16 July 2024 Leave a comment QA
When conducting QA testing, you might encounter situations where refreshing a page multiple times in quick succession (e.g., 6x, 7x, 8x) triggers a bug. This issue can be random, with the number of refreshes required to reproduce the bug varying each time. This raises the question: Should such a scenario even be considered a test case?
Understanding the Importance of ‘Abusive’ Test Cases
While it may seem crude and not the most elegant of test cases, ‘abusive’ test cases like repeatedly refreshing a page are crucial for stepping away from ‘happy path’ testing and exploring the robustness of the application. Such tests effectively act as a form of crude load/response testing.
Even if this scenario is unlikely to occur in a real-world environment, discovering a bug through such means should prompt further investigation. Here’s why:
- It exposes potential security risks, such as incorrect or sensitive data being accessed by the wrong user.
- It highlights performance issues, such as excessive loads corrupting user sessions, leading to more refreshes and further server load.
Tests like these are akin to navigating back and forth between two screens repeatedly. While the software should theoretically handle such actions, what’s more important is what the software actually does in practice. Identifying points where “something goes wrong” is valuable, even if the method of discovery is unorthodox.
Considering Real-World User Behavior
It’s essential to avoid the trap of thinking, “the user will never do something like that in the real world.” Users can be unpredictable and may perform actions that developers never anticipated. For example:
- Users might rapidly refresh a page out of impatience if something goes wrong.
- Users with mobility issues or faulty hardware might unintentionally trigger multiple refreshes.
- Server load might cause users to refresh a page more frequently, leading to unexpected bugs.
Resource Management and Test Case Prioritization
While it’s important to include such test cases, they may not need to be run constantly. Instead, consider grouping them and running a subset periodically. This approach balances thorough testing with efficient resource management.
Additionally, engaging the team in identifying these issues can be beneficial. For instance, organizing team events to find bugs in creative ways can boost morale and uncover hidden problems.
Conclusion
In summary, while testing for page refresh bugs might seem excessive, it can uncover critical issues that impact the application’s performance and security. Including such tests in your QA process, even if only periodically, ensures a more robust and reliable application.
For those looking to streamline and enhance their QA testing, consider using tools like Repeato. Repeato is a no-code test automation tool for iOS and Android that helps you create, run, and maintain automated tests for your apps. It’s particularly fast to edit and run tests, leveraging computer vision and AI. Repeato is simple to set up and use, making it an excellent choice for quality assurance.
For more information on effective testing strategies, visit our blog.
