Having spoken to various clients across various industries; there seems to be a general shift away from offshore test centres of excellence towards a more proximate solution. This is especially apparent with respect to mobile device testing. Companies want to call upon services, but don’t want to rely on ‘follow the sun approaches’.
Couple the instantly accessible device solutions with the experience of offshore partners and you have the foundation of a solution that covers the main elements of today’s society with respect to new device tests being performed onshore; with older; more unusual device configurations being performed by offshore partners; via a cloud solution.
With regard automation approaches, we are looking for frameworks that look at the multi-channel aspect of the digital transformation age.
Finding an automation framework that can be used across multiple devices, channels and browsers will provide stakeholders with great solace; as; in theory any expenditure in automation approach will result in greater ROI returns as, “one script fits all” across various desktop and mobile browsers.
Providing companies with a “script once” approach will be very appealing.
Tools and frameworks are trying to readdress the balance, providing efficiency in the framework space, but until verified; there will be the need for maintenance to ensure current framework is compatible.
However, for me the most important thing is that as testers, we need to be constantly innovating, and developing our skills. Technology is constantly changing and so must our testing methods, frameworks that limit maintenance and maximise channel coverage are a must; but the most important (for now) is that the individual must develop and keep pace with the ever changing technology landscape.
