How to Find Bugs in Application/ Website?

Have you ever found yourself frustrated while navigating a website plagued with bugs? Whether it’s sluggish loading times, unappealing visuals, or dysfunctional features, encountering these issues can be a significant turnoff. In today’s digital landscape, it has become crucial for websites to deliver a seamless and user-friendly experience to their visitors.

But how can website owners ensure that their online platforms meet these expectations? The answer lies in comprehensive testing to identify and resolve bugs. Testing encompasses a range of crucial parameters, including functionality, security, speed, and browser compatibility. This article delves into the fascinating world of bug detection, exploring the methods and techniques involved in identifying and reproducing bugs on applications and websites.

So, if you’re curious about the secrets and solutions behind those pesky bugs and creating flawless user experiences, keep reading!   

What is a Bug, and Why Do Bugs Occur?

A bug is a flaw or an error in software or a website that causes it to behave unexpectedly or incorrectly. Bugs can manifest in various forms, from minor visual glitches to critical malfunctions that disrupt the entire system. These flaws can occur for various reasons, such as programming errors, incomplete code, compatibility issues, or external factors like hardware limitations.

According to a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), software bugs cost the U.S. economy an estimated $59.5 billion annually. This staggering figure emphasizes the significance of addressing and resolving bugs in applications and websites. Identifying the root causes of bugs is essential to ensure smooth functionality, user satisfaction, and, ultimately, the success of digital platforms.

(Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST)

Importance of Finding Bugs on Your Website

Performing timely tests and actively seeking out bugs is paramount to avoid costly mistakes. In today’s tech-driven world, companies understand the significance of bug detection to maintain the integrity and functionality of their digital offerings. So much so that many industry giants have implemented bug bounty programs, enticing individuals with substantial cash rewards for uncovering application vulnerabilities.

Significant companies like Meta (formerly Facebook), Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, PayPal, Github, Uber, LinkedIn, and countless others have embraced these bug bounty initiatives as a proactive approach to identifying and addressing potential security and functionality issues. By incentivizing bug hunting, these companies ensure the robustness of their platforms and tap into the collective intelligence of the wider tech community to bolster their cybersecurity efforts.

Finding Software Bugs: Steps To Follow

1. Quick Attacks on Real Browsers and Devices: 

Perform quick attacks on real browsers and devices to simulate real-world usage scenarios. This helps uncover potential bugs or compatibility issues in different environments.

2. Pay Attention to the Test Environment: 

Ensure that the test environment accurately represents the production environment. Consistency in hardware, software versions, and configurations helps identify bugs specific to certain setups.

3. Do Your Research: 

Don’t solely rely on automated testing tools. Conduct manual testing and explore different functionalities and edge cases. You can discover bugs that automated tools might miss by actively engaging with the software.

4. Apply the Pareto Principle (80% Bugs in 20% Program): 

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, suggests that roughly 80% of the bugs are found in just 20% of the program. Focus your testing efforts on the critical areas of the software that are likely to have the highest impact on overall functionality.

5. Set Goals for Software Quality and Create Test Scenarios and Test Cases Accordingly: 

Define clear goals for the desired software quality and create test scenarios and test cases that align with those goals. This ensures comprehensive testing coverage and helps identify any bugs or issues that might compromise the intended quality standards.

5. Ensure Regression Testing

Thorough regression testing helps prevent new changes or enhancements from  breaking existing functionalities.

6. Automating Complex Workflows

Automating complex workflows using automation tools like Testsigma enhances efficiency and accuracy by reducing human errors. 

Read here on Bebugging.

Achieving Comprehensive Bug Detection with Manual and Automated Testing

Bug detection is a crucial aspect of ensuring the quality and functionality of websites and applications. It requires a balanced approach that combines both manual and automated testing methodologies.

Automated testing utilizes specialized software tools to execute pre-defined test scripts and compare actual results with expected outcomes. With tools like Testsigma, testers can automate their manual tests by visually creating automated test scripts without writing complex code. This empowers testers to automate repetitive tasks efficiently, providing quick and repeatable results. Automated testing is particularly valuable for regression testing, ensuring that software changes do not introduce new bugs and maintaining broad test coverage across various platforms.

Combining Manual and Automated Testing:

Developers and testers accomplish thorough issue discovery by combining human and automated testing methodologies. Manual testing incorporates human intuition and inquiry into the process, allowing testers to think like end users and find issues relating to user experience. In contrast, automated testing improves scalability and efficiency in recurring tests, allowing testers to focus on essential parts of the product.

Teams may use technologies like Testsigma to reap the benefits of both techniques. Testigma streamlines and improves productivity by automating repetitive activities and conducting complicated procedures. This gives testers more time and energy to do exploratory testing and focus on the user experience, improving the quality and performance of websites and apps.  The synergistic blend of manual and automated testing creates a powerful bug detection strategy, ensuring robust software products that delight users and meet the highest quality standards.

