Checklist for Web Application Testing Before Release

✅ Checklist for Web Application Testing Before Release

Before launching your web application, it's essential to go through a comprehensive testing checklist to ensure quality, functionality, performance, and security. Here's a step-by-step checklist every QA should follow.

1. Functional Testing

• All forms are submitting data correctly
• Input field validations work properly
• Navigation links and buttons function as intended
• Error messages and success alerts are user-friendly
• Business logic flows are verified

2. UI/UX Testing

• Layout is consistent across all pages
• No overlapping or broken UI elements
• Responsive design works on all screen sizes (mobile/tablet/desktop)
• Fonts, colors, and branding match the design guidelines

3. Cross-Browser Testing

• Test in major browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Ensure consistency in layout and behavior

4. Compatibility Testing

• Test on different operating systems: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
• Verify performance and usability on various devices

5. Performance Testing

• Check page load time under normal and heavy load
• Verify backend response time
• Conduct stress and scalability testing

6. Security Testing

• Check for SQL injection, XSS, CSRF vulnerabilities
• Ensure login, registration, and password reset are secure
• Verify HTTPS implementation and SSL certificate validity

7. Usability Testing

• Test for ease of navigation
• Ensure error handling is user-friendly
• Check for accessibility compliance (Alt tags, keyboard navigation)

8. Integration Testing

• Third-party services (payment gateway, APIs) work properly
• Backend and frontend communication is stable

9. Regression Testing

• Re-run critical test cases after recent code changes
• Ensure new features didn’t break existing functionality

🔚 Final Thoughts

Use this checklist before every major release to catch issues early and ensure a smooth user experience. A well-tested application reduces customer complaints and increases trust.

👋 Hi, I'm Suriya — QA Engineer with 4+ years of experience in manual, API & automation testing.

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How to Perform UI Testing – A Step-by-Step Guide

🧪 How to Perform UI Testing – A Step-by-Step Guide

UI Testing, or User Interface Testing, ensures that all elements of your application’s interface function correctly and look as expected. It’s vital for delivering a high-quality user experience.

🔍 Step-by-Step UI Testing Process

1. Understand the Requirements: Review UI/UX design specifications and user stories.
2. Create a UI Test Plan: Identify key UI elements like forms, buttons, menus, and modal popups to test.
3. Design UI Test Cases: Write test cases that cover layout, responsiveness, visual appearance, and functionality.
4. Set Up the Environment: Ensure consistent browsers, resolutions, and devices are used for testing.
5. Execute Manual or Automated Tests: Use tools like Selenium, Cypress, or manually verify each UI element.
6. Log UI Bugs: If issues arise (e.g., misaligned elements, broken buttons), log them with clear screenshots and steps to reproduce.
7. Retest After Fixes: Once bugs are fixed, perform regression testing to ensure nothing is broken.

🧰 Tools Commonly Used

• Selenium: For automating UI interactions in browsers
• BrowserStack: For cross-browser UI testing
• Jira / Bugzilla: For bug tracking
• Chrome DevTools: For inspecting and debugging UI

✅ Best Practices

• Test on real devices and browsers
• Focus on both appearance and behavior
• Use screenshots or screen recordings for bugs
• Test responsive design thoroughly

📌 Conclusion

UI Testing plays a critical role in building user trust. A clean, consistent, and responsive interface can significantly improve user retention and product success.

👋 Hi, I'm Suriya — QA Engineer with 4+ years of experience in manual, API & automation testing.

📬 Contact Me | LinkedIn | GitHub

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Automation vs Manual Testing: When to Choose What?

In software testing, choosing between manual and automation testing is crucial for delivering quality products efficiently. Each has its strengths and limitations. So, when should you go manual, and when should you automate?

This post helps you understand when to use which, with real-world examples, pros and cons, and decision criteria.

What is Manual Testing?

Manual testing means executing test cases manually without any automation tools. Testers validate the application behaviour step-by-step.

Best For:

• Exploratory Testing
• Usability/UX Testing
• Short-term projects
• Ad-hoc or one-time tests

What is Automation Testing?

Automation testing uses tools and scripts to automatically run test cases. It is faster, repeatable, and ideal for large-scale testing.

Best For:

• Regression Testing
• Performance Testing
• Load Testing
• Frequent test executions

Manual vs Automation Testing Comparison

Feature	Manual Testing	Automation Testing
Speed	Slow, human-driven	Fast, machine-driven
Accuracy	May have human errors	High consistency
Cost	Low initial investment	High initial setup cost
Maintenance	None	Script maintenance needed
Best For	UI, exploratory, ad-hoc	Regression, load, smoke

When to Choose Manual Testing

• For short-term or one-time projects
• When testing UI and user experience
• For ad-hoc or exploratory testing
• When the automation setup is not worth it

When to Choose Automation Testing

• For regression testing on stable features
• For frequent or repetitive testing
• To test with large datasets
• To integrate with CI/CD pipelines

Real Examples

Manual Testing Example: Testing a new gift wrapping feature in an e-commerce app – requires human validation.

Automation Example: Automating login, checkout, and payment – critical, repeatable flows.

Best Strategy: Combine Both

Manual testing is great for early development, usability, and exploration. Automation testing is best for speed, accuracy, and scale. Together, they provide complete test coverage.

Summary Table

Scenario	Recommended
First-time testing of new features	Manual
Testing core flows frequently	Automation
Testing visual appearance	Manual
Testing across many datasets	Automation

Conclusion

Use manual testing for flexibility and human insight. Use automation testing for speed and reliability. A smart combination ensures software quality and faster releases.

