Software Development and QA Trends to Watch in 2022

Hybrid Organizations Becoming the Norm

It would be a bald or even an absurd assumption to include in QA trends 2020. It is evident that some people won’t return to offices, at least not on a constant basis. One of the biggest challenges at the beginning of the pandemic has revealed both weak points of remote work and new opportunities.

The biggest struggle people face working remotely is being unable to unplug [60]. On the other hand, people admit that they have fewer difficulties with online communication and collaboration. The global CIOs survey shows that as of March 2021, 31% of respondents expected to continue working remotely permanently. According to another survey, 73% of employees want flexible working options to stay [26].

What it means for QA:

Companies that remained wary of outsourcing due to the difficulty of remote management gave up some of the concerns. An outsourced QA team is an extension of the in-house team. Managing it isn’t challenging if you set up the process correctly. More companies will likely start employing outsourced QA resources.

To read:

• Hybrid Work 101: What To Expect And How To Manage
• How to Choose a Software Tester? A Short Guide for Project Managers
• Managing an Outsourced Team: Things a Head of QA Should Know

Growing Demand for Communication Tools

The use of online conferencing software skyrocketed in March 2020. Zoom beating the download records and its stocks rising over 100%, Google Hangouts offering to use a premium plan for free for half a year, and Microsoft Teams winning 12 million users in a month [51] – stories like these didn’t sound shocking in 2021. We’ve joined the ranks of users, becoming a part of the statistics.

Organizations still keep looking for reliable communication and cooperation software tools. Telecommuting shouldn’t put a restraint upon working activities. In turn, tech companies aim to enhance their communication tools, adding more versatile features that allow for more flexibility.

For example, Slack introduced Huddles – a lightweight and audio-first communication feature that allows users to jump on calls without arranging an in-person or video meeting. Moreover, now users can send audio and video messages [31], which is also a great bonus for many.

What it means for development & QA:

Communication tools are used by companies of all sizes and from all industries. The market is vast, and there is room for improvement of existing tools. As new features are added, QA departments will be busy doing functional, integration, and regression testing.

Companies that prefer using customized solutions may decide to upgrade their in-house platforms. For example, adding integration with Zoom, Skype, Meet, or some other tool will enable quicker access to video calling features. These improvements are always followed by API and regression testing.

Enterprises might be interested in more complex products, such as intranet video platforms with multi-client capabilities, media asset management, etc. In this case, providers should be ready to offer feature-rich functionality with advanced customization opportunities. Creating a platform like this from scratch will require careful market analysis followed by extensive and meticulous testing.

Struggle for User Attention and Affection

People become more aware of how social networks and brands can be playing with their minds (not least due to The Social Dilemma documentary [45]). Besides, 2021 showed that users have limits for how much they can stay excited about trendy products. Yes, it is about Clubhouse.

The Clubhouse’s fabulous entry was followed by a pretty quick failure. The new media experts summarized these events with a number of articles. Some predicted such an outcome from the early days of the new social network[24]. To conclude the main points of why Clubhouse failed:

• The agitation around the brand new exclusive community couldn’t withstand its reputation. Obviously, creators didn’t see the potential in the long term and gradually stopped adding value to the platform.
• Here-and-now functionality (such as live streams only with no possibility of broadcast recording) created a somewhat nostalgic/retro vibe. However, the limited access and a limited number of people in a megaroom resulted in irritation and polarization.
• Both algorithms and UX were far from perfect. Clubhouse evolved around the initial hype instead of focusing on platform improvements [62].

Surprisingly, TikTok remained the life of the party, gradually attracting more diverse audiences. Of course, Instagram couldn’t ignore it and responded by launching Reels [30]. Whether it is a good implementation or a familiar platform, users seem to be happy with it.

What it means for development & QA:

Users are hungry for impressions, but you can feed any new digital product to them easily. Not anymore. There is an abundance of entertainment tools, with social media and streaming platforms taking the lead. The competition for loyalty and even attention becomes even tougher.

