Designing the Right Test Suite

Bangalore: A test suite also known as "validation suite" is a collection of test cases which are used to check if the application is free from bugs and defects. It contains detailed information regarding the collection of test cases as well as the system’s configuration. In short, it is a set of machines that have been configured to test a website.

Testing a website is not an easy task. A tester would need to know what to test and how to test, keeping in mind the functionality, the various conditions and the various tools and methodologies.

A test suite aims at:
a)    Rapidly testing and reviewing prototypes on all platforms and thus increasing productivity.   
b)    Allow duplications of the connections that a user can experience.
c)    Providing a platform for usability testing.

According to a post on philosophe.com, a well-designed test suite should address the following points:

1. The browsers/platforms which are most likely to be used by your audience: In order to identify which browser or platform a user is most likely to use, a tester would need to go through the popular browsers and platforms and also analyze his/her site’s logs.

2. The interaction between the browsers and the platforms: There are some versions of browsers that are not compatible with each other. Based on the operating system, browsers can also render HTML differently. Thus, while designing a test suite, a tester must ensure that it can handle the various interactions between the different versions of a browser.   

3. Understand the importance of certain user profiles:  It should always be kept in mind that the platform and browser needs of some of  users are vital to the business goals of the website. Thus, it is important to accommodate the needs of such users.

4. The Testing Budget: When the amount spent on test machines is insignificant, it affects the specialization of the test environment. Furthermore, when the complexity of maintaining test machine increases, it will be difficult to create a test environment which is realistic.