Web Application Testing: 5 Steps Product Owner Guide

In 2020, 35% of companies still involved non-testers in the process of software and web application testing. We’re here to help the levels lower by explaining why testing by professionals is crucial for your success. Imagine if you trusted app development to a copywriter. It’s a bit of a stretch, but there’s a reason there are people called testing specialists.

ProCoders has created this step-by-step guide specifically for product owners. This means easy-to-understand explanations suitable for non-technical specialists, management and control recommendations, cost ranges, and frequently asked questions.

Key takeaways:

• Web application testing is a set of processes that check every bit of said app, find errors, report them, and suggest edits. Testing is essential for a successful app launch and only professional testers should do it. Double-checking by an engineer isn’t enough.
• We recommend Selenium, QTP, IBM Rational, and others as QA testing tools for web applications. It’s also best to use both manual testing by QA engineers and automated testing by the mentioned and additional software.
• As a product owner, you may face reputation issues and need to spend more money on urgent bug fixes and advertising if you don’t use professional testing services.
• To always maintain control over the testing strategy and manage it properly, you have to find the right vendor, establish communication and clarify reporting, and plan budget and time, making sure you’re on the same page.
• The cost depends on a lot of factors that only you know for now. But we can help you with the budget and time estimates through our Discovery Phase.

What Is Web Application Testing?

App testing is a set of processes that check your application for all kinds of errors and bugs. As a result of improvements, you end up with a perfectly working product, fast, with crisp graphics, functional buttons, and all features ready to use by consumers.

Web application functional testing we will mention a lot in the article refers to the most basic yet the most important kind, which makes sure your project works properly.

There are two main web application testing types:

• Automatic – utilizing software tools to automate routine tasks where human efforts aren’t necessary.
• Manual – used for more complex tasks where human attention is necessary.

Within the process, you’ll have several niches of testing, including:

• Usability testing
• Functionality testing
• Interface testing
• Compatibility testing
• Performance testing
• Security testing

Even if you hire professional web developers​ for the job, they won’t test the app as well as experts in testing. And the quality of the check influences the time, money, and reputation you may lose.

Say, you launch an app after some shallow testing and users find out that payments don’t work, some pages aren’t loading, some feature buttons can’t be clicked, and the web app loads way too slowly. You lose:

• Time while managing bad reviews on App Store and Google Play Market, fixing the errors, and launching the new version of the program.
• Money while paying qualified testers for urgent checks and remarketing the product.
• Reputation, as a portion of customers won’t come back after a poor experience.

We know that the cost to hire a web developer​ can be rather high and you may suggest that such professionals know everything about testing as well. However, it’s not true as there are lots of quality assurance methodologies and techniques. It’s always better to hire an expert in automatic and manual testing for web applications for the job.

Plus, you don’t have to spend a fortune on a professional team. But we’ll talk about it later.

Now, let’s see what tools can be used to deliver the best QA results.

Possible Challenges and Additional Costs You May Face Without Testing Your Web App

Here are only the things we can predict that may happen if you trust the job to someone who doesn’t know how to test your web applications:

Reputation issues

If you launch a web application without testing it with specialists qualified for the job, you won’t stop hearing about it from the customers, especially if they pay money for it. You will see a ton of bad reviews on all platforms where people can share opinions, which will damage your reputation.

94% of consumers state they avoid businesses with bad reviews, even if they considered interacting with them earlier. Let that sink in.

It’s difficult to earn potential buyers’ trust in the first place, but it’s even easier to lose it. One devastating review with screenshots can make a difference for someone who would get a Premium subscription to the materials you offer.

You can apologize and fix everything, but if the rating falls lower than 4 stars, you may lose a fair share of potential customers.

Longer time to market

Non-testers may take a much longer time to check your product for issues, as they don’t know exactly how to test your particular web applications. There are multiple methodologies, each app requires a special focus on some features, and only the pros know tips and tricks on making the testing process faster and more high-quality.

Not to mention that if your web app is a disaster, chances are you’ll have to take it off the market and fix all the bugs, coming back again with (hopefully) a part of the success you may have achieved on the first try.

Urgent bug fix price

Sooner or later, you will have to pay someone to fix the issues with your web application. You’ll hire a team, maybe a larger one than you would have earlier, and pay them for urgent fixes.

An average US tester’s rate is $36 per hour. If you need urgent work, confidently double that number. The total number will range, because each project is different, has various scales, and requires a certain set of tests.

Higher marketing expense

Even if you’re known to create the best websites made with React, make one mistake, and you’ll have to spend thousands of dollars on marketing, trying to win users’ trust again. You’ll need lavish campaigns that say that your brand and its high quality are back with an even better project than it used to be.Knowing something about app development and testing, what’s the difference between front end developer and backend, what kinds of testing there are, and how to do them at a beginner level is good. But if you want serious success and serious money, you need a professional.

When we say that you need experts that know how to test web application properly, we don’t mean that you won’t have to do anything with the process. Of course, it’s wise to somehow manage the tasks and always have control over the progress.

How to Manage and Control Web Applications Testing – Basic Steps

To make it easier for you to manage efforts, tasks, and types of testing of your web application, we’ve prepared a handy step-by-step that will save you from struggling. These steps are based on our practical experience and constant communication with customers.

Step 1: Plan and estimate budget, time, and other resources

Ideally, the vendor should provide estimates so that you know what to expect. ProCoders offers Discovery Phase services where you can tell us the details about your project and we provide you with:

• An approximate budget numbers
• The number of specialists you will need
• The time needed for the tasks (for example, how long to develop a chatbot)
• Exact step-by-step plan on what to do

After this, you can continue working with us, letting ProCoders find the best staff for you, or hire your own team based on our plan. Keep in mind that the latter will take you much more time.

