6 Software Testing Trends for 2024 

The evolution of software testing becomes increasingly pivotal as we plunge deeper into the technological landscape of 2024. With advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and the ever-growing complexity of software systems, it’s imperative to keep up to date with software testing innovations and trends.

In this blog, we delve into six key software testing trends projected to shape the industry landscape in 2024 and beyond. From the integration of AI-driven testing methodologies to the rise of green computing, these trends offer insights into how software testing practices are adapting to meet the demands of a digital ecosystem that’s constantly changing.

1. Increased Demand for Low-Code Testing Platforms

The demand for low-code testing platforms is expected to surge exponentially in 2024 as organizations seek more efficient ways to deliver high-quality software products amidst growing complexity. Low-code testing platforms offer a simplified approach to software testing, allowing teams to automate testing processes with minimal coding requirements.

With the dominance of Agile and DevOps methodologies, the need for rapid software development and deployment has become paramount, driving the adoption of low-code testing platforms as a means to accelerate testing cycles while maintaining reliability.

Furthermore, the global shortage of skilled software testers has intensified the urgency for solutions that empower nontechnical users to contribute to the testing process. Low-code testing platforms enable business analysts, domain experts, and even end users to participate in testing activities, thereby democratizing the testing process and fostering collaboration across diverse teams.

As organizations strive to achieve faster time to market without compromising quality, the accessibility and flexibility offered by low-code testing platforms are poised to make them indispensable assets in the software testing toolkit.

2. Increased Focus on Shift-Left

With the relentless pursuit of delivering higher quality software at faster speeds, organizations recognize the inherent benefits of shifting automated testing activities earlier in the software development life cycle. This strategic move entails integrating automated testing processes and practices much earlier in the development pipeline, often starting as soon as the requirements gathering phase.

By using a shift-left approach, teams can find and fix defects at inception, which reduces the cost and effort required for remediation later in the development cycle. By embracing shift-left testing, organizations can:

• Proactively identify and mitigate risks.
• Enhance collaboration between development and testing teams.
• Deliver more reliable and robust software products to market.

As the industry continues to prioritize agility, efficiency, and quality, the increased focus on shift-left testing in 2024 represents a strategic evolution toward a more proactive and preventive approach to software testing.

3. Web Accessibility Testing

Software development teams anticipate a notable shift over the next two years with a heightened focus on web accessibility. In many countries, some laws and regulations require businesses and organizations to make their software applications accessible. As more countries start to enforce accessibility requirements, aligning with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is becoming a higher priority.

With the digital landscape becoming increasingly intertwined with everyday activities, ensuring equal access to web content for all individuals, including those with disabilities, has gained significant traction on a global scale. As a result, governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are enacting stringent measures to enforce WCAG compliance, compelling software teams to prioritize accessibility considerations throughout the development lifecycle.

This shift toward web accessibility reflects a broader societal commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity in the digital realm. Software teams will need to incorporate WCAG guidelines into their UI design, development, and testing processes to ensure that web applications are accessible to users with diverse abilities and needs.

By embracing accessibility as a core component of software development, organizations comply with legal requirements and also foster a more inclusive digital environment that enhances the user experience and expands their reach to a broader audience. As such, the years 2024 and 2025 are poised to witness a significant transformation in how software teams approach web accessibility, with a newfound emphasis on integrating web accessibility testing best practices into every aspect of the development life cycle.

4. AI/ML

The demand for incorporating AI and machine learning (ML) in software testing is poised to reach unprecedented levels. It’s driven by increasingly complex software systems and the need for more efficient and effective testing methodologies.

AI and ML technologies offer immense potential to revolutionize how teams conduct software testing—from test case generation and execution to defect detection, analysis, and remediation. With AI-powered testing tools, organizations can do the following:

• Automate repetitive testing tasks.
• Predict potential defects based on historical data.
• Self-heal test cases and generate recommendations for more maintainable tests.

