Streamlining User Acceptance Testing with the Best Automation Tools Available
Tags: uat, automation, tools
Published: 2023-04-11 09:53:29

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User acceptance testing is a crucial phase in the development cycle that comes last. Testing is done to ensure that the software will meet the requirements of the end users. No business will want to release low-quality software products to the consumer, and testing ensures the software’s quality, functionality, and usability.

The manual process has been used for testing over the years, but it was time-consuming and prone to human errors. UAT automation tools come to solve this problem, and you can perform tests faster, more accurately, and with greater consistency. It doesn’t take much time like manual testing does and reduces the efforts and risk of human error. With automated testing, you can expect an improvement in overall quality.

**What Is UAT and its Automation**?

UAT (User Acceptance Testing) is a type of testing that is performed in the end by the client or end-user to verify the software quality, and it is done in the final phase of development. UAT becomes crucial to validate end-to-end business flow and works without focusing on system testing, cosmetic errors, and spelling mistakes. UAT testing becomes crucial after developing the product as developers have written the code for the software on their understanding and might require changes later. If a developer writes code that is not effectively communicated, the client will not accept the product. Testing helps to deal with it.

UAT automation means you don’t have to run the test as it runs automatically in a UAT automation tool. After performing the testing with the tool, you will get to know the actual performance of the software compared to your expectation. It will give you an answer of yes or no. The benefit of using a UAT automation tool is that it can mimic the task without any error.

**Manual Vs. Automated Testing**

Manual testing is the traditional way of testing, and automation is the recent testing practice using UAT automation tools. There are not any either-or options between them as both have their strengths.

In Automation testing, tests run quickly and repeatedly. Humans can’t do repetitive tasks as it leads to boredom or fatigue, and unavailability is another concern. You can use automation tools based on your comfort as it provides high availability and performs the task with accuracy. The automation tools allow you to perform stress, binary-based and script-based testing.

In manual testing, the tester gave the output beyond yes or no. For example, complex and subjective test scripts require an actual tester that requires more than a yes or no result. A tester provides the actual response to an issue and identifies the defects, problems, and solutions. On the other hand, automation testing results in yes or no. Numerous ways of testing can be done manually such as evaluations of fonts, reports, menu types, workflow logic, etc. Manual testers can identify how software can be used.

Automated and manual testing have the strength that can be used by users based on their requirements. When both mixes, it creates a bigger impact. Both tests complement each other as a simple and repetitive test can be performed automatically while a complex and specific test can run manually.

**Top Automation Tools**
Here is the list of a few UAT automation tools available for automation testing.

● **Selenium**
It is a code-based tool that is free to use and widely used for automating web browsers. It supports multiple programming languages like Java, Ruby, Python, and C# and provides a rich set of APIs for testing web applications.

● **Test Complete**
It is also a code-based tool that automates web, mobile, and desktop applications. It also supports multiple languages like selenium and provides a user-friendly interface for creating and executing tests. TestComplete is well-suited for automating UAT, especially for complex applications that require extensive testing.


● **Appium**
Another open-source automation tool that supports multiple programming languages and automates mobile, web, and hybrid applications. Appium is a popular choice for automating mobile applications.

● **Ranorex**
A commercial tool that automates desktop, web, and mobile applications. It provides a user-friendly interface for creating and executing tests and supports multiple programming languages, including C#, Java, and Python. Ranorex is well-suited for automating UAT, especially for applications with complex user interfaces.

● **Cucumber**
Another open-source tool that is used for automation and supports Behavior Driven Development (BDD). It provides a clear and concise way to define test scenarios in plain language, making it easier for end-users to understand and validate the software’s functionality. Cucumber is a popular choice for automating UAT in agile development environments.

● **HP UFT/LeanFT**
HP UFT (Unified Functional Testing) and LeanFT are commercial tools that are used for automation. They provide a comprehensive set of APIs for automating UAT and support multiple programming languages. It is well-suited for automating UAT in large organizations with complex testing requirements.


● **Opkey**
Opkey is a no-code UAT test automation platform that allows business users to seamlessly participate in testing.

**Conclusion**

UAT testing is a crucial aspect of the development cycle, and the testing process comes last. It ensures the quality of software that will meet the requirements of the end user. There are two types of testing – manual, and automation. Manual testing is the traditional way of testing, and automation testing is a recent way of testing that is quick, reliable, and repetitive. UAT automation tools help you to automate the testing process, and Opkey is one of the great tools for automation.