How to Display and Visualise Test Run Results

Why is test results visualisation so crucial in software testing?

Did you know that around up to 30% of the IT budget is spent on QA? This stat shows 2 things: 

• Software testing and QA is growing non-stop
• You need to show the outcomes of this crucial process properly

And that is where you need the test run results. To put it simply, test result visualisation is the process of showing the outcomes of software tests in a graphical or visual format. It shows the results of a test suite or set of test cases and provides information about passed, skipped, or failed tests. Sometimes this visualisation can also include details like environment, duration, issues encountered, etc. during testing. 

This visualisation might be presented in the following forms (but is not limited to):

• Charts
• Graphs
• Dashboards
• Reports
• Simple widgets

Or, any other visual elements that help you grasp, interpret, and analyse the results better. Before you think this is just about visuality or aesthetics, let’s look at the key reasons why this process is crucial:

• Quicker Issue Identification: Visual tools help you rapidly identify defects and issues. This way, you address problems promptly before they escalate.

• Better Communication: Visual representations of test results help you present data in an easily understandable format. This helps improve communication among team members, stakeholders, and management.

• Efficient Decision-Making: Clear visualisations aid in making informed decisions quickly, too. They provide an overview of the test outcomes, trends, and areas that need attention.

• Improved Monitoring and Control: Continuous monitoring through dashboards and other visual tools helps you maintain control over the testing process and ensure it aligns with the project’s quality goals.

• Trend Analysis: With visual tools, you can analyse the trends over time, and identify recurring issues and areas for improvement.

On the market front, transforming raw test data into meaningful insights through visualisation, you can:

1. Enhance the overall quality of the software products
2. Reduce time to market
3. Deliver a better user experience

You see how crucial this process is? Now let’s move on to the practical part of how you can simplify this process with a few clicks.

Step-by-step process of visualisation of your test run results: aqua cloud

Here comes the practical part we’ve been talking about. For a practical guide, we will use aqua cloud. 

aqua is an AI-powered test management solution that helps you streamline all parts of your testing efforts. Delivering 20 years of high-quality QA services to different businesses, aqua aims at just one thing: taking away the pain of testing from you. 

aqua cloud leads the market with a top-notch test-run visualisation. It offers multiple advanced ways to view your results, ensuring you have the best insights and clarity available: 

1. Instant Test Run Results

aqua cloud offers you an efficient way to access instant test run results. Within the navigation view, you can quickly see the latest run results and the history of the last ten runs, color-coded for easy reference. This feature works for both test cases and test scenarios.

How it helps you: Providing immediate visibility into the latest test outcomes, aqua allows you to quickly identify and address issues. This one is crucial for ensuring continuous integration and delivery without delays. Also, the instant feedback loop helps you maintain high software quality and reduce the time to market.

2. Detailed Run Results

For a more in-depth analysis, you can navigate directly to the test case or test scenario and open the ‘Executions’ tab. This section offers comprehensive details about each run, including who executed it, when it was done, and the specific data used. Additionally, you can drill down into each execution to examine individual test steps and their results.

How it helps you: This level of detail empowers you to conduct thorough investigations of test results. With this feature, you can efficiently carry out root cause analysis and enhance your decision-making. It also improves accountability and transparency within the testing process. You will be able to make sure every aspect of the test execution is well-documented and traceable.

3. Dashboards with Execution Results

aqua allows you to create custom or use pre-built dashboards for visualising test execution summaries. These dashboards can display data in various formats such as graphs and pie charts, and offer options for grouping, filtering, and setting KPIs and alerts.

How it helps you: Dashboards provide a customisable and intuitive way to monitor testing progress and performance metrics in real time. By visualising key data points, you can identify trends, track progress, and make data-driven decisions. This flexibility means everyone has access to the information they need in a format that suits their preferences.

4. Reports for Extended and Combined Views

aqua cloud features a pre-built ‘Execution Report’ which can be customised or created from scratch using a drag-and-drop builder. These reports offer a comprehensive view of all project-related test executions. The cool thing is thar these reports are dynamic: you can specify the data scope and criteria each time you run them. You can also export them in various formats and schedule them for email delivery.

How it helps you: Reports provide a detailed view of the testing, crucial for comprehensive analysis and reporting. This feature is specifically useful for management and stakeholders who require detailed insights into the testing process and outcomes. Scheduled reports also help you ensure that the latest information is always available.

And here is the detailed, step-by-step guide video from our customer success manager, Sylwia Mazepa:

All of these look cool, right? But what if we told you that is just a small portion of the power aqua cloud gives you?

Conclusion

As we saw together, test run results visualisation is not a formality or aesthetic issue, it is much more. If you give enough care and attention to the process, you get crucial benefits like faster time-to-market or seamless issue detection. For this crucial process, aqua provides everything you need. Knowing you are just a few clicks away from not only better visualisation but also the whole testing process must feel good, right? Just contact us and let us handle your software testing concerns.