Website Testing

The process of website development starts with requirement analysis and then it passes through different phases.

Testing is one of the most important phases which is often ignored by the team. But the reality is websites or web based applications need intensive testing as it will be working as a multi- user system with bandwidth limitations. Both automated testing and manual testing is required to measure a site’s success in development.

1)    Functionality Testing

This is the first level of testing which is often also called Module testing. It includes-

• Testing Links- All the outgoing links, internal links, anchor text links, emails links are tested.  Broken links and orphan pages are also checked here.
• Testing Forms- Form checking is one of the vital checking items. Here form validations, default values are checked.
• Validating HTML/CSS – HTML/CSS validation is very important if the site is optimized for SE. One needs to validate the HTML for syntax error.
• Database testing – Database is tested for data integrity and data consistency. Check if all the database queries are executing correctly, data is retrieved correctly and also updated correctly.

2)    Usability Testing

This is done after module testing. Usability checking is done to check if the site is easy to use. Check if all the information in the site is correct so that they satisfy purpose.

3)    Interface testing

Technically interfaces of website are web server and application server interface & application server and database server interface. So the interface testing is done to check if all the interactions between these servers are executed properly. Errors are handled properly. If database or web server returns any error message for any query by application server then application server should catch and display these error messages appropriately to users.

4)    Compatibility testing

Compatibility testing is a very important testing aspect. Compatibility testing is executed to check if the site is cross browser compatible, operating system compatible and mobile compatible.

5)     Security testing

Before launching the site security testing is done to check all the security aspect of the site which includes-

• Test by pasting internal url directly into browser address bar without login. Internal pages should not open.
• If you are logged in using username and password and browsing internal pages then try changing url options directly. I.e. If you are checking some publisher site statistics with publisher site ID= 123. Try directly changing the url site ID parameter to different site ID which is not related to logged in user. Access should denied for this user to view others stats.
• Try some invalid inputs in input fields like login username, password, input text boxes. Check the system reaction on all invalid inputs.
• Web directories or files should not be accessible directly unless given download option.
• Test the CAPTCHA for automates scripts logins.
• Test if SSL is used for security measures. If used proper message should get displayed when user switch from non-secure http:// pages to secure https:// pages and vice versa.
• All transactions, error messages, security breach attempts should get logged in log files somewhere on web server.

Pros and Cons of Flash-based Sites

Flash-based sites have been a craze since the past few years, and as Macromedia compiles more and more great features into Flash, we can only predict there will be more and more flash sites around the Internet. However, Flash based sites have been disputed to be bloated and unnecessary. Where exactly do we draw the line? Here’s a simple breakdown.

The good:

Interactivity

Flash’s Actionscript opens up a vast field of possibilities. Programmers and designers have used Flash to create interactve features ranging from very lively feedback forms to attractive Flash-based games. This whole new level of interactivity will always leave visitors coming back for more.

A standardized site

With Flash, you do not have to worry about cross-browser compatibility. No more woes over how a certain css code displays differently in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera. When you position your site elements in Flash, they will always appear as they are as long as the user has Flash Player installed.

Better expression through animation

In Flash, one can make use of its animating features to convey a message in a much more efficient and effective way. Flash is a lightweight option for animation because it is vector based (and hence smaller file sizes) as opposed to real “movie files” that are raster based and hence much larger in size.

The bad and the ugly:

The Flash player

People have to download the Flash player in advance before they can view Flash movies, so by using Flash your visitor range will decrease considerably because not everyone will be willing to download the Flash player just to view your site. You’ll also have to put in additional work in redirecting the user to the Flash download page if he or she doesn’t have the player installed.

Site optimization

If your content was presented in Flash, most search engines wouldn’t be able to index your content. Hence, you will not be able to rank well in search engines and there will be less traffic heading to your site.

Loading time

Users have to wait longer than usual to load Flash content compared to regular text and images, and some visitors might just lose their patience and click the Back button. The longer your Flash takes to load, the more you risk losing visitors.

The best way to go is to use Flash only when you absolutely need the interactivity and motion that comes with it. Otherwise, use a mixture of Flash and HTML or use pure text if your site is purely to present simple textual and graphical information.