Why Manual Testing Still Matters?

Nishil Patel

Nishil Patel

Sep 25, 2024

5 min read

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Why Manual Testing Still Matters?

Manual testing has been part of the software world for decades, but with automation tools becoming more popular, teams are starting to question if it’s still necessary. The truth is, automation isn’t always the best tool for every setup. This article explains why manual testing remains important and where the human touch makes all the difference.

Table of Contents

1.

Introduction

2.

What is Manual Testing?

3.

Can You Replace Manual Testing with Automation?

4.

Why Manual Testing Still Matters

5.

Debunking Myths Around Automation Testing

6.

How BetterBugs Can Help in Manual Testing?

7.

FAQs

Introduction

Automation has made incredible strides in the past decade, bringing faster testing, greater scalability, and the ability to run scripts tirelessly. It’s helped companies save time and cut costs significantly. But has this rise in automation pushed manual testing to the sidelines? Not quite.

In this article, we’ll explore why manual testing still plays a vital role in today’s automation-driven world. You’ll discover the key benefits of manual testing, its importance in the software lifecycle, and why automation isn’t always the right choice. Let’s dive in!

What is Manual Testing?

Manual testing relies on human testers to carry out test cases step-by-step rather than using automated scripts. The goal is to spot bugs or issues in the software by mimicking how users interact with it and making sure the application works as it should. 

Here’s an example of “manually testing” a fitness-tracking app that monitors physical activities, dietary habits, and sleep patterns.

Example Test Case 1: Verify activity tracking accuracy.

Steps:

  1. Open the app and start tracking a walk.
  2. Walk a specific distance (e.g., 1 mile) while the app is active.
  3. Stop tracking and check the recorded distance.

Expected Result: 

The app should accurately reflect the distance walked.

Manual Observation: 

Testers can note any discrepancies and assess how the app handles interruptions (e.g., incoming calls).

Example Test Case 2: Assess user input for dietary logging.

Steps:

  1. Navigate to the food diary section.
  2. Manually enter various food items with differing serving sizes (e.g., fruits, meals, snacks).
  3. Check for any system prompts or suggestions while entering data.

Expected Result: 

The app should accept the inputs without errors and provide accurate nutritional information.

Manual Observation: 

Testers can assess how easy or frustrating it is to log food, pinpointing any potential pain points for users.

Example Test Case 3: Evaluate sleep tracking feature.

Steps:

  1. Activate sleep tracking before going to bed.
  2. Sleep for a designated period (e.g., 8 hours).
  3. Wake up and stop tracking.
  4. Review the recorded sleep data.

Expected Result: 

The app should accurately display sleep duration and quality (e.g., deep sleep, light sleep).

Manual Observation: 

Testers can assess whether the sleep data is displayed clearly and in a way that's easy for even beginners to understand.

Also Read: What are the Types of Software Testing Tools? 

Can You Replace Manual Testing with Automation?

Replacing manual testing entirely with automation isn't typically feasible or advisable. While automation can significantly enhance efficiency, coverage, and repeatability, there are areas where manual testing remains essential:

  • Exploratory Testing: Manual testers can explore the application, discover unexpected behaviors, and provide insights that automated tests might miss.
  • User Experience: Evaluating the user interface and experience often requires human judgment and empathy that automation can't replicate.
  • Ad-hoc Testing: Quick, unstructured testing sessions can be done more effectively by humans who can adapt on the fly.
  • Complex Test Cases: Some test scenarios may involve complex user interactions or require an understanding of the business context that automation struggles to grasp.
  • Setup and Maintenance: Automated tests require initial setup and ongoing maintenance, which can sometimes be resource-intensive.

Also Read: Test Automation 101: A Comprehensive Guide

Why Manual Testing Still Matters

Manual methods excel in diagnosing flaky tests, adapting to agile workflows, and addressing the nuances of mobile interactions, making it the most effective system for ensuring overall software quality. Here’s why manual testing still matters:

#1 - Human Eye

Some test cases need a trained human eye to spot issues that are difficult or not cost-effective to automate. For example, identifying bugs in a software's visual appeal, user interface, and accessibility often requires human judgment.

