Visual regression testing: A visual approach to bug detection

In software development, it is crucial to guarantee uniform performance and appearance across all hardware and browsers.

Visual inconsistencies, such as misplaced items, typeface problems, and unexpected layout changes, can negatively affect the user experience and overall product quality. Developers and QA teams use the excellent tool known as “Visual Regression Testing” to efficiently solve these issues.

This method entails comparing screenshots of the current programme with earlier iterations to find any unfavourable visual alterations in the application’s graphic elements.

Fundamentals of visual regression testing

Visual regression testing is a crucial quality assurance method that focuses on locating visual differences between different iterations of your program. It is an expansion of traditional functional testing.

Visual Regression Testing makes use of advanced picture comparison tools rather than only relying on code-based tests. The procedure follows a set pattern: initial screenshots are taken during testing to create a visual baseline or reference collection that depicts the expected appearance of the program.

Once changes have been made, whether they involve improving the operation of the application, including new features, or changing its appearance, developers take new pictures to reflect the application’s current condition. After carefully comparing these fresh screenshots to the reference set, visual regression testing tools highlight any discrepancies or “visual regressions.”

Once these visual regressions are identified, they undergo a meticulous review by both QA teams and developers. The team separates between actual issues that need to be fixed right away and deliberate design modifications during this evaluation. The application’s visual integrity and quality are maintained throughout its development lifespan by swiftly implementing any necessary fixes if there are real faults.

How visual regression testing functions 

1. Capture baseline screenshots: At first, screenshots of various pages or parts of your program are taken. These are used as the baseline or reference photographs.
2. Make changes: You must make sure that any upgrades, additions, or changes to the code don’t result in aesthetic flaws while your development team works on them.
3. Capture new screenshots: New screenshots are taken after every change to show how your program is currently functioning.
4. Comparison: Tools for visual regression testing, such as LambdaTest, indicate any differences between the new screenshots and the baseline photos, which are frequently referred to as “visual regressions.”
5. Review and remediate: Developers and QA teams examine the detected visual regressions to identify whether these are deliberate design changes or faults that need to be fixed.

Benefits of visual regression testing

Visual regression implementation including testing in your development process has several compelling benefits:

• Enhanced user: A better user experience is achieved by ensuring visual consistency across browsers and devices because users won’t face jarring layout difficulties or broken UI elements.
• Time and cost savings: The detection of visual flaws is automated through visual regression testing, eliminating the need for significant human testing and conserving time and money.
• Improved development workflow: The knowledge that Visual Regression Testing will identify unintentional visual regressions early in the development cycle gives developers the confidence to make changes and updates.
• Increased test coverage: Visual regression testing is like giving your app a keen inspector. It pays great attention to how your app feels and looks in addition to the coding. It’s like having a detective and a designer on your team when used in conjunction with routine testing, guaranteeing that your app not only functions well but also looks fantastic.
• Regression prevention: You can avoid expensive post-release adjustments and keep an application that runs more steadily by identifying visual regressions before they hit production.

Visual regression testing tools for bug detection

The growing need for dependable VRT solutions can currently be satisfied by a number of technologies. From the ability to test across many browsers to a seamless interaction with testing frameworks, these solutions offer a wide range of functions. Let’s examine a few well-known VRT tools recognized for their ability to find bugs:

1. Percy: Developers and QA teams can take screenshots of online apps using Percy, a visual testing platform, and then compare them. With its seamless integration into your development workflow and ability to instantly identify visual changes between versions, problems may be located and fixed faster.
2. Applitools: A visual testing and monitoring program called Applitools was created to find visual flaws across various browsers, gadgets, and screen sizes. It is a superb option for thorough bug identification because it uses AI-powered visual validation to detect even minute discrepancies between photographs.
3. LambdaTest: Cross-browser testing software LambdaTest includes integrated screenshot testing and is cloud-based. Visual regression tests may be carried out with LambdaTest on a variety of browsers and devices, enabling effective issue discovery in a variety of settings.
4. BackstopJS: BackstopJS is an open-source visual regression testing tool that allows you to automate visual testing by capturing and comparing screenshots. It integrates smoothly with various testing frameworks and provides detailed reports for bug tracking and resolution.

