QA software testing is one of the most important aspects of application development. If you don’t test your software before releasing it, then there are chances that it will crash or not perform as expected by the users. QA testers should be experts in their field and know all possible software testing methodologies.

Top 12 software application QA testing methodologies in 2023

We are going to discuss 12 different testing methodologies used in 2023 by many companies worldwide:

1. Backward compatibility testing

Backward compatibility testing ensures that software can be installed and run on previous versions or generations of operating systems, databases, or even hardware.

It is important to ensure that your application maintains backward compatibility because it prevents you from losing existing customers who already use your product and don’t want to update to the newest version. It also helps you avoid breaking any old code that works fine but could stop working with a new upgrade or patch.

For example: If an app has been written for Windows XP and then upgraded over time to support Windows 7 and 10, every upgrade needs to be tested for backward compatibility, so it still runs correctly on older versions of Windows (and this isn’t just about testing for bugs—it’s also about ensuring things like features don’t break).

2. Benchmark testing

Benchmark testing is a type of performance testing that compares the performance of two or more systems. Benchmarking aims to evaluate the system under different conditions, configurations, and environments. It is used to compare the performance of similar systems at different times, or it can be used as part of a comparison between competing products. Benchmarking may also focus on specific parts of an application, such as its user interface (UI), business logic, data access layer (DAL), or other components.

Benchmark testing is important because it provides information about how well your application will perform across different platforms and situations. This testing will help identify areas for improvement and increase efficiency so you can deliver quality software faster than ever!

3. Code auditing

Code auditing is a best practice for companies with a large source code. The process involves reviewing the source code to ensure that it meets the standards set by the company. This is done manually and can be time-consuming, but it’s still one of the most popular QA methodologies because it finds bugs effectively.

If you regularly deal with large amounts of source code, then code auditing may be a good fit for your QA testing strategy. However, if you don’t deal with much source code or aren’t looking for thorough bug discovery, then this methodology might not be right for you—especially if other methodologies on this list can accomplish what you need more efficiently and cost-effectively​.

4. Component testing

Component testing is the process of testing individual software components. It’s focused on a single component at a time. This approach tests each component’s functionality, performance, reliability, and security.

Component testing makes it possible to isolate defects from one component to prevent them from spreading throughout an application or system. It also helps you identify which parts of your app are causing issues and allows you to fix those problems faster than if they were found during integration or system-level testing (which comes later).

5. Conformance testing

Conformance testing is software testing that determines if a product meets a specific standard. Whether it be safety, usability, or reliability requirements, conformance testing can be done manually or automatically. Conformance testing ensures that products meet standards for portability, interoperability, and other specific requirements.

Conformance testing ensures that products meet standards for safety, usability, reliability, portability, interoperability, and other specific requirements. This type of test is used in many industries, like the automotive industry, where vehicles are subjected to various tests before being launched in the marketplace.

6. Destructive testing

Destructive testing is testing a system by attempting to cause failures in it. It is also known as destructive analysis. Destructive testing is a type of black-box testing. It allows for any input, including invalid ones, and checks for all valid outputs. 

Destructive testing can test the robustness of the software application’s algorithms and data structures and its ability to handle unexpected inputs or errors gracefully (i.e., without crashing).

7. Functional testing

Functional testing is a type of software testing that tests the features of an application. It is performed to determine whether the application meets the user’s requirements.

Functional testing can be performed manually or by using automated tools. It is also known as black box testing because it does not depend on internal knowledge about the software source code.

8. Integration testing

Integration testing is the final phase in the software development life cycle. It combines component and unit testing results to test the entire system. Integration tests test interactions between components and subcomponents of a system, such as how one component responds when another act or how two components interact when they share data.

9. Load and performance testing

Load and performance testing simulates user activity on an application, system, or network to measure its response time and capacity. It is used to determine how a particular software application performs under different levels of load and assess the impact of that performance on users.

Load testing is one of the most common QA testing activities performed by software testers during development. It’s often considered an essential step for ensuring that your product will work properly after release.

The goal of load testing is to identify any issues that may occur due to traffic increases (i.e., user requests) over time—particularly when applications are first launched or updated with new features. This helps you ensure that your application can handle peak workloads effectively before releasing them into production environments where real users access them!

10. Localization and internationalization testing

Localization and internationalization testing ensure that software and its documentation are usable in different languages and regions. This means you need to test for localization issues before releasing a product, as it’s better to find any problems earlier than later down the line.

With internationalization testing, you will also want to ensure that all language-specific characters work correctly with your application or website. You may have noticed this issue when trying to type a question mark (?) into an email address field—you might get stuck or see something else instead! This can result in different issues depending on how your program uses language-specific characters, so it’s important to ensure everything works as expected before releasing anything publicly available for user consumption.

11. Negative testing

Negative testing is a type of test that tests for the absence of a specific behavior.

A test for the presence of a specific behavior is also known as positive testing. In contrast, a test for the failure of a specific behavior or the success of a specific behavior is called negative testing.

12. Regression testing

Regression testing helps to ensure that new software works as expected and does not break existing functionality. Regression testing is executing a previously automated test suite after changes have been made to the software. This can be accomplished ad hoc or by running regular regression tests before every build.

Conclusion

Software QA testing methodologies are a valuable part of software development that can help ensure that your app is ready for release. The process may be complex, but many resources are available today to help you start QA testing in no time.