Software testing is an important stage of the product development for each IT startup. Some owners may think that this step can be skipped. But not so fast! Such process helps to improve functionality, security and user interface. These elements can either create customer’s trust or break it. Serious enterprises have high-level teams, which are looking for bugs throughout the entire development process. The desire to avoid testing is understandable. But if an owner takes such a decision, the consequences could be unexpected.
Quality is one of the biggest reasons which explains the need for testing. Today’s world proposes a great number of different apps and products, so the competition is high. If a startup doesn’t provide a high-quality software testing solution, the chances to get customers attention are going down.
Why is it crucial for the startup to find bugs before release?
Debugging after releasing is very expensive and will cost you a reputation. It’s hard to get customer’s trust, but it’s easy to lose it. Promising companies, which avoid testing can fall into the trap of their own levity. According to IBM, the cost of bugs, fixed after the release, is up to 30 times more than if you “catch them” in the development.
The next thing you may lose is time. Most companies want to release their products as soon as possible, so they use outsourcing testing. Here is when nearshore or offshore IT-companies with excellent reputation come to the rescue. It’s important to mention, that nearly 60% of starters in Spain reported outsourced services as part of the core business, followed by nearly 50% in the UK and 41% in Germany. Thanks to the small time zone difference, European companies prefer to cooperate with a specialist from neighboring countries. Today such pleasant solutions together with high quality are far more cost-attractive.
Besides, unfixed bugs can also:
- lead to duplicate effort;
- disguise other bugs;
- lead to strange and unrealistic metrics;
- hinder short-notice releases;
- become a reason for additional financial expenditure;
- cause problems for future users, etc.
“Everyone has an idea, but it’s really about executing the idea and attracting other people to help you with the idea.”
Jack Dorsey, Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Twitter
What are the reasons for outsourcing?
According to the Deloitte major study of global outsourcing:
- 95% of global companies representatives think, that outsourcing testing is more profitable.
- 57% of respondents are sure, that thanks to the mentioned service, they are able to channel resources towards the most valuable business goals.
- 47% of specialists and starters consider that outsourced IT development can resolve all their capacity issues.
- 31% of IT representatives are sure, that outsourcing testing will enhance revenue and retention of a final product.
Why shouldn’t developers test their product?
Let’s say: you have a software engineer, who develops a product for you. You may ask: Why do I need to hire a QA specialist? The developer can test his work, find problems and fix them! Everything may seem so easy.
Unfortunately, it’s not. Since developers work on the software day by day, it’s difficult for them to stay objective when they start testing. A person, who sees this product for the first time, can make primitive mistakes. The creator wouldn’t even think to check the program’s reaction to such primal errors, so in real life, a problem might appear instantly. That is the main risk, which can provoke serious problems and financial loss.
Professional testers have absolutely another way of finding bugs. Developers and testers have different work areas and skill sets, so they can’t be interchangeable. Developers should build a code, QA specialists should test this code. And only in such a way the work process will be effective. Moreover, developers can simply have lack of time for testing as their primary role within each company is codding.
“If you’ve got an idea, start today. There’s no better time than now to get going. That doesn’t mean quit your job and jump into your idea 100 percent from day one, but there’s always small progress that can be made to start the movement.”
Kevin Systrom, Founder of Instagram
How should testing for a startup be performed?
- Exploratory test. This procedure creates a groundwork of quality and consists of an ad-hoc process. The specialist manually goes throughout the software, looking for hidden problems.
- Regression test. Every changing at the code is a little bit risky. The specialist has to start a regression test to make sure, that all the previous functioning features are alright. Usually, on this level of checking it’s important to implement the combination of manual and automated testing.
- Performance test. Loading time creates the first impression of the product. People today are living at such a fast rate, so nobody wants to wait for the end of uploading. Bad performance is the loss, you can’t afford. The loading process has to handle with traffic features.
- Design test. If you are working in the international market, people from all over the world will visit your website. So it’s a developer’s task to make sure that information displays correctly on the desktop. Of course, developers have to create the conditions for correct information displaying. Desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones on Chrome, Safari, or even the good old-fashioned Internet Explorer, can become a serious problem for untested products. QA specialists will optimize software for different devices without any problems.
- Security test. Users provide you with their personal data and any data breach can damage an organization’s reputation.
So, don’t make the mistake of skipping out of testing your product. You will save money but in the end, it’ll probably cost you, customers.
Believe in your startup and don’t let users slip through your hands. Contact us today to get a high-level testing consultation. Let’s make everything right!