👋 Hi, I'm Suriya — QA Engineer with 4+ years of experience in manual, API & automation testing.

📬 Contact Me | LinkedIn | GitHub

📌 Follow for: Real-Time Test Cases, Bug Reports, Selenium Frameworks.

Daily Routine of a QA Tester in a Product Company

🗓️ Daily Routine of a QA Tester in a Product Company

In a product-based company, QA testers play a key role in ensuring the stability, performance, and usability of the product. Unlike service-based projects, where tasks vary by client, product teams have ongoing feature updates, version releases, and regression cycles.

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⏰ Typical Daily Schedule (9:30 AM – 6:30 PM)

Time	Activity
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM	Email & Bug Tracker Check
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM	Daily Stand-up Meeting
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM	Test Case Execution / Retesting
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM	Lunch Break
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM	Feature Testing / Exploratory Testing
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM	Bug Reporting & Documentation
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM	Regression/Automation/Smoke Tests
5:30 PM – 6:00 PM	Sync with Dev Team
6:00 PM – 6:30 PM	Planning Tomorrow’s Tasks

🔧 Tools Commonly Used

Purpose	Tools
Bug Tracking	Jira, Bugzilla, GitHub Issues
Test Case Management	TestRail, Zephyr, Xray
Automation	Selenium, TestNG, Maven
API Testing	Postman, Swagger
Performance Testing	JMeter
CI/CD	Jenkins, GitLab CI
Version Control	Git, GitHub, GitLab

👨‍💻 Real-World Task Examples

• ✅ Retest Bug #456 on staging (Change Password issue)
• 🧪 Execute API Test Cases for "Add Product"
• 🐛 Raise new bug: "Search function returns blank results"
• 🔁 Run regression suite after a code push
• 📈 Share daily test report in Slack/Teams

💡 Best Practices QA Testers Follow Daily

• Update test case status regularly (Pass/Fail/Blocked)
• Verify logs during bug investigation
• Communicate clearly with devs using reproducible bug steps
• Use data-driven testing for forms and filters
• Track metrics like bugs found/fixed per sprint
• Participate in sprint planning & retrospectives

🧘‍♂️ Optional Additions (Team Dependent)

• Attend UX feedback or design review calls
• Join the release deployment validation
• Create scripts for generating test data
• Conduct a peer review of test cases
• Help onboard junior QAs or interns

📌 Summary

A QA tester’s daily routine is a combination of:

• Structured testing (manual, automation, API)
• Exploratory analysis (to find edge-case bugs)
• Collaboration with Dev, PM, Design, and Product
• Tool usage for CI/CD, versioning, bug reporting, and validation

👋 Hi, I'm Suriya — QA Engineer with 4+ years of experience in manual, API & automation testing.

📬 Contact Me | LinkedIn | GitHub

📌 Follow for: Real-Time Test Cases, Bug Reports, Selenium Frameworks.

Regression Testing vs Retesting – What’s the Difference?

🔁 Regression Testing vs Retesting – What’s the Difference?

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🔹 What is Regression Testing?

Definition: Regression testing is performed to verify that existing functionality still works after changes like bug fixes, enhancements, or code updates.

Purpose: To ensure that new code changes have not unintentionally broken existing features.

Example: A bug in the login module is fixed. After the fix, regression testing will check login, signup, and dashboard access—all related modules—to confirm that nothing else is broken.

🔹 What is Retesting?

Definition: Retesting is performed to verify that a specific bug fix works correctly using the same test case that initially failed.

Purpose: To confirm that the reported defect has been successfully fixed.

Example: If the "Submit" button didn’t work during the last test cycle and a fix was made, retesting involves checking that exact scenario again to verify that the bug is resolved.

🆚 Key Differences Between Regression Testing and Retesting

Criteria	Regression Testing	Retesting
Definition	Testing to confirm that new changes haven’t broken existing features	Testing to confirm a specific bug has been fixed
Test Case Used	Reusable old test cases	Same test case that failed earlier
Scope	Broad – covers multiple related modules	Narrow – focuses only on the fixed defect
Execution	Can be automated	Usually manual (critical checks)
Priority	After every build or code change	After a particular defect is fixed
Objective	Find side effects of changes	Verify that the fix works correctly
Dependency	Can be performed even if no bugs are found	Performed only when a bug is reported and fixed

🧪 Real-World Example

Scenario: A defect was found where the "Change Password" button was not working.

• Retesting: Check only the "Change Password" feature to verify the bug is fixed.
• Regression Testing: Check "Change Password", "Update Profile", "Login", "Logout"—all related user settings to ensure nothing else broke due to the fix.

✅ When to Use

Situation	Use
You fixed a known bug	✅ Retesting
You added a new feature or updated the codebase	✅ Regression Testing
Before a release or sprint demo	✅ Regression Testing
Verifying if a previously failed test now passes	✅ Retesting

📌 Conclusion

Retesting is about checking the fix.

Regression Testing is about checking the impact of the fix.

Both are essential for quality assurance. Retesting ensures bugs are fixed; regression ensures new bugs aren’t introduced.

👋 Hi, I'm Suriya — QA Engineer with 4+ years of experience in manual, API & automation testing.

📬 Contact Me | LinkedIn | GitHub

📌 Follow for: Real-Time Test Cases, Bug Reports, Selenium Frameworks.