to
challenges with in multi-linguality and
usability
– Must recognize cultural
interdependencies, i.e. reading orders in
different cultures (e.g., Arabic, Chinese)
imply specific lateral navigation aids in
the browser window.
– Different lengths of text messages in
different languages - layout difficulties.

11. Factors effecting Testing of
Web Applications
• Numerous Application Usage (Entry – Exit)
Paths are possible:
– Different users follow different application
usage paths.
• For example in an online banking application a user
may directly go to “Bill Pay” page and other users
may check account balances, view previous
transactions and then “Bill Pay”.
– Large number of usage paths are possible and
all are supposed to work
– All Permutations and Combinations need to be
tested
You don’t know how users will use the application
Or where they will come from

12. Factors effecting Testing of
Web Applications
• People with varying backgrounds & technical skills
may use the application:
– Not all applications are self explanatory to all people
• For instance a Business Intelligence application
with “Drill-Down-Reports” may work out for certain
users but not for others.
– These factors should be designed in and tested in
usability testing of the applications.
– There is no longer a manual
• Online help
• Error messages
• Design for intuitiveness
– Easy of use for the masses
– Customizable and efficient for experts

13. Factors effecting Testing of Web Applications
• Many different software components (e.g., Web
servers, databases, middleware) and integrated
systems (e.g., ERP systems, content management
systems)
– Supplied by different vendors
– Upgrades or migrations of different components may
impact functionality of the application
• Need for increased frequency of regression and
smoke tests
– Frequent changes in platforms, operating systems,
internet technologies and configurations (not just your
side, but also the customer side)
• Browsers X operating systems x languages

14. Factors effecting Testing of Web
Applications
• Firewalls and virus software
– Different behavior across firewalls.
– Applications may have certain web services
or may operate on different ports that may
have been blocked.
• Security Aspects
– Crucial to test the security strength of the
application and safekeeping of personal or
sensitive information
– Privilege escalation
– Injections, etc…

15. Summary
• Success for web applications includes more than ‘it
works with no bugs”:
– Diverse audience leading to wide range of
requirements and expectations
• Crashing and system resets not acceptable
• Customers can easily switch
• Look and feel/aesthetics important across many platforms
– Test Cases should be written covering the different
scenarios not only for functional usage but also
technical considerations for end user and operational
platform variations
– Performance, security and user experience are key
success factors