9 Useful UI Test Cases for Testing User Interfaces

Jay Samit, the ex-Vice Chairman of Deloitte Digital, once famously quoted that ‘Design is how you make your first impression with your consumers. Make sure it is a lasting one.’ One can argue that user interface and website design are two separate entities, but the difference is still minute. And if you are to make the best first impression among your users, focus on quality UI. This blog guides you through how to test and create the UI your customers will appreciate and remember with a list of useful UI test cases. 

What is UI Testing?

UI testing is the process of checking the user interface of the software. The purpose of UI testing is to make sure that all the visible and interactive elements on the screen, such as menus, buttons, icons, and more, work appropriately. For instance, a clickable button on the Testsigma homepage, like ‘Try Testsigma Cloud’ is a UI element that requires testing to function properly.

Some of the other UI objects are images, gifs, texts, font sizes, dropdowns, checkboxes, font color, and tables on a webpage.

Read all about UI Testing

What are UI Test Cases?

UI test cases are the list of tests that focus on verifying the functionality and behavior of a software application’s user interface. These test cases ensure that the application’s graphical elements, such as buttons, menus, forms, and visual components, work as expected and provide a positive user experience. GUI test cases include functional UI testing, layout and design testing, navigation testing, input validation and error-handling testing, and usability testing.

How to Write UI Test Cases?

To understand how to create UI test cases, let’s take an example of the Testsigma homepage. The webpage has multiple interactive and visible UI elements that we can reference for this task. You can refer to the below UI test case examples for general use.

• Test if the user can navigate to the homepage.
• Check if the page is displaying correctly without any broken elements, such as images or text.
• Verify that the user can click on various buttons present on the page, like Schedule a demo, Try Testsigma Cloud, Learn more, and Start a Free Trial.
• Test if the menu dropdown is accessible to the user.
• Test if the user can click on several options available under the menu tab.
• Verify that the links added in the page footer are clickable by the user.
• Verify that the page title is displayed at the top.
• Test that any new links or images added to the page do not break the existing UI.

How to Run UI Test Cases?

Once you have a list of UI test cases, running them comes as the next step. Testers either choose manual or automated UI testing options to execute tests. Keeping both these approaches in mind, we give you sequential steps to running GUI test cases:

• Understand Requirements: Familiarize yourself with design and functional requirements.
• Identify Test Scenarios: List scenarios, user interactions, and workflows.
• Prioritize Test Cases: Rank cases based on criticality and usage.
• Create Test Cases: Craft clear test cases with titles, steps, data, and expected outcomes.
• Include Data: Specify input values, credentials, and expected data.
• Handle Variations: Cover diverse data and edge cases.
• Document UI Elements: Clearly identify elements to interact with.
• Test Data and Environment: Specify test data and the testing environment.
• Sequence and Flow: Ensure logical sequence for user workflows.
• Assertions: Define verifications to match expected and actual UI elements.
• Negative Scenarios: Include error-triggering tests for validation.
• Screenshots: Attach images to clarify the expected UI appearance.
• Review and Validation: Ensure accuracy, clarity, and completeness.
• Data Preparation: Provision required test data and configurations.
• Automation Consideration: Identify opportunities for UI test automation.
• Documentation: Maintain organized test case documentation.
• Execution Plan: Plan test execution in the designated environment.
• Execution and Reporting: Execute, record results, and report defects.

Manual and Automated UI Test Case Examples

As we move toward putting the list of tests into the execution phase, understanding manual and automated approaches is important. This way, testers can easily differentiate on which tests to run manually or automatically.

Let’s take a look at manual test cases for a login scenario.

• Verify that the user can access and enter details into login fields: username and password.
• Test login with an incorrect username and ensure the appropriate error message is displayed.
• Test logging in with both the username and password fields left empty and confirm that a relevant error message is displayed.
• Verify that the login page displays a warning if the Caps Lock key is on during password entry.
• Check if the ‘Remember Me’ button is clearly visible to the user.
• Check if the ‘Remember Me’ button is interactive and clickable.
• Test the integration with social login providers (e.g., Google, Facebook) and ensure users can log in using those options.
• Simulate a session timeout and verify that the user is redirected to the login page with an appropriate message.
• Check the login page’s responsiveness on various devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets) to ensure it functions and displays correctly.
• Test for various error conditions, such as server unavailability, and ensure user-friendly error messages are displayed.
• Ensure that the login page aligns with the branding and design guidelines, including logo placement and color schemes.

