Why is Compatibility Testing Important For the Success of Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation has led enterprises to streamline their systems and processes to produce software products that are stable, functional, secure and competitive. To validate the quality of software products and to hasten their delivery, enterprises carry out various types of functional and non-functional testing. And among the types of non-functional testing, compatibility testing is arguably the prominent one. It assures the smooth functioning of a software product on all hardware and software configurations. This can often be a challenging proposition given the complexity and range of test parameters involved.

What is compatibility testing?

A software needs an entire digital ecosystem of hardware and software to run successfully and meet the user expectations. The digital ecosystem consists of different kinds of browsers, databases, operating systems, networks, computer and mobile devices not to speak of their versions, configurations, resolutions, screen sizes, and speed. This calls for robust compatibility testing to ensure that the software does not fail while running on any of the components of the digital ecosystem.

An application or device compatibility testing should be performed in a real environment rather than a virtual one to ensure 100% compatibility. Done manually or by using test automation tools, this particular testing is significant to achieve user satisfaction and competitiveness of the product in the market. As the testing validates the stability of a product across all operating environments and ensures that it meets all business objectives, it is an important cog in the wheel of software development, testing and delivery.

Goals of compatibility testing

If the products are not tested for their compatibility across browsers, devices, networks, and operating systems, the resident glitches can play spoilsport. Enterprises often take the approach of using less than satisfactory testing routine to accelerate the time to market. This ultimately lets the end customers use the products and find glitches to their disappointment. Not only this is a flawed approach leading to costly reworks and tarnished reputations, it is a drain on consumers’ money as well. Moreover, many bugs simply go unreported as customers do not always come forward with their complaints and rather decide on junking the product altogether. This can have a serious impact on achieving the goals envisioned in enterprise digital transformation.

When to perform testing to check the compatibility of a product?

It is generally done when the product is completed and stable enough to be tested. The common defects detected during such a testing are: different look and feel of the UI, alignment issues, change in font size, CSS style and colour, overlapping or misalignment of content, and issues with the scroll bar among others.

Ways of doing such a testing in a software environment

• Testing the software product in a similar browser but with different versions

Testing the software product in different browsers with different versions

Types of testing

There are two ways to test the compatibility of a product:-

Forward: Akin to the name, the software product is tested to check its compatibility with the new versions of the operating environment.

Backward: The software product is tested to check its compatibility with the older versions of an environment.

How can this type of testing enhance the digital transformation strategy?

Quick identification of compatibility issues: If the test identifies resident glitches in the product leading to its incompatibility with the operating environment, it can save the company from blushes. This not only cuts down the cost of rework but keeps the customer support team from being overwhelmed with complaints as well.

Strengthens the development process in the SDLC: If digital transformation implementation is all about developing robust products that are scalable, stable, functional, secure and navigable then testing their compatibility across environments is a must. This is critical for the users as well as business. This helps the product to stand on its own in the competitive market.

Addressing the changing dynamics of user expectations: Digital transformation needs to deal with high user expectations that change at the drop of a hat. Device or application compatibility testing ensures a software product or device is optimized for performance on different hardware and software environments. This goes to ensure that each and every user regardless of the operating environment experiences a seamless performance.

Conclusion

In an era of technological changes and increased connectivity, digital transformation means the seamless performance of software or devices across all types of operating environments. Effective testing of such products for their compatibility goes a long way to offer customer delight and ROI for the business.

Diya works for Cigniti Technologies, Global Leaders in Independent Software Testing Services Company to be appraised at Cmmi-Svc v1.3, Maturity Level 5, and is also Iso 9001:2015 & Iso 27001:2013 certified.