Layout testing: Who finds the error first - you or your users?
Who hasn't seen a website whose layout looks a little "out of place" or "broken"? There are many reasons for this, but they can be quickly identified through clever testing and ideally rectified before a new website or function goes live.
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Bianca Jung
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Christiane Helmchen
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Layout testing can be compared to troubleshooting images, as most tools used for this purpose compare a target layout pixel by pixel with the actual state. However, these tests in the development of web applications do not serve to amuse the developers, but are an aid to improving the quality of the software. This is because the reasons for a "broken" web design usually lie in the source code, especially in the CSS, which has often become unmanageable for more complex websites - especially if the site has been continuously worked on for years. It could just as well be because a new team is working on the project and does not understand the old code. However, the result for the website user is the same: a site that may not look serious and, in the worst case, may even no longer be usable due to the changes and shifts. But you can do something about this: layout testing is the magic word here. Because checking an entire website for layout errors "by hand", especially when it comes to responsive websites, is not only very tedious, but in the end you usually don't find all the errors anyway.
Quality factor layout testing
Automated testing has become an integral part of today's software development. However, this usually involves unit tests for testing individual classes and code modules or functional tests that check whether individual functions, such as the login, work as desired. Above all, they also make future work on the same project easier because errors caused by changes to the code are displayed immediately. Sometimes performance tests are also considered, especially for web projects that have a high permanent traffic or load peaks. However, the fact that the layout can and should also be tested is not yet on many people's radar. Especially in times of rapidly increasing mobile access, it is important and can also be business-critical that a design works on all end devices and screen sizes.
For whom do layout tests offer added value?
Agencies whose developers and testers implement layout tests have the advantage that they can see immediately if something has been unexpectedly changed in the layout due to new code - yes, this can sometimes happen (usually unnoticed). So if automated tests are run regularly, errors can be detected and rectified quickly before the customer gets hold of the error and the agency is left in a bad position.
But customers also benefit enormously from having their web application covered by layout tests. If buttons are scaled too small on smartphones, elements are too far away from other elements or product images are not displayed on e-commerce sites, for example, this can have a negative impact on their sales, as users usually immediately punish poor usability by not buying. Automated layout tests also make it easier for developers to find, isolate and quickly rectify errors! Especially in web applications with many different sub-page designs, it is impossible to keep an eye on everything. Once implemented, layout tests can also test usability, at least in part.
There is also an article on layout testing as a success factor in the current print edition of Screenguide (issue 31): https: //screengui.de/31/layouttests#comments
