Recently, Mandisa Ndlovu from AI Impact had the privilege of attending the Test Automation Summit, where she had an insightful conversation
with Tariq King, CEO of Test IO, an EPAM company.
Mandisa: Can you share your perspective on the current state of test
automation, and where you see the field headed?
Tariq: The current state of test automation is a bit of a mixed bag. On one
side of the testing world, we have settled for a sub-standard definition of automation where we consider it to be manually crafting scripts that are then executed by a testing tool or framework. However, when you really stop to think about this process, aside from the script execution there isn’t much automated. Testers still have to create, design and
encode those scenarios and the moment these scripts are run, humans are
back in the loop to analyze the results. On the other side AI is changing a lot of that, where we can now use computers to generate the test ideas, scenarios and even produce the test scripts and analyze the results. So a part of the current state is embracing the notion of AI-Assisted Testing and in my opinion this is where the field is headed.
Mandisa: How do you stay current with the latest trends and advancements in
test automation?
Tariq:Staying up to date with the latest trends and advancements in test
automation for me involves three things. Firstly, attending conferences and meetups. It’s great to learn from others, not just from the knowledge and skills they have but also the perspective they bring to the table. Secondly, I’m a firm believer in learning by doing so I
always try to keep some time and space to try out new tools or techniques on my own. Lastly, reading articles and blogs, including following certain folks in the space.
Mandisa: What advice would you give to organizations looking to implement or
improve their test automation practices?
Tariq:Always start by understanding the need or problem that you are trying
to address through automation. I’ve often seen organizations treat automation like a checkbox they need to tick and they haven’t done the analysis necessary to determine if, why or how will help. Remember that automation is an investment, which implies from a business perspective there should be a return on that investment.
Mandisa: What are some key considerations when developing a test automation
strategy?
Tariq: Key considerations when developing a test automation strategy
include:
* Having clear, well defined, measurable testing objectives
* Determining the resources needed including people and tools,
frameworks.
* Plans for test development, management, CI/CD integration, test
execution, and maintenance,
Mandisa: How do you determine which tests to automate, and which to leave
manual?
Tariq: To determine this I typically ask questions like: how frequently will the tests be executed? Are they highly repetitive and time-consuming when performed manually? Do the same tests need to be run across different environments, devices, or configurations? Should it be run consistently with every build or release? If these questions result in
yes then they are good candidates for automation. On the other hand, when tests are highly complex, requiring human intuition, or if they are one-time tests or may require frequent maintenance then I would probably lean more to leaving them manual.
Mandisa : What role do you think Al and machine learning will play in the
future of test?
Tariq:I believe that AI and ML will continue to take over a lot of traditional testing and test automation tasks. Specifically, in the future much of the digital touchpoints whether they be desktop, web, mobile, and even IoT based software testing will be done by AI. There
are probably only two areas of testing that AI and ML won’t touch for a while. Those are the testing of AI-based systems, or what I like to refer to as AI infused applications, and human-centered experience testing. The testers of the future will be testing AI, refining its
output and feeding corrected data back into the system. Those who aren’t testing AI, will be validating the other types of touchpoints on a typical user journey such as physical or experiential touchpoints.
So it’s not just about ordering your concert tickets with the application, it’s about validating your entire experience including arriving at the venue, getting your seats, ordering food at intermission, evaluating the ambience and the actual show itself, and the post-event activities. In fact, I believe this to the point that it’s where most of my time and
effort is spent these days as the Head of Test IO where we are testing some of the most sophisticated AI models out there, and using the power of the crowd to test human experiences.