Found a Bug in the Software? Follow This Handy Checklist for Swift Resolution

1. Reproduce the bug: The first step is consistently recreating the bug. Take note of the exact steps or actions that trigger the issue. This ensures that you have a reliable way to demonstrate the problem to others and helps in the debugging process.

2. Document the bug: Accurate documentation is crucial for effective bug resolution. Create a detailed report that includes the steps to reproduce the bug, the expected behavior, and the observed behavior. Attach relevant screenshots or error messages to provide visual evidence.

3. Prioritize and categorize: Evaluate the severity and impact of the bug. Categorize it based on its priority level, such as critical, high, medium, or low. This helps the development team focus on fixing the most impactful issues first.

4. Communicate with the team: Share the bug report with the relevant stakeholders, including developers, project managers, or quality assurance team members. Clearly explain the bug, its impact, and any additional information that can assist in the resolution process.

5. Test the fix: Once the bug is fixed, conduct thorough testing to verify that the issue has been resolved successfully. Follow the same steps used to reproduce the bug initially and ensure that the expected behavior is now achieved.

Effective bug reporting and collaboration with the development team are vital to facilitate prompt bug fixes and enhance the overall software quality.

Types of Bugs Found in a Website/Application:

Functional Bugs: 

These bugs affect the core functionality of a website or application. They may include broken links, incorrect data processing, or features that need to be fixed as intended. Functional bugs can hinder user interactions and degrade the overall user experience.

User Interface Bugs: 

User interface (UI) bugs impact a website or application’s visual elements and layout. They can involve problems such as misaligned elements, overlapping content, or inconsistent styling. UI bugs can make the platform appear unprofessional and negatively affect user engagement.

Performance Bugs: 

Performance bugs manifest as slow loading times, unresponsive features, or high resource consumption. These bugs can impact the speed and efficiency of a website or application, leading to a frustrating user experience. Common performance bugs include memory leaks, inefficient algorithms, or excessive network requests.

Compatibility Bugs: 

Compatibility bugs occur when a website or application fails to function correctly across browsers, operating systems, or devices. These bugs can result in distorted layouts, broken features, or inconsistent behavior across various platforms. Testing for compatibility is crucial to ensure a smooth user experience.

Security Bugs: 

Security bugs pose significant risks, potentially compromising sensitive user data or allowing unauthorized access to the system. These bugs include vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), or improper authentication mechanisms. Identifying and fixing security bugs is vital to protect the integrity and privacy of the website or application.

Browser-Specific Bugs: 

These bugs are specific to certain web browsers and occur when a website or application doesn’t render or function correctly in a particular browser. Each browser may have its own rendering engine, standards, and quirks, leading to inconsistencies. Testing across multiple browsers is essential to identify and rectify these bugs.

Content Bugs: 

Content bugs relate to errors or issues within the textual content of a website or application. This can include spelling or grammatical errors, broken or missing links, or outdated information. Content bugs can negatively impact the credibility and professionalism of the platform.

How to Find Bugs in a Website?

Various testing approaches and techniques are needed to find bugs in a website effectively. Here are some key methods you can utilize:

Test for Mobile Readiness: 

Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices by conducting tests targeting mobile responsiveness, touch interactions, and viewport adjustments. For example, test the website’s layout and functionality across different screen sizes and resolutions using mobile emulators or physical devices.

Stress Test: 

Push your website to its limits by conducting stress tests that simulate high user loads and heavy traffic. This helps identify potential bottlenecks, performance issues, or crashes under intense usage scenarios. For instance, you can simulate many concurrent users accessing your website and observe its behavior using load-testing tools like Apache JMeter.

Test to Break: 

Adopt a mindset of intentionally trying to break the website by conducting rigorous and exploratory testing. This involves thinking outside the box, trying unconventional inputs, and exploring edge cases that can potentially expose hidden bugs or vulnerabilities.

Usability Tests: 

Evaluate the website’s usability by observing how real users interact with it. Conduct usability tests where users are given specific tasks, allowing you to identify any difficulties or issues they encounter. For example, you can use tools like UserTesting to record user sessions and gather valuable feedback on the website’s usability.

Security Testing: 

Conduct security tests to identify vulnerabilities and ensure data protection. This includes performing penetration testing, code reviews, and vulnerability assessments. For instance, using tools like OWASP ZAP, you can scan your website for common security vulnerabilities and assess its resilience against potential attacks.

Performance Testing: 

Measure the website’s performance by conducting tests to evaluate loading speed, response time, and resource usage. Use tools like Google Lighthouse or WebPageTest to analyze and optimize various performance aspects of the website.

Compatibility Testing: 

Test the website across browsers, operating systems, and devices to ensure consistent functionality and appearance. This involves verifying compatibility via browser testing tools, virtual machines, or physical devices. For example, you can leverage services like BrowserStack to test your website on various browsers and devices.