It means that software development teams should have an even greater focus on end-users now. Of course, a lot depends on non-tech specialists who develop a business concept of a new app or feature. Nevertheless, software developers are the ones to implement those ideas, and software testers are the ones to come into contact with the result. Functional, UI, and compatibility testing will be of high importance.

Finally, teams that involve Business Analysts in the process will have a better picture of the market fit, business opportunities, and scaling. Careful analysis and well-written documentation can help avoid logical gaps and unfitness for the market/demand.

To read:

• Streaming Platforms on the Rise, or Why Testing Is More Important Than Ever Before
• What Is The Role of a Business Analyst in Quality Assurance?

New Opportunities for Content Monetization

On-demand content has been around for a while. It is even surprising we didn’t see the associated solutions among software engineering trends 2021. Nowadays, fewer creators are ready to share exclusive content for free. Social networks also keep exploring monetization opportunities.

For example, Instagram’s CEO has been open about working on subscription ideas. The platform started testing paid badges for users with over 10K followers to use during live streaming [8]. In addition, Instagram appears to be working on Exclusive Stories [29]. This content will be visible only to Fan Club members and implies some kind of a subscription.

Apart from social media, there are services that encourage content monetization per se and work towards providing such an opportunity. For example, Overwolf – a platform that enables creators to build and monetize in-game items – raised $75M in series D and plans to use these funds to support the user-generated content creation [28].

Meanwhile, as live shows globally were canceled due to the ongoing lockdowns, musicians also began to look into live streaming opportunities. It started with social media but eventually evolved to more thought-through strategies. Those, who didn’t team up with Fortnite [22], rolled out video streaming platforms on the official websites for playing live shows, hosting online meet-n-greets, and sharing time-bound content.

What it means for QA:

More payment gateway and security testing are to come. Whenever we deal with subscriptions, it is essential to test different payment methods so that users can explore and use the features developed for their benefit.

Also, it is likely that more white-label solutions like Overwolf will appear in different industries. That is, QA engineers can expect a great deal of integration and interoperability testing, as well as working with add-ons and customizations.

On the other hand, some of those solutions call for more complex platform architecture. What used to be an average website now needs to be tested for integrations with third-party solutions, a variety of performance scenarios, and copyright protection (for example, ensuring that it is not possible to download time-bound videos using third-party extensions).

Users Becoming Even More Demanding

The level of digital literacy keeps increasing. As users get more familiar with different software solutions, they become more demanding. People already have enough experience to say what’s good and what’s not. They tend to analyze, compare, and suggest improvements – even if it’s not intentional.

We’ve read a lot of comments on Google Play and the App Store to see what users complain about the most. It turns out that most of the negative feedback deals with issues related to functionality. Often, these are problems with core features, logical gaps, confusing updates, and overall user experience.

Of course, there is a subjective factor to the response (and sometimes mischievousness, like in the case with school students globally rating Google Classroom with one star hoping the stores will take it down). In most cases, however, users can give a cue on further direction of product development.

What it means for QA:

There is no such thing as 100% test coverage or bug-free software. And still, that’s what users hope to get when they install an app or register for a new service. It is critical to estimate software from the end-user point of view.

QA specialists should keep communicating the value their expertise adds to the development, especially when we are talking about tight deadlines and important rollouts. The majority of issues that make a product’s low rating could have been prevented with proper analysis and testing. The tougher competition becomes, the more important it is to test a product before launching it.

Software testers will continue to pay sufficient attention to software functionality, UI, compatibility, and performance. The emphasis may shift to exploratory and ad-hoc testing with time as more teams start to employ automation. But that’s the subject for a different paragraph.

To read:

• Testing in Production: Risks, Benefits, and Best Practices

Thoughtful Customization & Personalization

Fewer people imagine the future of AI as machines overthrowing human rule and taking over the world. Let’s rather focus on how AI technology can help achieve better business results. Users want you to notice their individualities. And what AI does well is observing and forecasting. Customization can benefit a variety of businesses from different industries. Below are just a few examples.