Step 2: Establish and prioritize goals

If possible, establish and prioritize goals when talking to your testers. If you’re not sure what the priority is, ask for recommendations. Testers working at ProCoders, for example, are open to such conversations and never shy away from any issues, concerns, or mistakes from the client’s side. Our company values communication, so ProCoders will always tell you what’s best for your project.

Step 3: Clarify reporting process

From the very beginning, discuss how your testers are going to report to you. You can clarify the frequency and standard if you have one. This will ensure your collaboration goes as smoothly as possible and you have the time and focus to take care of the core business instead of wondering how testing’s going.

Step 4: Consider using an online test management system

Many companies already have one, but if needed, consider using an online test management system. It will help you see the progress and reports and save you the trouble of contacting the testers every day to check in.

Step 5: Find a reliable testing vendor

You won’t need to worry about management or control over the testing process if you choose a proper vendor. It has to:

• Offer full transparency
• Provide full technical support
• Be able to estimate the time and cost for you
• Have experience with similar web applications
• Know how to do a full test of a web application
• Have testers with experience in app testing in your niche
• Value communication
• Be ready for your capacity and scale

Once you find a flexible and reliable partner, most of the challenges can be removed from the list.

Recommended Web Application QA Testing Tools: Your Top Tech Stack

While the skills and experience of your testers are the most important, the tools used for QA testing for web application can make a difference. Here are the instruments we recommend:

• Functionality testing – Selenium, IBM Rational
• Interface testing – Ranorex, Alertfox
• Usability testing – Feedback Army, Clicktale, Chalkmark
• Compatibility testing – Netmechanic, LambaTest
• Database testing – QTP, Selenium
• Security testing – CROSS, Babel Enterprise
• Performance testing – JMeter, Loadrunner

When you know the tools and understand what functionality testing in web application is, it’s easy to assume that your backend or front end web developer for hire can do it all. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

But let us tell you about the challenges and additional expenses you may face if you don’t take testing seriously.

How Much Does It Cost to Test a Web App?

QA rates are somewhere around $4,700 a month, given you need them full-time and you sign a long-term contract. If it’s a short-term task, the price will be bigger. This is a rate for a middle QA specialist from Central Europe.

We always look for people who can balance price and quality for our customers. Countries vary in financial demands for a good life, so it’s possible to find cost-effective alternatives to US and UK specialists.

But if you need a person who knows all the types of web app testing and can provide quality recommendations for your project, no number should scare you. 

We also can’t help but mention that nobody can show you a bill without getting into details of your project and needs. Even we can’t. We value your time and money, so it’s useless to make bold claims without knowing:

• The scope of work
• The number of people you need
• The urgency
• The app’s features and technologies
• Your criteria, etc.

We at ProCoders encourage everyone to apply for our Discovery Phase services if you have zero testing done and need a team. Our analysts study every bit of information you provide about the web app, understand what testing you need, how many people you require, how much time will the process take, and what resources you need to shorten that time. And, of course, how much money you’re going to pay.

Afterward, you can discuss the numbers with us further, and we’ll try to help you get the best result in a short time for the most adequate cost.

Also, we can provide a number of testers as an addition to your existing team. ‘Seasonal’ specialists is a well-known practice also known as staff augmentation. So, whenever you need a tester or several for a month or two of work, we can also arrange that! Adding the front end developer hourly rate, what is the median salary for a back end developer, how much does laravel cost, as well as other frameworks’ experience if you need it, and additional costs for tech and labor, the final sum may exceed your expectations. But there are ways to save money without losing quality.

How ProCoders Can Help with Testing Web Applications?

ProCoders is a staff augmentation company working in the IT sector. We offer development and testing for any scale and capacity and are ready to find staff with adequate salary expectations for you. We’re OK with reduced capacity and can find even one specialist to complement your team. No requirements are too small for our professionals!

Our specialists have rich experience in testing web applications in different niches, from Logistics to Health & Wellness. Besides, we provide you with more than top-notch service:

• Full transparency – we always speak honestly because there’s no reason to hide issues, let alone our professional recommendations.
• Flexibility – we’re ready for any app scale and team capacity you need. If you require 2 people on the team, we’ll find them. If you need a team of 25 specialists, we also know where to find them.
• Full technical support – ProCoders offers full support for your project in the range of our responsibilities. So, if we’re working on testing, we’ll be with you till the end of the process. We can keep in touch up till launch as well!
• Active communication – we’re all in for discussing your app testing and the following improvements. Our testers have vast experience in the field and know what’s best for your project. 

We value long-term relationships with our clients, so you can expect nothing but high-quality service and comfort. If you need proof, we have over 60 client reviews on Clutch and case descriptions on our website!

Conclusion

So, what is web app testing and why is it important?

It’s a process of checking your app using different types of testing for web apps. There are automatic and manual testing kinds for web apps. Also, the process includes usability, interface, security, and other tests.

You may encounter lots of issues and additional costs if you don’t take testing seriously. Your reputation may suffer and you may have to pay for urgent testing later on. Gladly, you can find a partner company and trust them with quality assurance on all levels. All you will have to do to keep control over the process is choose the right vendor, establish proper communication, plan your budget and time, and clarify reporting.

There’s no average cost for testing services as every web application is different. We don’t know which stage you’re on, what checks you have already done. You can let us know by enrolling in our Discovery Phase where we study the details of your app and come up with the budget, time, and staff estimates.

You can turn to ProCoders at any stage of app development to arrange testing services.