What Is Manual Software Testing—Steps, Types & Advantages
Manual software testing is a process where testers will verify software features manually to see that everything works as expected, simulating the user’s experience with the system. Manual testing can identify construct failures and usability errors that automated controls do not catch.
Manual testing is among the oldest and most trusted methods of testing software applications. Manual testing is human-centric, meaning it provides testers the ability to analyze usability and users’ real-world experience.
Although many firms may leverage automation in testing, without manual testing, you will not be able to give a creative, flexible, and human-judged evaluation of a product or service that puts quality at the forefront of development.
What Is Manual Software Testing?
Manual software testing is the technical process of testing a software product without any automated software tools. Testers manually perform the test steps to confirm features to work correctly while identifying defects while they are at it. Manual testing can be performed based on defined test cases or exploratory testing.
A manual tester interacts with the system similarly to how a physical user would. They will check inputs, check outputs, workflow, and visual checks. Manual testing would be the most credible and engaging user-centred experience, considering that testing can be point-in-time.
This process of testing gives you assurance that the software works under users’ real-world conditions and is particularly useful when testing a new or modified product. All software testing can provide reliable documentation of human-centred evaluation.
Why Does Manual Testing Matter?
Manual testing helps detect issues early in the visual and functional behaviour of the software. Many problems manifest solely by a human actually uses the software. Automation testing might miss those more subtle problems.
It is also useful in determining the user experience. Human testers will make a judgment call as to ease of use, clarity, and comfort as they interact with the software. These subjective assessments will assist in creating seamless summaries of digital experiences.
At the same time, manual testing requires fewer resources in early development or small projects. Manual testing does not require a script to be built out or any tool to purchase, allowing for a quick start-up and easy adjustments.
What is manual testing in SDLC?
Manual testing in the Software Development Lifecycle (SLDC) process refers to tests that are conducted by testers validating the software quality and compliance at various stages of development. The manual testing process will include requirement analysis, test planning, test case authoring, test environment setup, test execution, and the formal test cycle closure.
Manual testing is intended to demonstrate that the software behaves according to requirements prior to being released to end-users.
Role of Manual Tester
A manual tester reviews the requirements in order to verify what the software is intended to do. They think from the lens of a user when they draft the task steps to conduct testing. They specifically verify that all of the core features have reliable and expected behaviour.
They document the test conditions, expectations, and actual results of the test. If a defect or error is found, they note and report the defect with steps to reproduce the issue, allowing for a complete report for the developer to follow.
Manual testers, once the defect(s) are fixed, will retest the software and check to see that the defect(s) were resolved, as well as verify that none of the fixes have negatively impacted another function of the software. This helps verify the stability of the release.
Key Characteristics of Manual Software Testing
Human Execution
Testers execute the test cases manually rather than through the use of automated testing tools. They utilize their own observations as well as their own analysis to create judgments about a given outcome. This always involves humans, who offer a distinct level of intuition and creativity.
Human testers are capable of identifying subtle problems that are unlikely to be written into an automated testing script. They investigate aspects of user experience in addition to examining the correctness of the functionality being tested. They use their judgement to adapt to the specific context of the testing experience in ways that automated testing cannot easily replicate.
Exploratory
Manual testing enables testers to explore the application in a dynamic way. They can often discover unexpected issues that are beyond the outlined test cases. This open-ended exploration allows the tester to make discoveries about the system, which may ultimately lead to discovering edge, or uncommon, cases of problems.
When testers notice behaviors that seem a bit “off”, they instinctively follow their observations and directly investigate the behaviour.
Although they may not formally document the significance of their observations, they are not constrained by the limits of the testing use cases or scripts. It is typical for testers to stumble upon some significant bugs hiding in unexpected corners of the application.
Highly adaptable
Manual testing is very flexible to adapt to changing needs. This makes it relevant for usability tests, ad hoc tests, and UI tests – types of tests that are harder to automate.
When a requirement changes, testers can quickly onboard and change their testing approach without having to update their scripts. They can test new features right away, with very little downtime for prep. This quickness increases feedback loops during fast development sprints.
Time-Intensive
Manual testing takes effort and time; if you are running lots of tests for the same test cases, it is more draining than running automated tests. When testers run manual tests, they have to replicate every single step manually every time they run a test.
Humans will always take time to process data. This is also the time when we become fatigued or distracted after long testing cycles. When humans make mistakes or forget parts of testing scripts, it requires a retake of some or all of the steps. This prolongs the testing process.
Does manual testing need coding?
Generally, manual testing does not require coding to get started. Generally, testers are validating the way to perform a check by examining, clicking, and interacting with the software as an end user would, the areas of focus during the testing process is workflow, behaviour and usability assessments of the software.
However, it is beneficial to have an understanding of the technical aspects of coding if required. It is easier to communicate with the developers if you understand the elements of the problem requirements, and you can analyze issues with a little more depth.
Therefore, coding is not necessary in manual testing, but a background knowledge base in technical areas is advantageous to maximize efficiency and personal development.