Implementing visual regression testing with LambdaTest

To guarantee your web application’s visual consistency across various environments, visual regression testing using LambdaTest is a potent technique.

Utilising LambdaTest’s AI-powered test orchestration and test execution platform’s features will let you quickly identify and fix visual regressions so that you can give your clients a polished and bug-free user experience. LambdaTest can help you maintain a high level of visual quality in your web applications and increase your confidence in release readiness.

Follow these steps to successfully build visual regression testing with LambdaTest:

1. Sign up: Begin by signing up on LambdaTest.
2. Select devices: Under ‘App Testing’ choose the gadgets and working structures you want to test your software. LambdaTest offers an extensive range of configurations to suit your testing necessities.
3. Run regression tests: After setting up your account, click the ‘Start’ option to start running your tests.
4. Review results: Now, wait for these tests to be completed. You will get a notification once the tests are done.
5. Use features on the testing panel: When you run the app, you’ll see components on the left side of the screen that might help you interact with it, such as reporting defects using the bug symbol, sharing them with your team mates, recording screenshots, and creating videos depending on the testing you do.
6.  Check Results: Now, carefully go through the test results report on your ‘Dashboard’ under ‘Recent tests’ on the right-hand side and identify any issues or errors that occurred during the test.

Benefits of Visual Regression Testing with LambdaTest

To guarantee the visual quality and consistency of your web applications across various browsers, devices, and screen sizes, visual regression testing (VRT) is a crucial component. With LambdaTest, an AI-powered test orchestration and test execution platform, you may implement VRT and gain several benefits that will speed up your testing procedure and raise the general calibre of your web apps.

Here are the benefits of using LambdaTest for Visual Regression Testing:

• • Cross-browser and cross-device testing: In the cloud, LambdaTest provides a large selection of actual browsers, gadgets, and operating systems. This wide range of options enables you to run VRT simultaneously on several browser versions and devices, ensuring complete cross-browser and cross-device testing coverage.
  • Parallel testing: The ability to run tests in parallel is one of LambdaTest’s unique features. This entails that VRT testing may be run simultaneously across several browsers and gadgets. Parallel testing drastically cuts down on testing time, allowing for rapid response and bug detection.
  • Integrated screenshot testing: For VRT, LambdaTest makes it easier to take and compare screenshots. You may easily take screenshots of your web application in a variety of setups thanks to its built-in snapshot testing capabilities. To avoid the requirement for manual snapshot management and collection, LambdaTest then stores these screenshots for comparison.
  • Seamless automation integration: Popular automation frameworks like Selenium, Appium, and others are effortlessly integrated with LambdaTest. Because of this, it is simple to integrate VRT into your automated testing frameworks, boosting your CI/CD workflow with automated visual testing to identify regressions early in the development process.
  • Live interactive testing: LambdaTest enables live interactive testing in addition to being great for automated VRT. With the help of this functionality, you can manually test your web applications in real time on actual devices and browsers. It is especially helpful for exploratory testing and finding visual faults that automated testing could overlook.

Conclusion

Web development has been revolutionised by Visual Regression Testing using LambdaTest. Making ensuring your website appears and performs flawlessly across various web browsers and mobile devices is made simpler by using this technique.

With the help of LambdaTest, you can quickly and confidently make sure that your website offers a top-notch user experience throughout the digital environment. With LambdaTest, such blunders can be avoided. For example, consider how your website might appear flawless on one browser but distorted on another. It expedites the procedure and makes finding bugs and fixing them simpler. You can test your website simultaneously on several platforms thanks to it.

LambdaTest also offers a quick way to capture screenshots that can be compared, doing away with the need for speculative visual issue diagnosis.

LambdaTest takes your testing preferences into account, whether you enjoy automated testing or would rather engage in hands-on exploration. The availability of accessible test findings and reports improves team communication as well. Regardless of the user’s preferred device or browser, LambdaTest enables your website or app to constantly deliver a polished and bug-free user experience. LambdaTest is essentially more than just a testing tool; it’s also your best-kept secret for designing amazing online experiences.