Visual Testing Mastery: Experion’s Approach to Superior Software Quality

In the dynamic world of software development, ensuring the quality and reliability of applications is paramount, and this is where software testing comes into play. Testing is a critical process that validates whether software performs as expected, identifying any defects before the product reaches the end user. There are various types of testing, each serving a unique purpose: functional testing verifies that software features work according to requirements; performance testing assesses how well the software performs under stress; and accessibility testing ensures that the application is usable by everyone, including those with different needs. Visual Testing (VT) complements functional testing by validating the user interface, ensuring that it appears correctly across different releases and devices. 

Visual Testing is particularly significant in applications where the visual integrity of the user interface (UI) is critical, such as web, mobile and even automotive HMIs (Human-Machine Interfaces). These interfaces, found in car dashboards and consoles, display crucial information like speed, navigation, and climate control settings. Ensuring that these elements are visually consistent and function correctly is vital for both usability and safety. In the automotive sector, visual errors can lead to poor user experience. Therefore, visual testing ensures that all UI components on these screens maintain their intended appearance and functionality, enhancing overall user experience and safety. 

The process of visual testing involves comparing a baseline image, which represents the approved visual state of the screen, with the actual screen captured from the latest software version. Any discrepancies are measured against a predefined threshold to determine if they are acceptable. This method helps catch “visual bugs” that could degrade the user experience.  

Integrating visual testing into CI/CD pipelines automates the verification of UI changes with every code update, allowing for early detection of visual issues and maintaining consistent visual quality. CI/CD pipelines bring several advantages to the testing space, enabling continuous testing, running, and scheduling of test cases automatically with every code push. This ensures that testing is performed consistently and without delay, providing early feedback to the stakeholders. This automation speeds up the release process, allowing for faster deployment of new features and fixes while maintaining high-quality standards. 

Experion’s testing framework exemplifies this integrated approach, combining both functional and visual testing capabilities. This comprehensive framework ensures that applications not only perform their intended functions but also look as expected. By defining acceptable thresholds for visual deviations, the framework can accommodate minor changes while flagging significant issues that need attention. From a customer perspective, this means that applications are delivered with accurate alignments, readable fonts, and consistent visuals, significantly reducing the manual effort of eyeballing.  

From a customer’s point of view, visual testing addresses several pain points. It ensures that the application screen is aligned correctly, fonts are readable, and visuals are consistent, reducing the time and effort required for manual visual inspections. This leads to faster releases, increased productivity, and a consistent, high-quality user experience. Visual testing saves significant time and effort compared to manual testing, detects visual regressions and inconsistencies, and ensures that applications meet the high standards expected by users.  

Additionally, visual testing can be used in tasks that involve data comparisons on UI screens and document validations. Manually comparing data represented in a table format or validating paragraphs of texts is not only time-consuming but also prone to human error. Visual testing automates these processes, swiftly and accurately.  

A comprehensive testing process is incomplete without detailed reporting. Experion’s framework excels in generating insightful, interactive, and detailed reports from the testing process. These reports include key events, screenshots, and relevant metadata, providing a clear and comprehensive view of the testing outcomes. Customizable reports allow stakeholders to focus on the most pertinent information, facilitating informed decision-making. The reports can highlight any visual regressions, inconsistencies, or unexpected changes in the application’s appearance, ensuring that the final product meets the high standards expected by users.  

In conclusion, visual testing is inevitable in the modern software development lifecycle, particularly for applications where UI consistency is vital. Integrating visual testing in CI/CD pipelines ensures faster releases, higher productivity, and superior software quality.