Differences Between Functional Testing and Usability Testing

The inception of the virtual village has seen a predicted boom in software productions. As decades flew by, this demand has increased due to the increase in business through the Internet. The IT companies are based entirely to deal with clients who want software made and/or tailored according to their specific requirements. However, making software and delivering it in the desired state is no cakewalk. This entails rigorous coding and testing until the product is what the client had ordered. 

Two important testing procedures that are employed repeatedly are Functional Testing and Usability Testing. This article encompasses the span of each such cycle. 

Functional Testing

The creation of software entails the creation of a lot of small modules which are then put together to ultimately form the software. Once the compilation process is complete, the software must be tested. It so happens often that the modules which worked just fine on their own, do not do such a great job anymore once they are put together. Hence, they must be tested, individually, and as software in total. This process is known as Functional Testing.

Given below are the steps followed in functional testing:

1. Identification of the functions that you expect the software to perform throughout its lifetime. This is usually provided by the client who brings in the project.
2. A set of input data must be created. This is based on the functions that the software is supposed to perform.
3. The output that is expected from the software is determined either manually or with the help of some other software.
4. The test case, or the input set that was designed previously, is then executed by the software.
5. The output obtained from the software is compared to the output determined prior to the execution.

If the determined output and the obtained output match for all the inputs, then the software can be certified as functional.

Usability Testing

Usability Testing is very different from Functional Testing. While Functional Testing deals with testing the software’s functionality, Usability Testing takes care of the complexities of the use of the software in daily lives.

It often happens that a fully functional software is actually not very suitable for the targeted users to work on. This can be a problematic scenario, especially because the software has been developed. Hence, proper planning is often necessary to ensure the complexity does not go out of hand. Usability Testing is usually done by a selected group of end-users who, then, comment on the practical usability of the software.

The steps involved in Usability Testing are as follows:

1. Identify a number of potential users for the software and approach them to conduct the testing procedures.
2. Determine the portion of the software that you want to test. It could be a part of the software or the entire software.
3. Handpick the tasks that you want the software to perform.
4. Determine the standard of success and the expected complexities of the job.
5. Get a script ready that you are expecting the user to follow to get to the end result.
6. Get the feedback from the users selected.

Differences between Functional and Usability Testing

Functional Testing and Usability Testing are two important parts of a larger testing scenario. They are essentially different from each other, and their procedures vary a lot. Given below is a table that enunciates the major differences between these two types of software testing processes.

Conclusion

Essentially different in approach and performance, Functional Testing and Usability Testing are still correlated through their importance in the industry. Both the forms complement each other and ensure the software works as per the desired process.