1. E-Commerce

Our CTO mentioned this in her post about quality and trends in e-commerce [52]. In short, customers start seeking personalized experiences more often. This may include:

• on-site personalization with relevant suggested items;
• displaying offers and campaigns based on location;
• alternative search methods, such as voice and image search;
• introducing new payment options, including cryptocurrency;
• chatbots for easier navigation through the website;
• integrating UGC, such as video reviews, for better engagement.

With the abundance of information people are exposed to, it is easy to get tired and distracted. Therefore, customized offers work better for both brands and customers. The primer can expect higher conversion from accurate targeting, and the latter don’t get irritated by irrelevant offers.

2. Online Dating

Dating apps are becoming a usual practice for more and more people. For example, Tinder reports that the average number of messages sent per day increased by 19%, and conversations became 32% longer compared to the pre-covid times [47].

It is only natural that dating apps start paying more attention to personalization. If the Black Mirror episode “Hang the DJ” [5] crossed your mind right now, it’s not surprising, but there’s no need to get scared. We’re talking about the ethical use of data. So, back to Tinder:

• The company’s CEO announced the launch of the “swipe possibly” option for those who prefer to get to know people better, at least virtually, while social interactions are still limited [50].
• In October, Tinder rolled out the “Plus One” option for users to find a date to a wedding – right in time for the upcoming wedding season [48].
• A month earlier, the app had the “Explore” section that allows users to discover matches by interests. It also lets users add videos to their profiles [49].

The abovementioned improvements aren’t entirely based on AI technologies, but there are many ways to use the smart algorithms for the enhancement of dating apps, too. In particular, AI can study user behavior to help:

• find more compatible partners based on their facial pictures on the profile images;
• filter fake accounts (bots) and offensive/inappropriate content;
• correct grammar and spelling mistakes (who knows when literacy can come in useful).

3. Entertainment

The personalization list wouldn’t be complete without streaming services. You’ve probably noticed that platforms have been more attentive to users recently.

For example, Netflix shows “Similar to…” lists to facilitate the search. If an item is missing, a person sees a list of films and series that might interest them instead of useless “No results.” Finally, there is a shuffle feature [36] for indecisive users. Surely, it all is meant to make users watch for longer. Nevertheless, it’s quite convenient for those having good self-control and can cope with binge-watching.

Personalization is king when it comes to music streaming services. For instance, Spotify became exceptionally good at creating playlists and offering recommendations. New releases, mixes, and “you might’ve missed”/“discover more” are right on.

What it means for development & QA:

In the future, companies will rely on AI technologies more and more. Thus, software engineers and testers are to get more familiar with AI solutions and ML algorithms. First and foremost, it will be essential to keep up with both innovations and corresponding regulations.

The range of devices QA specialists will work with is going to increase, with wearables, IoT gadgets, and more joining the list. To provide useful experiences, the teams cannot rely only on automation. Only real users can teach AI assistants to recognize live speech with different accents (so that an elevator ride didn’t stress people out [18]).

To read:

• QA for Media and Entertainment: How to Test Your Digital Platform
• Chatbot Testing: Features to Check & Quality Tips to Keep In Mind

XR Technologies Extending the Borders of Reality

Let’s start this paragraph with a more down-to-earth application: using AR in e-commerce. It can allow users to look at how a piece of furniture fits in your space [39], try on clothes online [61], and so on.

XR technology has huge potential for education, too. It can create immersive multisensory experiences for school students of different ages. It can also improve vocational and workplace training, especially for tasks with a high level of complexity and dangerous scenarios.

AR, VR, and Metaverse

Yet, it is probably Meta resting at the top of your mind, ready to pop up when someone mentions virtual reality. The idea of the metaverse is not new. The 2003 video game Second Life is referred to as the first metaverse [35].

In case you’ve managed to miss it, the metaverse is a hypothesized iteration of the internet, where virtual 3D environments blend with online communication tools and are enhanced with VR/AR headsets. In simple words, it is a semi-virtual world you step in from the comfort of your home. Or, as another definition goes, “a digital version of our real world, layered with every surreal possibility ever imagined.”[58]

To quote Mark Zuckerberg, “The metaverse is the next evolution of social connection.”[57] Ironically, people tend to expect nothing good whatsoever from the Facebook creator. On the contrary, it is even easier to believe that the metaverse will become an evil corporation, given the way it is portrayed in popular culture [9].

