Future Trends in Test Automation: What to Expect in the Next 5 Years
“Will AI replace me?” Or “Could the looming recession put my career at risk?”
No one can truly predict how things will turn out because that’s beyond our control.
While no one can predict the future, what’s within your control is how you prepare.
In the sight of navigating the shifting landscape of technology and software testing, we’ve learned that staying informed and adaptive is crucial.
What you can do is,
- ensure you’re equipped with the latest knowledge in your field.
- keep up with emerging trends in QA and software testing automation.
- continually refine your skills and expand your professional network.
That’s how I’ve not only sustained my career but thrived through every wave of change. And that’s why I share these insights—so you can do the same.
2024 is shaping up to be an innovation-driven year, especially in the realm of software testing and Quality Assurance (QA). With the acceleration of digital transformation, many emerging trends are setting the stage not only for the year ahead but also for the entire decade. Here’s an overview of the key trends you should be aware of:
AI-based QA Transformations
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing QA by enabling smarter, faster, and more efficient testing processes. AI-based QA can automatically generate test cases, identify bugs, and prioritize testing efforts by analyzing large amounts of data. This drastically reduces the manual effort required while improving accuracy. Additionally, AI can predict potential areas where software may fail, helping testers focus their attention on critical areas before any issues arise.
Growth Over Time
The adoption of AI in QA has grown rapidly over the years, driven by the need for faster releases, higher-quality software, and reduced testing costs. Here’s a quick snapshot of growth:
- 2015-2017: AI began entering the QA space, mainly through automation tools that relied on machine learning for simple test case generation.
- 2018-2020: AI became more sophisticated with self-learning capabilities, allowing it to predict software failures, prioritize testing, and optimize test coverage.
- 2021-Present: The market for AI-driven quality assurance (QA) solutions surged due to notable advancements in explainable AI, no-code test automation, and self-healing technologies. Businesses that have completely included AI into their QA procedures, such as Google, Facebook, and IBM, have seen increases in both quality and speed.
According to Forrester, the AI-driven testing market is expected to grow from $600 million in 2020 to over $3 billion by 2025, with more organizations adopting AI to keep up with increasing software complexity and the demand for continuous delivery.
Explainable AI
According to the theory of “explainable AI,” AI systems should be built with human-friendly decision-making processes in mind. This is crucial for QA since testers must comprehend the reasoning behind the AI’s recommendations and the issues it raised. Explainable AI enables testers to work more productively with these systems and have confidence in the AI’s output, promoting accuracy and accountability in testing procedures.
Growth Over Time
Over the past few years, explainable AI has developed from a niche idea to a vital technology. The idea of XAI in QA was novel between 2017 and 2020, but by 2021, big businesses had started incorporating it into their AI-driven QA solutions, which led to its widespread adoption.
The market for explainable artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.5% from $2.4 billion in 2021 to over $12.6 billion by 2030, according to a 2022 Forrester analysis. The desire for more openness is driving this exponential rise, especially in industries where accountability and regulation are important, such software development, healthcare, and finance.
Self-healing Tools
Systems that can automatically identify and resolve problems in infrastructure or test scripts without the need for human interaction are referred to as self-healing technologies. These techniques are particularly helpful in complex contexts where codebase or application changes often cause test cases to break. Self-healing instruments adjust to these shifts, cutting down on maintenance requirements and downtime so that testers may concentrate on higher-value work.
Growth Over Time
- 2010–2015: 2013 saw the release of IBM and HP’s experimental self-healing infrastructure management tools, which were confined to simple problem detection and auto-repair features.
- 2015–2018: In 2016, SmartBear released self-healing automation tools that allowed for dynamic adaption to UI changes and a 40% reduction in test maintenance.
- 2019–2020: In 2019, Testim and Katalon combined AI-driven self-healing, reducing the number of manual test tweaks by 60% and increasing test stability.
- 2021 onwards: In 2021, Mabl debuted predictive AI-driven self-healing, which integrated easily into CI/CD pipelines and increased test automation stability by 70%.
Market Growth: The global market for self-healing technologies is expected to grow from $1.4 billion in 2020 to $5.6 billion by 2026, reflecting a CAGR of 25.4%.
No-code or Codeless Test Automation
Testers with little to no programming experience can develop automated test cases with a drag-and-drop interface thanks to no-code or codeless test automation solutions. As a result, test automation becomes more widely available to QA experts and becomes more democratic. It facilitates faster testing iterations, expedites the automation process, and lessens the need for specialized automation specialists.
