2021 has been another crazy year, and it’s affected software testing in interesting ways.
A couple of major trends have continued; SaaS has become more relevant than ever, and customer experience is increasingly important.
Calleo has been on top of these trends.
Throughout the year we’ve looked at how SaaS test tools can accelerate change and increase your release frequency.
In this 2021 annual roundup, we’ll look back at some of these changes and the Calleo content that resonated most with our readers…
1. In 2021, SaaS Tools Have Become Even More Important
The pandemic has waxed and waned, and it’s had a big effect on technology projects. As hybrid working has become completely normal, the whole world has embraced technology more than ever before.
Your software testing tools need to support remote collaboration – SaaS tools are the perfect solution
For the most part, software testing teams used to be based in the same room. Often they’d be walking distance away from the developers and the business users. Nowadays though, they spend a lot of time at home.
Back in May, we discussed 5 Reasons Why SaaS is a No-Brainer
2. But Not All SaaS Tools Were Created Equal
Of course, there are a lot of different SaaS tools out there. Selecting the right one can be quite confusing.
Because of this, we continued our series of product comparison pieces by looking at SaaS performance testing solutions.
In BlazeMeter v LoadRunner Cloud: Which Should You Choose?, we compared 2 of the main SaaS performance tools based on the following criteria:
- Capability
- Additional Features
- Support
- Analysis & Reporting
- Cost
Which one came top? Check the article to find out!
3. In 2021, Customer Experience was King
As we mentioned above, the world has embraced technology more than ever before. This has really sharpened the focus on customer experience.
As everyone gets more tech-savvy, their expectations rise
Everyday people, non-techies, are now used to high-performance solutions. They want websites with instant load times, they expect apps with zero lag. They will quickly abandon tech that doesn’t meet their expectations.
In October, we looked at how testing can be used to Improve Customer Experience & Accelerate Innovation
4. In 2021, Testing Became Fully Integrated into Development
Last year, the 20/21 World Quality Report (WQR) highlighted that test spend was reducing. We shared this article on LinkedIn and it generated great responses. The feeling out there, was that testing was becoming more an integrated part of the development team, rather than a standalone function.
Well, this year, the 21/22 World Quality Report agreed. They stopped reporting on test spend, stating:
“ the transformation to agile/DevOps is continuing. With that, QA and testing have become an inclusive activity within development, and the questions around budget-allocation for test have become more and more meaningless. So, for the first time, you will not find a dedicated chapter on budget and cost-containment for test.”
5. People Were Interested in Combining UFT and Selenium
In 2021, one of our most-read articles concerned UFT and Selenium. Previously seen as rivals, these 2 products are now companions.
Our article, Why You Should Use Selenium & UFT One together, highlighted that together they form a powerful automated testing solution. Combing the tools allows much faster Selenium test creation, reduced script maintenance and gives a complete end-to-end testing solution.
6. In 2021, Tricentis Were Obsessed with Micro Focus
Interestingly, another one of our most-read articles of the year covered the folks at Tricentis. For some reason, they just kept mentioning Micro Focus, it was getting ridiculous by the end.
Because of this, we asked the question, Why Are Tricentis Obsessed With Micro Focus?
This seems to have struck a nerve with Tricentis and they had a bit to say about it. Subsequently, though, their marketing changed direction. Perhaps we were onto something after all.
What’s in store for 2022
What can we all expect from 2022? Well, collaboration, customer experience and SaaS will certainly continue to gain importance.
Will 2022 be the year that AI Automation really takes off?
It is certainly gaining momentum and the tools are becoming more sophisticated than ever.
Also, 2022 will see lots of exciting developments coming from Micro Focus.
We can’t get into the details just yet, but we’ve seen the pipeline and we’re excited! We’ll make sure you’re fully up to date just as soon as we’re allowed.
With that, happy new year from us!
Regardless of what else happens in 2022, you can be sure that Calleo will cover it.
