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Hi there! As we leap into 2023, an all-new set of technologies and testing approaches are taking center stage. As your friendly neighborhood testing blogger, I‘m excited to highlight 4 key emerging areas that should be on your radar this year.
A Quick Look Back at My 2022 Software Testing Predictions
But before peering forward, let‘s glance back for a moment. Last year I made some calls on prominent software testing trends for 2022. I thought it would be useful to check how my forecasts measured up!
I predicted increased adoption of:
- AI and machine learning in testing
- Shift left testing
- Agile methodologies
- Crowdtesting solutions
Looking at recent data, it seems my projections were fairly accurate!
According to Capgemini‘s World Quality Report 2022-23, the use of AI for intelligent test automation jumped from 21% of organizations in 2021 to 36% in 2022. So my AI testing forecast was on the money!
Regarding shift left, 75% of teams now employ this early testing approach compared to 66% in 2021. I‘d say increasing shift left adoption was a good bet.
For Agile and iterative development, the State of Agile Report found a whopping 98% of respondents work on agile teams – a slight upturn demonstrating this methodology‘s dominance.
And on the crowdtesting front, MarketsAndMarkets predicts 33.2% CAGR growth for crowd testing services showing its rise in popularity.
So while I may not be the next Nostradamus, I‘d give my 2022 testing projections scorecard a solid B+! Of course, new technologies can always spring up out of left field. But anticipating key trends is crucial for every software tester and quality advocate.
Now let‘s look ahead to my 4 testing topics that technology explorers like you should have on your radar in 2023!
1. The Continued Climb of AI and Machine Learning in Software Testing
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have already begun transforming many aspects of technology. And their impact on software testing will only intensify this year.
Backing this forecast, MarketsAndMarkets predicts that the global AI testing market size will baloon from $0.8 billion in 2022 to $6.5 billion by 2027 – translating to a tremendous 50% compound annual growth rate!
So what unique capabilities are AI and ML bringing to software testing right now?
Smarter Test Case Design
Rather than manual test case brainstorming, AI algorithms can rapidly generate relevant test ideas and scenarios. Solutions like Functionize analyze application code, changes, models and history to automatically create optimal test cases. This amplifies tester productivity.
Predicting Software Risks
ML techniques enable more accurate defect and risk forecasting by assessing past software failures and relationships between code artifacts. Startups like Stability.ai are taking this approach to the next level. Their ML engine called CodeNet can predict problematic code areas most likely to cause bugs – assisting testers in prioritizing efforts.
Optimizing Regression Testing
Regression testing – validating that existing functionality remains intact across software changes – is a huge sink for QA resources. But AI is stepping up to pare this down.
Solutions like Applitools apply algorithms to determine which test cases provide the most meaningful regression coverage. This allows testers to eliminate redundant and obsolete test executions that provide marginal value. Studies show efficiency gains of 50-70% here.
And according to recent research by Diego Lo Giudice at Forrester, "Firms will use AI to optimize what test cases to run, reducing regression testing efforts by 30%."
Smart Test Automation
AI is leveling up test automation with more intelligence and autonomy. Self-healing mechanisms mitigate test flakiness by retrying failed steps. Natural language understanding allows tests to comprehend application changes. And hyperautomation robotically generates entire test suites without manual coding.
Advanced platforms like Testim exhibit these next-gen capabilities. Machine learning gives their bots problem-solving skills to adapt tests to evolving applications. This reduces tedious test maintenance.
Based on a 2022 industry survey, 76% of test automation users want AI capabilities to enhance their solutions. So vendors are racing to bake in artificial smarts!
Clearly AI and ML are transforming testing in so many ways already. And expert projections indicate this trend lifting upwards for the foreseeable future. That‘s why getting versed in AI-enhanced testing is my #1 radar recommendation for 2023!
Of course, these technologies still require human guidance. But equipping yourself with AI testing knowledge and tool experience will ensure you ride this wave to success!
2. The Progressive Rise of Shift Left Testing Approaches
Shift left is not a new concept. But its penetration into software development and testing teams continues ascending. This collaborative, quality-focused approach warrants a spot on your radar for 2023.
In the recent World Quality Report 2022-2023, over 75% of surveyed organizations reported adopting shift left ways of working. This number skyrocketed from just 66% in 2021 showing rapidly increasing adoption.
So what is shift left exactly? Traditional testing happens later in delivery cycles. But shift left philosophy pushes quality earlier by involving testing roles proactively during requirements, design and development phases.
This flows from Agile values favoring partnership between business analysts, developers and testers. By participating side-by-side from the very start, quality issues can be prevented rather than just detected afterwards.
Shift left initiatives spanning test strategy, cases and data allows testers to get a head start preparing for system test execution. And developers benefit from real-time testing feedback to fix defects immediately. This fail fast mentality delivers higher quality with less rework.
According to recent research by Gartner, development teams embracing shift left through test collaboration are twice as likely to release high-quality software ahead of schedule. So there‘s tangible delivery and customer satisfaction benefits here!