Growth Over Time
- Early Adoption (2017–2019): Platforms like CloudQA and Testim.io (and more) started introducing codeless testing tools around 2017, enabling QA teams to automate tests without deep programming skills. This democratized test automation.
- Mainstream Adoption (2020–2022): By 2020, the no-code features were enhanced ever more, leading to a 30% increase in test automation adoption, especially in non-technical QA teams.
- 2024 and Beyond: In 2024, no-code automation is expected to account for 45% of test automation tools, making it a critical tool for faster testing iterations and allowing teams to deploy automation without specialized developers.
Shift-left Testing
Moving testing earlier in the software development life cycle is referred to as shift-left. Testing has traditionally taken place on the “right” side of the process, following the development of the code. Shift-left testing saves money and time by finding defects early on and doing testing operations within the design and development phases. With a deeper integration of QA into Agile and DevOps workflows, this method guarantees faster software releases and higher quality.
Growth Over Time
- Early Adoption (2010–2015): The shift-left approach gained momentum with the rise of Agile and DevOps around 2010, encouraging earlier integration of testing into development phases.
- Widespread Use (2016–2020): By 2020, shift-left testing became mainstream, with 40% of organizations incorporating QA into development, reducing defects by 30% and accelerating software delivery.
- 2024 and Beyond: In 2024, shift-left testing is fully embedded in DevOps workflows, with 70% of companies using it to catch defects early, cut costs, and achieve faster, higher-quality software releases.
Advanced Test Data Management
As more businesses deal with complicated and large-scale datasets, test data management (TDM) is becoming more and more sophisticated. Advanced TDM entails maintaining sensitive data (personal information, for example), creating high-quality synthetic test data, and making sure all test cases have complete data coverage. QA teams can imitate real-world settings more accurately and get better testing outcomes with richer test data.
Growth over time:
- 2010: QA teams relied on basic data masking and sampling.
- 2015: Adoption of synthetic data to protect sensitive information.
- 2020: AI-driven TDM tools enabled smarter data generation.
- 2024: Advanced TDM ensures complete data coverage, stronger data protection, and more realistic test environments for large-scale datasets.
Quantum Computing in QA
In the next ten years, quantum computing—which is still in its infancy—should have a revolutionary effect on quality assurance. Large volumes of data can be processed by quantum computers at speeds that are much faster than those of classical computers. This could benefit QA by enabling the testing of extremely complicated algorithms more quickly, executing complex test cases more quickly, and making advancements in areas like cryptography testing. More effective and potent testing methods will become possible as quantum computing develops.
Right now , quantum computing is still in its early stages but showing promise for quality assurance (QA). Over the next decade, it will revolutionize the field by speeding up testing for complex algorithms and cryptography, surpassing classical computing. By 2028, QA could see faster execution of complicated test cases, leading to more efficient testing. By 2033, quantum-powered QA tools will likely become standard, enabling powerful, faster, and more effective testing methods as quantum technology matures.
Since it’s quite novel for now, it can work like an abundant resource to be researched on.
Blockchain Testing in QA
Still a novel term for 2024, but can be proved to be a significant addition to testing markets.
Due to the increasing use of blockchain technology in a variety of industries, blockchain testing has a wide range of applications. Its main goal is to guarantee blockchain applications’ performance, security, and functionality.
Verifying the integrity of decentralized applications (dApps), testing smart contracts for vulnerabilities, and assuring regulatory standards compliance are important areas of focus.
Furthermore, testing methodologies need to take into account smooth communication and integration as interoperability across various blockchain networks becomes increasingly important. The creation of automated testing tools improves testing efficacy and efficiency, and comprehensive methods, such as user acceptability and end-to-end testing, guarantee that blockchain solutions can manage large transaction volumes and scalability. In general, the breadth of blockchain testing is essential to preserving the security and dependability of cutting-edge blockchain applications in a quickly changing environment.
Summary
Technological developments like artificial intelligence (AI), explainable AI, self-healing tools, no-code automation, shift-left testing, enhanced test data management, quantum computing, and blockchain testing are causing a rapid evolution in the field of quality assurance. These technologies not only improve efficacy and efficiency but also help organizations to provide software of higher quality more quickly, reshaping the testing process. Professionals in the area must embrace these trends because they will enable them to prosper in the face of constant change if they remain knowledgeable and flexible. Software quality specialists may stay competitive and relevant in the future by investing in skills and knowledge linked to these developing technologies. This will pave the way for a world where software quality is crucial in an increasingly complicated digital world.
So, no. Artificial Intelligence isn’t out to steal our jobs. It’s to make it easier. If we refix our lenses, we sure will be able to see the possibilities.
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