Functional Testing: 

Validate that all features and functionalities of the website work as intended by conducting comprehensive functional tests. This includes testing individual components, user flows, input validation, and data processing. Use test management tools like TestRail to efficiently organize and execute functional test cases.

Accessibility Testing: 

Assess the website’s accessibility for users with disabilities by ensuring it complies with accessibility guidelines, such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). Conduct tests using assistive technologies, screen readers, and keyboard-only navigation to identify barriers that may hinder accessibility.

Test on Real Devices: 

To ensure accurate testing, perform tests on real devices rather than relying solely on emulators. This helps uncover device-specific bugs, performance variations, and other platform-specific issues. Conduct tests on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and operating systems.

By implementing these testing approaches, you can effectively find bugs, enhance the quality of your website, and provide an optimal user experience.

Debugging with Testsigma

This is a video that talks more about debugging with Testsigma:

Below is the step-by-step process on debugging with Testsigma.

I. Initiating Debugging Mode

1. Navigate to the desired test case and access its details page.

2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Run button.

3. Select “Run in debug mode” from the list of options.

4. Optionally, choose “Record in debug mode” to capture screenshots during test execution for enhanced error identification.

II. Configuring Debugging Parameters

1. On the Ad-hoc run overlay window, specify the test lab (default: Local Device).

2. Select the checkbox for “Run only if the configured browser version is available in the Agent machine.”

3. Choose your local test machine (requires Testsigma agent setup) for running tests locally.

4. Enable the “Run till failed step” toggle to execute test steps until the point of failure.

5. Alternatively, select a specific step using the “Run till step” drop-down list to execute the test case until that point.

6. Click “Run now” to initiate the test case execution in debug mode.

III. Adding Debug Points

1. Debug points allow for pausing or starting the execution of test steps at specific locations.

2. Click on the Show more icon next to a test step.

3. Select “Add debug point” from the drop-down list.

4. Multiple debug points can be added as needed.

IV. Utilizing Debugging Resources

1. During test case execution, observe the step-by-step workflow visually.

2. Execution pauses upon encountering an error or at a debug point.

3. Testsigma highlights the step that caused the execution to stop.

4. Access the debugging resources for detailed analysis:

   – Step results: Check the outcome of each step, including both passed and failed steps.

   – Metadata: Gain insights into test case properties, environment details, and execution parameters.

   – Screenshots: Capture visual representations of the application state at various steps.

   – Source codes: Examine the test case script and associated code snippets for better understanding.

   – Step settings: Review the configuration and parameters defined for each step.

V. Troubleshooting “Element Not Found” Errors

1. “Element not found” errors are common during test case execution.

2. To debug such errors, follow these steps:

   – Explore debug resources: Click on “More” next to the failed step to access detailed analysis.

   – Check the UI element: Click “Show more” > “Element search” to compare properties of the saved element with the displayed element.

   – Edit element: Click “Show more” > “Edit step” to modify the element details.

     – Add elements from the provided list or create new elements.

     – Verify and update the test step accordingly.

   – Test Execution: To re-execute the edited step, click “Show more” > “Re-run.”

   – To resume execution from a paused test step, click “Show more” > “Resume.”

The debugging features of Testsigma simplify the problem resolution process for software testing teams. 

Conclusion:

Finding bugs in a website or software application is critical to ensure its functionality, user experience, and security. Developers and testers can identify and address potential issues by employing manual and automated testing approaches and conducting various tests such as functional, performance, compatibility, and security testing. 

Regularly testing on real devices, emphasizing usability, and considering mobile readiness are also essential factors. With a systematic and comprehensive approach to bug finding, organizations can deliver high-quality software that meets user expectations and fosters success.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How to find bugs in software applications?

Manual testing, automated testing, and specialized types of testing such as functional, performance, security, and compatibility testing can all be used to detect defects in software applications. You can detect and record defects for future resolution by extensively examining the program, running test scenarios, and confirming anticipated outcomes. Testing frameworks and tools also speed up the bug-finding process.

Q: How do you find the source of a bug?

A thorough and systematic debugging strategy is required to determine the underlying cause of an issue. Replicating the issue, utilising debugging tools, analysing code and documentation, interacting with the development team, relying on expertise and intuition, isolating the main cause using a divide-and-conquer technique, and testing and confirming the repair are all part of the process. These procedures aid in narrowing the scope of the problem, identifying trends, and identifying individual lines of code responsible for the problem. Collaboration with the development team is essential for sharing results and benefiting from their experience. Using expertise and intuition can assist in narrowing down probable root causes and identifying common trouble spots in the code. Finally, implementing the appropriate repair and thoroughly testing the change guarantees that it cures the bug without introducing additional problems.