The term itself comes from a novel – Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson – where Metaverse offers a dangerous escape from the real world. From the classics of the genre (The Matrix and Avatar) to top popular TV shows (Black Mirror, Westworld, Altered Carbon) and even anime (Sword Art Online) – none predict a bright future. Only Ready Player One gives a rather positive vibe and what we can call a happy ending.

Whether it is pop culture or Zuckerberg that spreads the negative vibe, metaverse could turn out to be more like Tony Stark’s Jarvis – just a rather very intelligent system that employs NLP technology and XR tools to help you out with important tasks[32].

Metaverse Beyond Popular Culture

How does the public understand the capabilities of Meta? Theoretically, people expect gaming, socializing, working, learning, shopping, self-expression, and a number of other experiences to be available. If it becomes all-embracing, marketing and advertising will grow into a part of the ecosystem, like they are now in Facebook and Instagram.

Imagine going to a virtual shop to buy flight tasters before going on a virtual tour to France organized by a real tour agency. Does it sound more exciting or troubling? It is not surprising that people have concerns taking into account the way the company manages its platforms nowadays. It will be too much for humans to take.

The tech industry is still figuring it all out. The Verge summed up [59] everything we know so far. Stay tuned for more. We’ll do that, too.

What it means for QA:

The terms of rolling out the metaverse structure and its scale are not clear yet. The very idea of XR technology interweaved with daily lives gives some food for thought. Probably, we can expect a gradual increase in XR testing. It makes sense for some software testing companies to start preparing. However, it is important to evaluate the feasibility of changes first.

VR testing requires more investment compared to testing other technologies due to its peculiarities. In particular, a software tester should have a short duration exposure (around 15 minutes) to the product to avoid fatigue and reaction changes. Therefore, either the time required for testing or the number of people working with a product increases.

Using XR technologies means creating more complex architectures that will be interesting and challenging to test. If we do start moving towards metaverse shortly, it will come with constant learning, upskilling, and a lot of attention to interoperability.

To read:

• AR In E-Commerce: The Peculiarities of Testing

Seeking Ways to Cope with Misinformation

“Post-truth” became the 2016 Oxford Word of the Year [63], and this concept is here to stay. It becomes more and more complicated to process the information we receive, avoiding manipulations and offensive content. There’s a fine line between the benefit and the harm of digital technologies.

Let’s take, for example, Reface. It is a fun app that lets a user try on the faces of celebrities in the videos. An entertaining application made it to the list of technologies that should have never been invented [1].

FaceApp, Face Swap, FaceMagic, CopyCat AI, Swapped, malivar.io – there are a lot of alternatives. In every case, we get an entertaining and potentially dangerous functionality. Given the tendency to spread information without verifying it, the consequences can be terrifying. So it’s about time to create a counter-solution that can help users navigate through the data flow safely.

Horizon, the EU research magazine, suggests that companies should start using AI for fact-checking and fake news detection[11], and the FANDANGO project project funded by the EU aims to achieve. Using Big Data management and analytics, they aim to detect fake news and create unified techniques that will enable transparency[21].

Recently, the new tech started offering similar solutions. In particular:

• TANBIH – a platform that uncovers stance, bias, and propaganda in the news[42].
• Twitter Trails – a tool for tracking the trustworthiness of the shared stories and investigating claims better[53].
• Bot Sentinel – a free tool that allows tracking unreliable accounts and information on Twitter[7].
• ExifTool – an open-source solution that provides full metadata about a piece of content[19].
• Logically – a threat intelligence platform that enables deep analysis of a content piece by deconstructing it into positive, negative, and neutral messages[34].
• Factmata – a platform for monitoring the web content for growing narratives and identifying their impact[20].
• Storyzy – a database with dozens of thousands of sources (websites, blogs, and video channels) classified based on their reliability[41].

Dealing with informational threats will take time. More initiatives for dealing with fake news and post-truth will likely appear in the near future, helping prevent manipulations and polarization of society.