Types of Manual Software Testing
Exploratory Testing
Testers manually explore the application or the software freely without a plan to see if they can find any bugs. They rely on their intuition and experience to explore the application or software. This is a way to find unanticipated problems that could easily go unseen with structured testing.
Exploratory testing supports curiosity and drama. Testers might wonder what would happen if I clicked this button 100 times, and they explore that idea. By doing things in unexpected ways, testers have a chance to find unknown bugs that people may not have even known existed.
Ad Hoc Testing
Ad hoc testing relies heavily on an existing or expected problem. Testers are applying a targeted test on a certain feature because they suspect there may be some problems there. Ad hoc is a very unstructured test. It takes place when there is a suspected problem. This kind of testing is typically highly influenced by the tester’s experience and instincts.
Teams often engage in ad hoc testing when they notice something weird happening while performing routine testing. This allows the testers to flexibly continue investigation without having to create a formal test case. The results of ad hoc testing are typically helpful in deciding what work needs to be done for a more formal test in some area.
Usability Testing
Testers will confirm that the application is usable and user-friendly. ‘Usability’ is a subjective and ill-defined term, and each user and context will define it differently. Thus, manual testing works much better than the rigid and hard-coded nature of automation testing.
Human testers will evaluate user experience factors like ease of navigation, clarity of design, and overall satisfaction. Their qualitative feedback cannot be generated by automated tools or through testing processes. This feedback leads directly to product changes and the onboarding of new users.
Acceptance Testing
Acceptance testing determines if the software you developed to address business requirements is acceptable to the users. The testers will execute the test cases to validate the acceptance criteria that the stakeholders have provided. The only way to confirm that each requirement has been validated correctly is through manual test execution.
Acceptance testing normally includes actual end-users or client representatives. The feedback offered will help determine if the software is ready for release. Human validation for each requirement is needed for product acceptance.
Smoke Testing
Testers will perform some light checks to determine if the system’s most important functions perform as expected. In smoke testing, this quick validation occurs immediately after a new build or deployment. Once smoke testing is finalised, basic checks will identify a problem early before the team conducts detailed testing.
The teams will execute a small set of test cases that cover only the core functionality of the developed software. If the smoke tests fail, the build returns to development. Smoke testing avoids wasting time by not executing full testing of the software before addressing what was already broken.
Sanity Testing
Focused testing validates specific functionality after Minor changes are made or bugs are fixed. The tester manually verifies that the functionality works as intended after the needed changes in the software are made. Sanity testing also makes certain that the changes did not create new issues.
Sanity testing is not full testing and only targets specific areas impacted by Minor changes. Sanity testing is limited in scope, which helps make it easier and more efficient to execute manually. Teams often conduct sanity tests quickly to continue with development momentum.
When manual testing is used
Manual testing will occur when the software is in early product stages. In transitions where features are still developing, and when design validation is easier to validate by hand than through automation.
It is used for applications that frequently update the UI. Changing a visual aspect of an application can easily break automation testing. However, manual testers can quickly adapt to the changes.
It is also used to evaluate usability. It is only the human tester who can judge the flow and how easy or confusing it feels.
Steps to Perform Manual Software Testing
Requirements Analysis Phase
Testers facilitate a meeting with project stakeholders to read software requirements in detail. Throughout the reading, they will define and clarify what areas to test. Aligning on this understanding will ensure miscommunication does not happen down the road.
They will identify which requirements can be tested and what cannot be tested. They will also outline testing scope, priorities, and constraints. Requirements analysis sets the foundation for all future testing.
Test Planning Phase
The QA team will have test planning conversations to assess the effort and resources required for testing. They will assess the necessary test environments, tools, and any dependencies involved. Create a draft test schedule with timelines and milestones.
Planning defines the testing strategy, approach, and methodologies that will be used. Roles and responsibilities will be assigned to each tester assigned to the team. And the potential obstacles that will require risk mitigation will be identified during the risk analysis.
Test Case Development Phase
Manual testers will develop test cases based on the requirements that were previously developed. They will also prepare the test data that will be needed based execution of the test cases.
Test cases will specify the preconditions under which the test will be developed, exact steps for executing the test, the expected results, and the expected postconditions if the test is successful.
The respective teams will review and refine test cases to ensure understanding and completeness. Test cases will be peer reviewed or test leads will approve them before testing is executed. This is meant to ensure quality in the respective tests being executed validated the specific requirements that were meant to be the focus/criteria.
Environment Setup Phase
To set up the test environment, teams collaborate with development and IT. They determine the required hardware, software, and network configurations. The environment is established as closely as possible to the production environment.
Test data is uploaded into systems and databases. Teams will verify the environment is ready for execution before the testing begins so that test failures are not encountered in the event there were to be environmental issues.
Test Execution Phase
Testers will execute the test cases manually based on the documented steps provided. Testers will diligently follow each instruction and make observations of the results. When bugs occur, testers enter a bug report with a detailed write-up describing each step needed to reproduce the issue.