Optimize testing strategies to achieve higher test coverage and accuracy while reducing testing costs.

As software systems become increasingly dynamic and adaptive, traditional testing approaches struggle to keep pace with the evolving landscape. AI and ML techniques enable software testing to adapt and evolve alongside the applications they test, identifying patterns, anomalies, and trends that human testers may overlook.

As a result, organizations are increasingly recognizing the value of AI and ML in augmenting their testing capabilities, enhancing productivity, and, ultimately, delivering higher-quality software products to market faster. In 2024, integrating AI and ML into software testing will not only provide a competitive advantage but also be essential to staying ahead in an increasingly competitive and innovation-driven industry landscape.

5. Test Environment Simulation & Green Computing

There’s been growing recognition among organizations of the environmental impact of their digital infrastructure over the past few years, particularly concerning energy consumption in data centers. To address this concern, more companies are turning to service virtualization as a solution to reduce their carbon footprint and energy consumption.

By simulating hardware resources through service virtualization, organizations can replicate the functionalities of physical hardware while reducing the power consumption associated with running and cooling physical servers.

This approach contributes to environmental sustainability and offers practical benefits such as cost savings and improved resource utilization. With service virtualization, organizations can dynamically allocate and provision virtualized resources based on demand, leading to more efficient use of computing resources and reduced energy waste. As sustainability continues to climb the corporate agenda, leveraging service virtualization to minimize energy consumption in data centers represents a strategic initiative for organizations looking to align their digital operations with their environmental responsibilities in 2024 and beyond.

“Government agencies spend more than $5 billion per year on energy, and the cost of powering and cooling data centers is a large portion of that. As they work to lessen that demand, both to trim utility costs and minimize environmental impact, agencies are discovering the virtues of virtualization.”

—How Virtualization Helps Feds Shrink Environmental Footprints, FedTech Magazine

6. Breaking Down Silos

We’ve seen the trend toward more cross-functional testing teams gain momentum over the last few years. This is a result of organizations recognizing the inefficiencies and limitations of siloed development and QA practices. With the increasing complexity of software systems and the growing demand for faster delivery cycles, collaboration between development and QA teams has become essential for achieving quality outcomes. There’s a concerted effort to break down the traditional barriers between these two functions and foster a more integrated and collaborative approach to testing.

Cross-functional testing teams bring together individuals with diverse skill sets and perspectives. Developers, testers, designers, product managers, and other team members collectively drive quality throughout the software development life cycle. By breaking down silos and encouraging close collaboration, organizations can:

• Accelerate feedback loops.
• Identify and address issues earlier in the process.
• Deliver better products to market.

We can expect the trend to break down silos and move toward more cross-functional teams to continue to be prominent in 2024. Cross-functional testing teams are a strategic evolution toward a more holistic and collaborative approach to software development. They pave the way to increased efficiency, innovation, and quality across the board. This collaborative approach aligns well with other industry trends, such as low-code testing platforms and the focus on shift-left quality and security assurance practices.

Stay Up to Date With Parasoft’s Cutting-Edge Platform

Automating testing is essential to stay up to date with software testing innovations and trends. Software development teams can address these trends by automating testing processes at the development code level and throughout QA—including functional and nonfunctional aspects like performance, security, and web accessibility testing—with Parasoft’s Continuous Quality Testing Platform.

Strategically positioned to cater to the emerging trends of 2024, Parasoft’s Continuous Quality Testing Platform offers teams the following benefits:

• Boost test productivity, reduce the technical learning curve for test automation, and optimize CI/CD execution with patented AI and ML-driven solutions.
• Embrace a shift-left testing approach seamlessly.
• Increase collaboration and break down silos across the SDLC.
• Get visibility into valuable analytics and key metrics to release high-quality software with confidence.

Explore the Parasoft Continuous Quality Testing Platform to learn how to optimize your test strategy through innovation.