When you navigate to a website, the last thing a user wants is for the visual icons to malfunction or go missing. This immediately hampers user interaction and also sows seeds of doubt about the site’s reliability. In fact, according to Forbes Advisor, approximately 88% of users or customers are unlikely to revisit a website following a bad experience.

There can be multiple reasons behind such an occurrence, like technical glitches or coding errors in the development phase. Changes in web browsers or updates to the website itself can also sometimes create compatibility issues, causing icons to break or become non-responsive. While these challenges are, the only way to avoid them is through visual automated testing.

Understanding Automated Visual Testing

Visual testing stands as a vital component within the software development lifecycle, guaranteeing the proper functioning of a website or application’s visual elements, including layout, images, and buttons. In an era where user experience holds heightened significance, the role of visual testing has escalated. The advent of automated visual testing platforms represents a substantial enhancement in testing efficiency and efficacy. These tools empower teams to identify and address visual regressions at an early development stage, resulting in time and cost savings.

This guide will introduce you to some of the best visual testing tools available today and provide you with the information to help you choose the right tool for your business, whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise. But before delving into the specifics of these tools, let’s grasp the significance of integrating visual testing into your website testing process and understand why it’s a crucial component.

Why Should You Perform Visual Regression Testing?

Visual regression testing has become an important part of the software development life cycle as it offers the following advantages:

1. Enhanced user experience: By consistently ensuring the UI’s appearance is appealing and uniform, visual regression testing contributes to an improved user experience.
2. Cost savings: Identifying bugs early in the development process through visual regression testing can lead to cost reductions, avoiding expensive rework and potential customer support issues.
3. Elevated product quality: Visual regression testing plays a crucial role in maintaining product quality standards, fostering increased customer satisfaction, and encouraging repeat business.
4. Reduces testers’ workload: Provides testers with more time to address other testing-related challenges, as visual regression testing automates numerous repetitive tasks associated with UI testing.

Therefore, adopting visual regression testing emerges as a strategic choice, aligning with the pursuit of delivering high-quality, user-centric software solutions in a cost-effective manner.

Visual Regression Tools to Look Out For

We hope by now you’re convinced of the benefits that visual regression testing brings in the formation of your website. So now let’s move on to discovering the best tools out there:

1. TestGrid

TestGrid is a standout platform as it is powered by AI to seamlessly enhance your testing process. TestGrid’s automated visual testing effortlessly examines visual changes in your mobile apps and websites, providing a hassle-free solution without compromising efficiency.

Features

• Easily detect visual alterations in mobile apps and websites without the need for external SDKs.
• With just a few lines of code, seamlessly integrate TestGrid’s visual testing into your existing processes.
• Run your automation tests, and TestGrid automatically compares visual changes with baseline tests and subsequent runs.
• Visual AI covers every aspect, validating text, images, layouts, and videos to ensure a flawless user interface.
• Especially beneficial for BFSI & eCommerce flows, TestGrid’s Visual AI instills confidence in complex test scenarios.
• Ensures the correct functioning of applications across various screen sizes and devices.
• Receive automatic status updates, allowing quick identification and resolution of visual issues.
• The platform prioritizes simplicity, making it accessible for teams with varying levels of technical expertise.
• Reduce test execution time with the support for parallel testing, enhancing overall testing efficiency.
• Continually monitors your user interface, proactively preventing visual bugs from reaching the production stage.

2. Katalon

Katalon is a platform that organizations rely on for their visual testing requirements.. Built on Appium and Selenium, it consolidates functional and visual testing in one place.

Features:

• Perform both functional and visual testing on a centralized platform.
• Access on-cloud test environments across various devices, optimizing resource allocation.
• Its self-healing capabilities automatically maintain your automated visual tests.
• Conduct testing across a diverse range of devices and browsers for comprehensive coverage.
• Seamlessly integrate with CI/CD pipelines such as Jenkins, GitLab, and Bamboo.

3. Kobiton

Kobiton is a popular tool used for visual testing that simplifies mobile testing with its user-friendly interface and hassle-free setup.

Features:

• Capture screenshots during Functional Testing without additional charges for visual comparisons.
• AI-driven remediation and immediate troubleshooting recommendations.
• Easily incorporate parameters and datasets into scriptless tests, automatically executed with AI.
• Lets you compare your UI and UX design against leading apps in the same market.
• Scriptless performance testing for streamlined testing.

4. Aye Spy

Aye Spy is an open-source tool inspired by BackstopJS and Wraith that strongly emphasizes addressing the performance gap in visual regression tools.

Features:

• Utilizes Selenium Grid for parallel testing, optimizing cross-browser testing across multiple computers.
• Supports AWS S3 bucket for cloud storage of snapshots, enhancing accessibility and collaboration.
• Ensures remarkable performance by comparing up to 40 images within a minute with a robust setup.
• User-friendly Docker package for easy setup and execution on multiple machines.
• Clean documentation for efficient navigation and implementation.

5. Applitools

Applitools, a frontrunner in the market, leverages AI to redefine visual testing with its suite of products like Eyes, Ultrafast Test Cloud, and Ultrafast Grid.

Features:

• Blends artificial intelligence with visual testing for unparalleled accuracy.
• Integrates with leading automation frameworks like Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright, as well as low-code tools.
• Auto-maintenance and auto-grouping features for streamlined bug resolution and test maintenance.

Conclusion

As we explore the significance and benefits of visual regression testing, it’s evident that this strategic choice aligns with the need to deliver high-quality, user-centric software solutions in a cost-effective manner. In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, the adoption of visual regression testing is not just a choice. It’s a necessity for those striving to deliver software excellence.

Source: This article was originally published at ventsmagazine.com