What it means for development & QA:

Big Data and AI will potentially become game-changers. Development and QA teams can expect to work with both the private and government sectors. In any case, there will be some exciting and useful technologies to work with.

When it comes to objectivity versus bias, we are dealing with some sensitive ethical issues. Tech specialists will need to be aware of the privacy concerns and associated regulations. For such platforms, security will become of the utmost importance. Only backed by higher-class safety technologies, those smart algorithms can bring true value.

The Rise of the Mental Health Agenda

Understanding how much distress a simple malfunction can cause, Instagram announced a launch of the “Rage Shake” feature. Now, you can literally shake your smartphone angrily, and an option to report a problem will come up[2]. It should help prioritize bugs and other things to fix in the app. One more new feature is “Take a Break” – a reminder to close the app and get some rest from it[3]. Meanwhile, Ohio is suing Facebook for misleading the public about the effect their social media products have on children[37].

Unfortunately, social media are one of the many factors negatively affecting people’s mental health. Among all other things, Social isolation and long-term stress associated with the coronavirus pandemic also have serious mental health implications[15].

The good news is that the mental health agenda is getting destigmatized. New solutions for mental care appear regularly – from meditation and stress relief to disease-centered apps and much more.

What it means for development & QA:

Developing mental health software is one more great cause, and tech specialists can bring in great value. Developers are to deal with sensitive data and guarantee anonymity. Therefore, QA engineers need to pay special attention to privacy and security. They are crucial for users.

One more important aspect is functionality. The project team may need to involve a therapist to optimize the workflows and replicate relevant methods of dealing with certain problems/disorders. QA engineers may expect cross-functional communication during requirements writing or clarification.

Mental health apps often rely on communication functionality. For example, many solutions are supplied by professional therapists and provide in-app help in real-time. It can be well-prepared bots, in-app connections to a specialist, or both. Once again, there is a need to work with AI/ML and communication features, both text and audio.

Finally, UX may be more important for this kind of application than any other solution. Though QA specialists aren’t fully and solely responsible for this aspect Business Analysts should bring it up.

To read:

• How Can Leaders Build A Healthy Workplace Atmosphere Today?

Active Adoption of Telehealth Solutions

Moving on with the healthcare tech, providers started to adopt digital solutions more actively – for obvious reasons. According to McKinsey’s research, the use of telehealth has increased 38X compared to the pre-covid times, with both consumers and providers viewing digital technologies as an important part of healthcare services[43]. 81% of healthcare executives admit that digital transformation in their organizations keeps accelerating[23].

e-Health technologies make patient care and management easier, more affordable, far-reaching, and less resource-consuming. While only around 10% of patients used virtual health solutions before the pandemic, 40% report their readiness to use telehealth in the future[43].

Consumers express interest in a broad range of telehealth products. Some of the virtual health solutions have become an integral part of our daily lives – for example, digital vaccination certificates, wearables, monitoring devices, etc. Some are highly specialized – like laboratory software that enables more detailed and accurate analysis, revolutionizing diagnosis and treatment.

It is clear that medical institutions will continue adding telehealth platforms to improve the delivery of healthcare services. The next steps are filling the gaps in the market and readjusting the infrastructure to the efficient business and contract models [27].

What it means for development & QA:

QA engineers can expect to work with a variety of tasks and types of testing. Prioritizing any testing activities would be complicated and probably pointless given the variety of telehealth solutions, their specifics, and their purposes. From data authenticity and patient privacy to QR code generation and instant synchronization – the range of things to check can be impressive even within one system.

Hospitals will eventually add more digital solutions to the ecosystems. Making infrastructure well-coordinated, seamlessly integrated, more empathetic, and ultimately more efficient would be a priority for software developers and testers. Organizations will proceed with cloud transformation, which means, in particular, continuous upgrade testing and special attention to performance (reliability, scalability, and availability).

