Functional testing: Ensuring compliance and user satisfaction

Quality assurance for a web application or Mobile dependson your ability to manage your quality assurance (QA) in a structured manner. Among the pillars of this approach, functional testing plays a central role in validating business requirements.

What is a functional test?

The functional test is a type of software test that verifies that an application precisely meets business requirements and functional specifications. Unlike technical tests, it focuses on the result of the action (the "what") rather than the internal structure of the code (the "how").

Why is functional testing crucial for your ROI?

On an e-commerce site or business application, each feature (account creation, search engine, payment funnel) meets a critical need.

• User Impact: If an "Add to Cart" button fails, the customer experience is disrupted.
• Business Impact: A functional bug in production leads to a direct loss of revenue and damages the brand image. Functional testing is used to validate that each user scenario runs smoothly, in accordance with the specifications.

What are the four levels of functional testing?

For comprehensive coverage, functional testing is divided into several layers, often following the logic of the testing pyramid:

• Unit testing: Performed by developers, it validates each component or function of the code in isolation.
• Integration testing: This test verifies that the various software modules communicate correctly with each other.
• System testing: It checks the entire system from end to end in an environment close to production.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): The final step before delivery, it validates final compliance according to the acceptance criteria defined by the customer or business teams.

When and how should these tests be implemented?

The golden rule in QA is to "test early and often" (Shift Left Testing).

1. Upstream: From the design phase onwards, on acceptance environments.
2. During development: With every update or bug fix.
3. Continuously: By automating functional tests and integrating them into your non-regression testing (NRT) campaigns. This allows for rapid delivery without the risk of regression on existing features.

Need to secure your critical processes? Discover how Mr SURICATE 's no-code solution Mr SURICATE your functional tests to detect bugs before your users do.