Also Read: What’s a Bug Lifecycle?

#2 - Incentive for Exploratory and Ad-hoc Testing

Exploratory testing allows testers to navigate the system using their curiosity and critical thinking to uncover defects not usually addressed by pre-defined test cases. This approach lets them test freely, without strict rules or plans. Similarly, ad-hoc testing takes a more informal route, focusing on finding defects through random checks and spontaneous exploration.

#3 - Flaky Tests Grow Loopholes

Flaky tests can yield inconsistent results—passing or failing without any changes to the inputs—which may lead to confusion. Here are some examples of flaky tests and how manual testers can help diagnose them:

  • UI Tests: A test that checks whether a button is visible may pass one time and fail another due to timing issues in rendering. Manual testers can observe the UI in real time to determine if the button appears consistently across different scenarios.
  • API Tests: An API call that intermittently returns different response times can cause tests to fail randomly. Manual testers can make direct API calls and monitor responses to pinpoint conditions under which the failures occur.
  • Database Tests: A test that checks for data consistency might pass if the data is cached but fails if the cache is cleared. Manual testers can analyze the database and cache states to understand the discrepancies.

Also Read: What’s the Average Cost of a Software Bug?

#4 - Business + Software Logic Isn’t Obvious

Automated tests often rely on set scripts and scenarios, which can miss the subtle details of how people actually use the software. That’s why manual testing is so important. Human testers bring their real-world experience to the table, helping to ensure the system aligns with business needs, validates user flows, and catches those tricky edge cases that automation might overlook.

#5 - Agile Workflows Can Pose Challenges for Automation 

Automation often has a hard time keeping pace with agile projects, where requirements change frequently and project scopes are regularly updated. In these environments, automation scripts can quickly become outdated, leading to the need for constant maintenance and additional resources.

Also Read: Best Practices for QA in Agile Workflows

#6 - Mobile Testing is Complicated Without Manual Methods

Automated tools often struggle to capture the subtle nuances of user interactions, making manual testing a better fit in many cases. For example, automating touch gestures on mobile devices can be tricky because user behavior varies widely—things like swipe speed and pressure sensitivity are best evaluated through direct human interaction.

#7 - Complements Test Automation

A mix of manual and automation works best to ensure the overall quality of a system. For instance, manual testing can be prioritized for high-risk areas where automated tests may not adequately cover potential issues. On the contrary, stable, monotonous, and error-prone tasks can be performed using test automation.

Also Read: Top 40 Automation Testing Interview Questions

Debunking Myths Around Automation Testing

Myth 1: Automation Doesn’t Require Oversight 

Although automation is a powerhouse for tackling repetitive and error-prone tasks, it thrives best when paired with human oversight. Think of it like a dance: humans bring the intuition needed to interpret test results, keep an eye on automation's performance, pivot strategies to meet shifting business demands, and unravel complex issues that automation might miss.

Myth 2: Automation Takes Away The Need for Manual Testing 

Testing methods such as UI/UX testing, exploratory testing, ad-hoc testing, and accessibility testing mostly rely on manual efforts.

Myth 3: Automation Guarantess 100% Test Coverage 

Achieving 100% test coverage—even with manual and automation combined—is nearly impossible. Factors such as system complexity, budget, and time constraints for testing, edge cases, and unpredictable testing circumstances can pose significant challenges.

Myth 4: Automation Test Results Are Always Accurate

While automated test results can be highly reliable due to consistent and tireless script execution, flawed test scripts can introduce errors with false positives or false negatives in test results. It’s a potential pitfall that’s crucial to consider and shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated.