To read:

• Fundamentals of eHealth Software Testing
• QA for Telehealth Solutions – the Essentials and Best Practices

Our expertise:

• Testing Process Setup for the Cancer Research Software
• QA for Healthcare App: Features, Compatibility, and User Interface
• Healthcare App Testing under Changing Requirements
• Functional & UI Testing for Healthcare Services App

Digital Transformation of Learning Goes On

191 countries have closed their schools during the pandemic, affecting over 1.5 billion students. Almost half of those students faced barriers accessing online education during the school closures, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics states[14].

In April 2020, the number of users, who registered on Coursera, edX, and FutureLearn, was twice higher than during the entire 2019 Class Central reports. Around 25% to 30% of current MOOC users joined during the pandemic[10].

Accenture surveyed the representatives of higher education institutions as a part of their Accenture Technology Vision 2021. And all or almost 100% of respondents agreed to the following:

• their organizations are innovating with the urgency this year;
• business and technology strategies are becoming inseparable for their institutions;
• technology democratization is becoming critical to ignite innovation;
• the remote workforce opens up the market for difficult-to-find talent [38].

96% of students find high-quality digital experience significant for their education[33]. They expect more flexibility, technology enrichments, and ¼ to ⅓ of degrees to be delivered virtually[16]. Meanwhile, McKinsey busted some myths on corporate remote learning, assuring that remote learning can deliver the expected value if implemented correctly. Therefore, it can become an integral component of workplace learning long complementing the overall educational experience[46].

As you can recall once again, it’s been an unprecedented time for education. Both limitations and the potential of online learning have been driving the development of educational technology and online learning. While governments and educational institutions look for ways to fill in the gaps and make education possible in the case of an emergency, corporations explore the opportunities of providing more wholesome educational experiences for all sectors.

What it means for development & QA:

Functionality, compatibility, and accessibility determine user experience and product value to the greatest extent. If we are to prioritize specific types of testing, these would certainly be on the list.

As the digital transformation progresses, development teams get to work with a variety of EdTech solutions – both creating new products from scratch and adapting the existing platforms to the specific needs of a particular institution.

Again, we are going to test new content delivery methods aimed at smarter learned experience design. To explain in simple terms: personalized user paths and gamification are among the most discussed trends. As you can guess, it means working with AI/ML, NLP, and conversational interfaces.

To read:

• The Rise of Online Education: Industry Trends and E-Learning Testing
• EdTech Software Trends and Quality Tips to Keep In Mind

More People (Finally) Figuring Out Blockchain

As for the not-so-familiar things, welcome blockchain to the list of trends! Let’s start with a brief overview. The first blockchain was conceptualized in 2008. The term in its present form was coined in 2016. The very idea of a similar protocol dates back to 1982[6].

We’ve seen countless mentions of blockchain in the trends in software development 2021 and earlier. And nevertheless, despite the growing popularity of this technology, the majority still have little understanding of what blockchain is and how it works.

But eventually, with all the Bitcoins, Dogecoins, and NFTs taking over the news, people just won’t afford to remain ignorant at some point. Jokes aside, businesses seem to look into opportunities blockchain can open.

What it means for development & QA:

As companies keep exploring the potential of blockchain for their businesses, the demand for software developers and testers who have domain knowledge will keep increasing.

To read:

• Domain Skills in Software Testing — Are They Essential?

Keeping the World in Your Smartphone

There are 5.29 billion unique mobile phone users in the world. Four in five of them own smartphones. 90.9% of users access the internet via mobile devices. People spend on average 3 hours and 37 minutes per day on their mobile phones. There is a 10% annual growth in app downloads. 69.4% of people use shopping apps on their devices, and 55.4% make purchases using their phones. These are just a few of the insights Hootsuite shared in their latest report, The Global State of Digital 2021[44].

You could have already seen similar tendencies in quality assurance trends 2020 or earlier. There is a steady increase in mobile traffic share. That’s not surprising. Today, users have apps for everything on their devices. A regular smartphone becomes a strategic device, housing all (or almost all) the tools a person needs for their daily activities.

What it means for development & QA:

Even more people will start using smartphones over time. For developers, it means customization for a wide range of devices and operating systems. For QA specialists, it means a lot of compatibility testing. In the end, an app that doesn’t work well on a widely-used device is impractical, to put it mildly.