In addition, they may also attach screenshots or videos or logs to help developers understand the problem. Developers then fix the bug and send it back to quality assurance for testing. The testers will verify the fixes worked and will also document any unexpected behavior from the fix.
Test Cycle Closure Phase
Teams review the test execution report and summarize their findings for stakeholders. Teams are invited to participate in test closure meetings so they may share their lessons learned. Each test has a test summary report documenting each technical to be tested and what was confirmed or not confirmed.
Lastly, teams archive each case, its results, and its documentation for future use. Metrics are calculated to measure testing effectiveness. The closure action is a critical component to gain insight into future testing.
5 Benefits of Manual Testing
- Better User Experience Assessment
Testers can feel the software and understand it in the same way that a normal user would.
- More Adaptability
If the requirements or features change, testers can quickly change how they test.
- Perfect for Exploratory Testing
Testers can wander freely through the application, performing random actions to identify unanticipated bugs.
- No Coding Is Needed
Anyone can start testing without the knowledge of writing any code, which makes it simple to learn and get started.
- Great For UI/Visual Testing
When it comes to UI, really only a person can accurately identify layout, spacing, color, or alignment issues.
5 Key Challenges of Manual Testing
- Time Intensive
Each test step has to be executed manually, which takes longer than running it automatically.
- Repetitive
A tester becomes tired after running a test through multiple iterations, and tests are subject to human error, whereas an automated test is not.
- Not Scalable
When the application reaches a certain size, it will take too long to manually test and track.
- Variable Testing Outcomes
Each tester may interpret test steps differently, leading to varying outcomes.
- Maybe too late in the Process to Find Bugs
Testing takes so long, you may clearly find some bugs late in the process.
Manual Testing vs Automation Testing (Comparison Table)
| Basis of Difference | Manual Testing | Automation Testing |
| Execution Method | Performed by human testers manually. | Performed using scripts or automation tools. |
| Speed | Slower, especially for repeated tests. | Faster once scripts are created. |
| Skill Requirement | Does not require coding skills to begin. | Requires scripting or programming knowledge. |
| Best For | Exploratory, usability, and visual testing. | Regression, performance, and high-volume testing. |
| Cost | Low initial cost but high maintenance for large testing. | Higher initial cost but lower long-term cost for repeated tests. |
| Flexibility | Easy to adapt to sudden changes. | Scripts must be updated when the application changes. |
Tools Supporting Manual Testing
Test Management Platforms
Katalon delivers robust quality management with features for both manual and automation testing. Teams create, manage, run, and store test results and reports together. Katalon’s integration with Jira makes it easy to manage projects.
TestRail offers great test case management functionalities with customizable workflows and comprehensive reporting.
Bug Tracking Tools
Jira has been widely adopted as the leading bug tracking tool used by development teams and software development teams. Testers will write a thorough defect report with reproduction steps and screenshots for development. Jira sends the defect to development with clarity and accuracy to speed the fix.
Screen Recording Tools
Loom and others can create video recordings of the test execution. Recordings provide visibility to the tester on exactly what originally happened during testing. The visual documentation helps developers reproduce the defect to speed solutions.
Screen recordings add increased value when defects are only intermittent and not easy to reproduce. The developers have a view of the exact steps the defect occurs in. Screen recordings allow both the testers and the developers to be clearer on how easily defects were found and to speed up efforts to debug significantly.
Collaboration Tools
With Slack and Microsoft Teams, testing teams can communicate directly with development teams. A question that would normally be taken note of in preparation for a meeting can be answered immediately. Real-time communication can save time and expedite testing.
Confluence or similar wikis are another means of continual documentation of test strategies, standards, and other best practices for testing.
Example of a Manual Testing Scenario
You will be testing a new checkout process for e-commerce purposes. You will add an item to the cart and enter the necessary information to overhaul the workflow and complete a payment process.
You will be looking to see if there were any clarity issues or errors at any of the steps along the way. You will check to see if the system is displaying messages and layouts correctly.
In the event that an error occurs, you will document the steps necessary to recreate the steps that caused the error. This documentation can help developers fix the error.
Conclusion
Evidently, manual software testing plays a major role still, and cannot be replaced by automation in every case, because though it can be easier and faster for a machine to run tests.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is manual testing hard?
Manual testing is a very approachable discipline for someone who is a beginner. It will require a little curiosity, patience, and understanding of user behaviour.
- Does manual testing require coding?
Manual testing does not require coding skills to start.
- What is the difference between manual and automation testing?
Manual testing is when a human does a step-by-step process in determining the quality and compliance of the piece of software, versus automation testing, when the testing is done using a testing tool that will allow the tests to be run automatically.
- What are the different types of manual testing?
Common types of manual testing would include exploratory testing, ad hoc testing, usability testing, smoke testing, and sanity testing.
- What is manual testing in SDLC?
It is the testing work performed within the software development lifecycle to verify functionality and user experience.
