UAT Test Automation vs. Manual UAT Testing: Pros & Cons

User acceptance testing (UAT) plays a crucial role in the software development process as it helps in determining the worth of a software product from a user’s perspective.

UAT can be conducted in both manual and automated mode. The testing team should know how to leverage manual and automated UAT testing based on the project scope and requirements.

In this article, you will get to know the pros and cons of manual and automated UAT testing.

Pros of UAT test automation:

1. Complex and repetitive tasks are properly handled: Repetitive and complex testing scenarios, such as testing a large number of configurations or testing large amounts of data can be ably handled by UAT test automation. Tests can be repeated as many times as possible, thereby improving the performance and reliability of the software.

2. Reporting and collaboration activities are leveraged: Collaboration is enabled between stakeholders and team members, thereby allowing for reporting and real-time monitoring of testing progress and results. It provides enhanced decision-making, accurate and detailed reporting and problem resolution.

3. Enhanced efficiency and speed: The speed of testing can be significantly increased by automating time-consuming and repetitive tasks. There will be fewer errors when test scripts are automated.

Cons of UAT test automation:

1. The issue with being inflexible: Accommodating changes can be quite difficult in testing or requirements scenarios as automated UAT tests can be rigid and inflexible. Non-standard or unexpected testing scenarios may not be properly handled.

2. Exceptional technical skills are required: Technical skills and expertise, such as knowledge of automation tools, testing frameworks and scripting languages are required by the UAT test automation platform. Hence, the in-house team should have in-depth knowledge and experience in various scripting languages.

3. The cost factor: A significant amount of initial investments needs to be made in software, hardware and tools, including automation frameworks, testing tools and software and other infrastructure.

Pros of UAT Manual testing:

1. Interaction with users and systems can be done directly: Direct interaction with systems and users is provided by the manual UAT test platform. This in turn allows testers to gather insights and feedback from real-world use cases. Potential issues can be identified and the overall user experience of the system can be enhanced.

2. Adaptability and flexibility to changing requirements: Flexibility is provided, so that testing scenarios or changing requirements can be adapted, thereby making it a feasible solution for organizations with testing needs.

3. Non-standard and complex scenarios are properly handled: Complex and non-standard testing scenarios are ably handled, which, in turn, ensures that unique or unexpected issues and anomalies are properly identified and addressed.

Cons of UAT Manual testing:

1. The dependability factor: Manual testing resources are required to conduct manual UAT testing, which, in turn, makes it challenging to ensure reliable and consistent testing outcomes. The dependency on manual testing resources increases the effort and time to conduct testing for UAT. Hence, the efficiency of testing activities might be reduced.

2. Tracking and reporting capabilities cannot be leveraged: The reporting and tracking capabilities of automated testing are lacked by the manual UAT testing method, which is considered to be an important element of software testing. Hence, decision-making and collaboration work cannot be carried out in a full-fledged manner, resulting in a reduction of efficiency of UAT testing.

3. Coverage and scope are limited: All aspects of the system cannot be thoroughly tested as manual UAT testing is limited in scope and coverage. The risk of potential quality problems and missed issues is increased by this limited coverage, thereby affecting the system’s overall performance.

Conclusion: The above mentioned pros and cons might have given you some idea about manual UAT testing and UAT test automation. If you are looking for more meaningful insights on both these aspects, which might help your project specific needs, then do get connected with a premium software testing services company that will provide you with a strategic approach that will precisely work for your software development project.

About the author: I am a technical content writer focused on writing technology specific articles. I strive to provide well-researched information on the leading market savvy technologies.