QA specialists should monitor the market to keep track of new devices. It is necessary for QA companies to update their device libraries. It is also important to follow the news and be aware of the major updates, such as new OS version rollout or some policy change. It will allow a development team to adjust a product for the new configurations.

To read:

• Mobile Application Testing Process: Step-By-Step Explanation

Prevalence of Accessibility in the Digital World

All the tech makes sense only if people can use it. The pandemic has raised the importance of digital channels for the majority of organizations[25], as well as the awareness of the impact of accessibility. Digital services have become an integral part of our daily lives. Thus, access to those services becomes a civil right. It is only logical to include websites to the “places of public accommodation.” The good news is both governments and the private sector have started taking that into consideration.

For example, the accessibility regulations for the public sector in the UK came into force on September 23, 2018[54]. According to the document, new resources were to be accessible and feature accessibility statements from the very launch. As for the existing resources, they need to be made accessible during updates. Mobile app owners have time to ensure compliance until June 23, 2021[13].

The US lawmakers countrywide work on discrimination lawsuits to accelerate the implementation of accessibility features by state and local agencies[12]. W3C WAI keeps updating the list of web accessibility laws and policies, planning to finish doing it by the end of 2021[55]. Long story short, people are taking a more proactive approach, and companies are to keep up.

What it means for development & QA:

Product Owners, Project Managers, and other stakeholders should factor accessibility and digital inclusivity into software product design from the very beginning. Meanwhile, QA engineers are to keep up with the regulations, study Web Content Accessibility Guidelines[56], and be empathetic.

Accessibility testing is one of those procedures that remind us about the importance of the human factor in the quality assurance process. It is possible to supplement testing with digital tools, but only manual testing can be efficient in detecting accessibility gaps.

The Growing Demand for Test Automation

According to the World Quality Report, around 15%-20% of tests are automated, with a regression suite making a large share. Automation increases thoroughness. More organizations across different industries are seeking smarter implementation of AT that will enable higher quality and agility. There are two ways to cover the demand for automation resources:

• hire more specialists with the corresponding technical skills;
• adopt intelligent automation that relies on AI and RPA[64].

Companies still face difficulties implementing test automation. The relevance of a chosen tool, the efficiency of the overall approach, the lack of the skills fit for a particular stage cause the most doubts.

What it means for QA:

Smart automation allows teams to do more in less time. Thus, organizations are more willing to invest in AT. Consequently, the ability to back up the strive for efficiency with relevant skills and technologies becomes a huge competitive advantage for QA companies.

It is the right time to start growing the AT department. Choose whatever strategy you prefer: hiring more specialists, in-house education and internal hiring, trying out scriptless tools, or a bit of each.

To read:

• How to Build a Test Automation Strategy?
• How to Reach the Right Level of Automation?
• An Effective Approach to Selecting Test Cases for Automation
• Skills QA Engineers Should Have Now and in the Future

Further Exploration and Adoption of DevOps

DevOps is meant to optimize the development life cycle and enable the continuous delivery of high-quality software. Despite the potential benefits, many find the term quite puzzling to define and understand.

DevOps is not the same as Agile, automation, or cloud computing, though it often comes hand in hand with these things. This cross-functional term is used to describe a set of practices that let companies shorten release cycles without putting quality at risk.

The 2021 Accelerate State of DevOps research shares interesting findings. In particular:

• Teams that equally prioritize delivery and operational excellence report the highest performance.
• Elite performers are continually able to demonstrate the results of successful DevOps implementation on practice – through more frequent releases, less time needed for changes, and faster recovery.
• Teams using well-written documentation report easier implementation of technical ideas and better overall performance.
• Focused on agility and resilience, DevOps helps create a positive team culture that makes it easier to work under pressure.
• As the industry sees meaningful benefits associated with DevOps, the adoption of this model continues to accelerate[4].

The companies with highly evolved DevOps practices report successful automation and cloud tech, though not always to the full potential, according to the 2021 State of DevOps Report. Puppet has been conducting a DevOps survey for ten years, comparing the previous findings with new data. It allowed them to follow the evolution of understanding DevOps and its values.

