Why Is Manual Testing Unpopular?

When you ask software developers about their favorite tasks, testing is rarely among them. Manual testing, in particular, seems to have a bad reputation. But why is it so unpopular?

Why is manual testing considered tedious?

While most software engineers know about the importance of testing, it is often considered tedious or boring. This is not because testing is particularly easy. Testing real-world applications can be quite challenging, even if you do it manually. First, you need to have solid knowledge about the expectations, i.e. requirements. Then there is the whole topic of testing effectively, hence actually finding bugs instead of missing them. It requires both a structured way of thinking and some creativity to (mis)use the software and identify corner cases. It sounds a bit like having fun playing detective, but why is it so unpopular for most developers?

In my experience, most developers consider manual testing tedious due to its repetitive nature. You see, performing some clicks, pressing some buttons and navigating through an app for the first or second time is okay. You have to think about how to test a certain feature and which steps to take. But after you have done it a few times, it becomes repetitive and tedious.

As software engineers, we find joy in tasks that are mentally stimulating. Solving problems with creativity and technical concepts is what stimulates our minds. We usually don’t build the exact same thing twice. We might be using the same concepts and tools in multiple projects, but we are applying them in many different ways.

Are there other disadvantages?

Apart from being tedious, manual testing has some disadvantages that IT professionals should be aware of:

Long-term cost of running repeatedly

In the beginning, it might be cheaper to do a quick manual test. However, the nature of software development brings a decent risk of breaking things accidentally when performing changes. This brings us to the need of repeatedly performing the same tests. Obviously, the more often you have to do this manually, the costlier it gets.

Prone to errors and inconsistencies

Manual testing is prone to errors, as different testers might perform tests in varying ways. Some test cases might be forgotten or performed ineffectively. To some extent, this can be mitigated by creating documents with detailed, step-by-step instructions. Note, though, that it increases the long-term cost even further. If you take the time to write detailed instructions, why not invest that time in automated tests instead and reduce the execution cost?

It takes a lot of time to execute

Naturally, a machine can perform actions like clicking, typing and checking screen output much faster than a human being. Running manual tests can take hours or even days for a person, while a computer might perform the same tasks in seconds or minutes. Overall, it takes much more time to get feedback.

Summary

Considering automated test tools and the disadvantages discussed above, one might ask the following question:

Why should we bother with manual tests at all? Are they considered bad practice and a waste of time?

I will give you my point of view in the next post. What is your opinion on manual testing?

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