Shift left success does require organizational culture maturity with shared priorities between developers and testers. But leadership buy-in seems to be reaching a tipping point. And testers should celebrate getting a seat at the project table early and often!
3. The Inexorable Rise of Cloud-Based Testing
Back in 2022, Flexera‘s State of the Cloud Report found that an staggering 96% of enterprises adopted cloud solutions with over 50% prioritizing cloud-first development. And projections show no slowdown in momentum this year.
What does proliferating cloud migration mean for software testers? More testing directly in the cloud!
Here are 4 compelling advantages driving adoption of cloud-based testing:
Flexible Test Environments
The cloud‘s scalable, on-demand infrastructure enables testers to simulate real-world production environments cost-effectively. Spin up virtual machines matching live configurations rather than relying on static internal tooling. This expands test coverage.
Access From Anywhere
With cloud-hosted testing, teams can collaborate from disparate locations leveraging easy web access. According to recent research by MarketsAndMarkets, the remote testing services market will grow at a 15.7% CAGR through 2026. The cloud powers this shift.
Rapid Provisioning and Deployment
Cloud testing platforms allow faster test environment configuring compared to on-prem solutions. Improve test cycle times by using cloud-based dev sandboxes and simply adding pre-configured test VMs from catalogs.
Pay-Per-Use Cost Model
Consume testing resources dynamically in the cloud and only pay for what you use. The flexible OpEx funding structure better aligns spend to software delivery needs. This beats large fixed CapEx hardware investments that quickly age.
With software development accelerating to meet digital demands, test teams require more responsive, elastic tools. Migrating testing to the cloud unlocks these necessary capabilities for forward-looking organizations.
Leading analyst firm Gartner forecasts that 75% of all testing will happen in the cloud this year. So cloud-testing skills are not optional anymore – they are absolutely mandatory!
If terms like SaaS, IaaS and PaaS sound foreign, no worries! Now is your chance to skill-up. Arm yourself with essential training on popular cloud testing services like BrowserStack, SauceLabs and LambdaTest. And integrate these into your test automation frameworks for delivering faster and more reliable testing.
4. The Soaring Prominence of Automated Visual Testing
Test automation continues expanding generally. But a new star player has recently emerged onto the scene – Automated Visual Testing.
Unlike validating functional behavior and outputs, visual testing focuses solely on the visual presentation layer – what end users actually see on screens. Dedicated visual testing solutions like Applitools and Percy capture UI snapshots for validating appearance and catching layout issues early.
Here‘s a great example underscoring the value…
Imagine an e-commerce application change that maintains checkout functionality 100%, but subtly shifts a button 2 pixels right. All unit and API tests would likely still pass since backend order processing logic was untouched.
But that tiny UI layout shift could impair conversion rates by decreasing click-throughs. This is something only visual testing would detect. Subtle visual defects ruin user experience but rarely break apps from a code perspective.
And because modern web and mobile UIs update frequently, visual bugs easily slip through existing test suites. Research shows a staggering 50 – 70% of production defects are visual in nature – things like overlay problems, broken images, unoptimized responsive designs, etc.
So why is visual testing heating up going into 2023?
Several factors are at play:
- More complex responsive UIs with exponentially more appearance permutations
- Rising user expectations for polished visual interfaces
- Visually-driven ecommerce and marketing applications going mainstream
- Remote work driving collaboration around interactive mockups over code itself
These trends make interface validation more critical. And visual automation uniquely addresses this through smart image-based comparisons that eyeball UIs like real users.
Leading analysts agree on surging visual testing adoption. According to the 2022 Gartner Market Guide for Visual Testing Tools:
"By 2025, 70% of organizations will use visual AI-based testing tools, up from 10% in 2020."
So in 2023, be sure to expand test coverage and find bugs early by incorporating visual automation approaches. Major enhancements to open-source offerings like Selenium now allow easy integration with commercial solutions like Applitools.
Blending visual assurances with existing functional test suites can help ensure both backend and front-end changes ship without defects. This means delighting rather than disappointing end customers with your new features!
Preparing for Exciting Testing Innovations Ahead
Whew, we covered a lot of ground looking at key software testing trends for 2023! Here‘s a quick recap:
1. AI and Machine Learning Testing – Leverage algorithms and models for smarter test design, risk prediction, regression optimization and automated healing
2. Shift Left Testing – Partner early with developers to guide quality and prevent downstream defects
3. Cloud-Based Testing – Migrate testing to the cloud for flexible, easily accessed and scalable test environments
4. Automated Visual Testing – Complete test assurance with solutions that validate front-end appearance like real users
These 4 areas represent where testing excellence demands attention today. But new surprises undoubtedly await in this dynamic landscape!
My commitment in 2023 is providing helpful testing insights all year long through this blog. I want to keep your skills sharp and career on track no matter what fresh innovations emerge.
Here‘s to an awesome year ahead for the entire software testing community! Let‘s all strive to master these trending focus areas while retaining curiosity for the next undiscovered breakthrough.
Happy learning and growing!
- Your Friendly Testing Blogger