The same test cases can be automated using an automation tool, such as Testsigma. It is a no-code, AI-powered, cloud-based test automation platform that supports end-to-end tests 5X faster for automated web, mobile apps, & APIs. 

Book a demo here to learn more.

How to Automate UI Test Cases with Testsigma?

One of the best ways to learn how to execute test cases using a tool is to see it in action. Suppose you wish to check the UI elements on a login page; here is how you can use Testsigma for that:

Step 1: Log into your Testsigma account and create a new Test Case for verifying the UI of the login page.

Step 2: Develop the test steps using the appropriate NLPs using the multiple options available in the drop-down. You can either use the Record and Playback option or write the tests yourself.

Here, we are simply verifying if the elements are present on the page.

Step 3: After test case creation is complete, click on Run. You will get a screenshot and a video, which you can analyze for a better understanding of the test cases.

In the above example, we are simply verifying the availability of the UI elements on the web page. You can write more test cases to validate the functionality of these elements for further UI testing of the webpage.

Automate your UI tests for web, mobile and desktop applications, 5x faster, with Testsigma

9 User Interfaces Test Cases Useful for Testing

There are multiple UI test cases that cover a wide range of webpage elements and their functionality. Here are the 9 essential UI test cases useful for testing an online application:

Login Page Validation:

• Test valid and invalid login credentials.
• Verify error messages for incorrect inputs.
• Check the “Remember Me” functionality.

Navigation Testing:

• Verify navigation menus and links.
• Test page redirections and ensure they work as expected.

Form Data Entry:

• Test form fields for data entry.
• Validate input restrictions, such as character limits.
• Verify the behavior of optional and required fields.

User Profile Management:

• Test user profile creation, editing, and deletion.
• Verify password changes and email updates.

Search Functionality:

• Test search bars and filters.
• Confirm that search results match the query.

Data Display:

• Verify the correct display of data, including text, images, and tables.
• Ensure proper sorting, pagination, and filtering.

File Upload and Download:

• Test file upload functionality.
• Verify that uploaded files are accessible and downloadable.

Responsive Design:

• Test the application on various screen sizes and devices.
• Confirm that the layout adapts for mobile and desktop users.

Error Handling:

• Test for error scenarios, such as 404 pages.
• Ensure that user-friendly error messages are displayed.

Best Practices to Write UI Test Cases

Creating effective test cases is the secret behind producing a quality product at lightning-fast speed. Irrespective of the testing type, following a set standard to write and execute test cases helps to manage the testing process properly. Take a look at some of these best practices to elevate your testing efforts for writing UI test cases:

• The first rule of producing quality software is attempting to achieve 100% test coverage. It means including complete requirements, test scenarios, features, functional and non-functional components, and more.
• Try to focus on the priority and risk-prone areas at first before taking care of the rest of the application features.
• Prioritize your UI test cases based on the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle). Identify the 20% of features or functionality that are critical to the application’s performance and user experience. Focus your testing efforts on these high-impact areas to maximize test coverage and efficiency.
• Be clear about which test cases need manual intervention and which can be run automatically.
• Choose a UI automation tool that supports your testing efforts and approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between UI testing and GUI testing?

UI testing checks the functionality and behavior of user interactions, ensuring that elements like buttons and forms work correctly. GUI testing, a subset of UI testing, specifically checks the visual elements, like layout, design, and alignment.

How do you write test cases for UI changes?

To write effective test cases for UI changes, begin by understanding the nature and scope of the changes. Identify the affected areas and update or create new test cases accordingly. Verify the compatibility of the changes across browsers and devices and assess responsiveness. Test data entry, user interactions, error handling, and conduct regression testing. Document the expected outcomes, update test data if needed, and review, refine, and execute the test cases.