Today, the highly-evolved DevOps team demonstrate a clear understanding of:

• their roles, plans, and goals;
• their responsibilities to other teams;
• adjacent teams relating to their responsibilities;
• common methodologies and tools[40].

In short, organizations that promote clarity as opposed to ambiguous naming and process terminology, are likely to achieve higher performance.

Given the fast-paced development environment and demanding users, companies employing DevOps practices get a significant advantage. Besides, the pandemic accelerated digital transformation, making it 20% to 25% faster than businesses thought was possible[17]. For the DevOps team, it wasn’t that challenging to keep up.

What it means for development & QA:

DevOps adoption means cultural, organizational, and process changes. To begin this transformation, organizations need to understand clearly what things require transformation. The next step would be developing well-defined roles for all team members.

DevOps implies transparency and accountability, as well as ongoing communication. It relies on constructive feedback that prioritizes effective problem solving and focuses on long-term perspectives instead of quick one-time solutions.

Successful DevOps practices remind us once again about the importance of well-written documentation and strong process architecture, whether we are talking about in-house units, distributed teams, or outsourcing.

To read:

• Managing the Obscure Boundaries Between Development, QA, and DevOps

QA Trends: Long Story Short

As you can see, the global news is revolving around several major subjects and software development trends: AI, DevOps, social media, and the implications of COVID-19. Though the list of life-changing events and widely-discussed technologies is short, their influence on the tech industry is multi-faceted.

1. The demand for online streaming and communication services is here to stay. That means we will see a lot of testing for video and audio features.
2. Users expect to have a positive experience and often have alternatives for poorly functioning solutions. To keep up with competitors, companies should run functional and UI testing as meticulously as ever.
3. Working with user feedback is a must for those who aim to build a loyal community. Reviews can give valuable clues to what your product is lacking.
4. Smart personalization and customization will help create tailored offers and relevant suggestions in a variety of spheres. That’s where AI and ML join the game.
5. VR, AR, and MR have the potential to enhance the experience in a variety of fields, from entertainment to healthcare.
6. Some urgent problems, including mental health issues, dealing with offensive content, spotting fake news, call for innovative software solutions.
7. Further digital transformation of core spheres, such as healthcare and education, will come with digitizing more analog services/experiences and enabling equal access to them.
8. Companies across various sectors are moving towards more complex self-sufficient infrastructures. That means a great deal of integration and interoperability testing.
9. Security concerns grow as more processes shift to online. Companies with access to sensitive data must ensure user security and confidentiality.
10. The accessibility awareness also keeps increasing. Governments take measures to enforce digital inclusion and equal access to online services for all groups of people.
11. The share of mobile traffic steadily increases. That reminds us of the importance of compatibility testing, as well as localization/internationalization testing for apps that are not limited by a single geographical region.
12. Test automation will be soon prioritized by the development teams since it guarantees higher accuracy and better performance. Companies are yet to discover its full potential, but many are on the way and realizing the benefit.
13. Technologies that were treated with cautious optimism not so long ago, such as AI, cloud solutions, and blockchain, are gradually entering a mature stage of adoption.
14. The newly-acquired ability to manage remote teams is promising for outsourcing companies. A lot of misconceptions about working with offshore teams are history now.
15. Quality assurance specialists have a vast array of opportunities for professional development in terms of both technical and soft skills. As long as new technologies appear and market competition grows, organizations are interested in supporting lifelong learning and upskilling.

To Sum Up

We can already see that some of the trending technologies in software development – digitalization, AI, DevOps, security and accessibility awareness – are positively transforming development and testing strategies.

Hopefully, more organizations will take a smarter approach to QA implementation and planning (and not because of seeing this idea among the quality assurance trends 2021). The growing interest in business analysis, testing metrics, risk-based testing, and similar topics manifest a more thoughtful approach to process management.

We cannot say for sure what software development and QA trends will be prevailing and shaping our work this year. These are only assumptions, but they still make the upcoming year sound exciting.

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