Myth 5: Automation Catches Every Bug in A System

Automation works best for methods, such as end-to-end testingAPI testing, and regression testing. However, automation’s scope typically remains limited for these specific testing procedures and misses out on catching visual, intricate, or unexpected bugs.

How BetterBugs Can Help in Manual Testing?

What is BetterBugs?

BetterBugs is a bug-reporting Chrome extension that enables you to create and share technically sound visual proofs of software errors while running manual testing activities. Using it, you’ll never have to explain another bug to anyone. Just share the report using a shareable link. 

BetterBugs also includes an AI debugging assistant. Moreover, you can connect it with several PM tools and issue trackers and share the report with project workspaces without leaving your browser.

How Does It Help in Manual Testing Activities?

Here are features of BetterBugs ways that make it a must-have for manual testing:

Visual Proofs of Software Issus in One Click

You can take instant or delayed screenshots and record screens of software issues directly from your browser. 

BetterBugs -Bug Reporting Tools

“Rewind” and play

You can just use “Rewind” to get the last 2-minute recording of issues that just happened. Using it, you don't have to record issues manually. Once enabled for a domain, you can get the recording anytime to analyze issues that just happened.

BetterBugs - Rewind

Markups for Bug Report

You can add annotations and markups to the screenshots to help highlight the issue. BetterBugs has an annotations toolbar with several markup options, such as arrow marker, freehand marker, callout marker, and others. You can also annotate while screen recording sessions.

Also Read: Annotations 101: Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

BetterBugs - Top Bug Reporting Tools

Technical Details for Devs

With every screen capture, you get all the technical details of the issue auto-attached. Developers can use the information to reproduce the bug faster and get to the root cause of issues without confusion. Here’s what you get with every report: 

  • Console logs (Info, warning, log, network error)
  • Network requests
  • System info (timestamp, device, URL, resolution, and others)
  • Applicate state info (cookies, local storage, session storage)
  • And many others!

BetterBugs - Error Maping

Description Area

You can add text descriptions to your report to provide the whole context of the issue. Moreover, you can add tags, attachments (up to 5), priority levels, and comments to your reports.

BetterBugs - Bug reporting Extension

Sentry Event Logs from the Backend 

You can get all the event logs from your connected Sentry backend right within your bug report. Once connected with your Sentry project, you’ll have access to all event logs within the bug report. You don’t need to log in to Sentry every time something goes wrong. 

BetterBugs - Bug reporting Extension

Integrate with PM Tools and Issue Trackers

You can connect BetterBugs with several project management tools and issue trackers, such as JiraAsanaSlackGitHub, and many others. Once connected, you can share the bug report instantly to your project workspaces. You do not have to juggle using several tools to share assets with project tools. You can easily share everything from the browser by sharing the report link. It’s as easy as that.

BetterBugs - Bug reporting tracker

AI Debugging Assistant

BetterBugs also has an AI debugger. You can get auto-generated steps to reproduce, impact analysis of the bug, and bug diagnosis which enables you to get the root cause analysis using AI and debug way faster.

BetterBugs - Bug reporting Extension

Pricing

It’s available for free with extensive features on the Chrome web store and also has two pricing tiers with several advanced features: 

  • BetterBugs Pro at $4 per month
  • BetterBugs for Enterprise with custom pricing.

Report and Resolve Bugs 10X Faster

FAQs

Jira is widely used for tracking and managing defects and tasks during manual testing. Among test management tools, Zephyr is a popular choice for planning, executing, and tracking test cases. BetterBugs and BugZilla are lightweight and feature-rich tools for bug reporting and bug management activities. For cross-device testing cross-browser and compatibility testing procedures, BrowserStack is pretty well-known.

Written by

Nishil Patel | CEO & Founder

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Nishil is a successful serial entrepreneur. He has more than a decade of experience in the software industry. He advocates for a culture of excellence in every software product.

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Meet the Author: Nishil Patel, CEO, and Co-founder of BetterBugs. With a passion for innovation and a mission to improve software quality.

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