Software Testing – Use Case Testing

Last Updated : 06 Jan, 2025

This article focuses on discussing use case testing a type of software testing that identifies the test cases that cover the entire system from start to finish.

What is a Use Case?

A Use Case is a tool for defining the required user interaction and if you are trying to create a new application or make changes to an existing application, several discussions are made. It plays a vital role in SDLS.

It depends upon the user’s actions and the response of the system to the user’s actions.
They are user-oriented, not system-oriented.
It is a list of actions that will be taken by the actor while interacting will the system.
It describes the functional requirements of the system.
They help to uncover the integration defects, defects that arise due to incorrect interaction between different components.
Use cases are used to hearten designers to outcomes before attempting to specify outcomes, and thereby they help to make requirements more proactive in system development.

Who writes Use Case?

The client provides the customer requirement specification (CRS) for the application.
The development team will write the use case according to the CRS.
The client reviews the use cases.
If use cases are approved by the client, then the development team starts further the design and coding phase.
Approved use cases are also sent to the testing team, so they can start writing test cases.

What is Use Case Testing?

Use Case Testing is generally a part of black box testing and that helps developers and testers to identify test scenarios that exercise the whole system on each transaction basis from start to finish. Business experts and developers must have a mutual understanding of the requirement, as it’s very difficult to attain.

Use case testing is a functional testing technique that helps in identifying and testing scenarios on the whole system or doing start-to-end transactions.
It helps to identify the gaps in software that might not be identified by testing individual components.
It is used to develop test cases at the system level or acceptance level.

Feature of Use Case Testing

Below are the features of the use case testing:

User-focused Approach: The interactions and scenarios that users have with the system are the main focus of testing. It places a strong emphasis on verifying the system’s response to user input and activities.
Scenario-Based Testing: Use case scenarios, which depict common or important interactions between users and the system, serve as the framework for organizing testing. This strategy helps in making sure that the system lives up to user expectations in practical settings.
Requirements Validation: Use Case Testing verifies that the system satisfies the specifications given in the use cases. Testing makes ensuring that the functional requirements are implemented correctly, as each use case usually reflects a particular functional requirement.
Testing, both positive and negative: Positive testing (valid inputs and expected behavior) and negative testing (invalid inputs and error handling) are both included in use case testing. This broad method assists in identifying flaws in a variety of situations.
Integration Testing: Integration testing, which verifies how various parts or subsystems interact within the framework of a use case, is frequently a part of use case testing.

Benefits of Use Case Testing

Use case testing provides some functionality that is used to help to develop a software project. These are given below:

Helps manage complexity: Use case-driven analysis that helps manage complexity since it focuses on one specific usage aspect at a time.
Testing from the user’s perspective: Use cases are designed from the user’s perspective. Thus, use case testing is done from the user’s perspective and helps to uncover the issues related to the user experience.
Reduced complexity of test cases: The complexity of the test cases will be reduced as the testing team will follow the path given in the use case document.
Test functional requirements: Use cases help to capture the functional requirements of a system. Thus, use case testing tests the functional requirements of the system.
Starts from a simple view of the system: Use cases start from the simple view of the system and are used primarily for the users.

Drawbacks of Use Case Testing

Below are some of the limitations of the use case testing:

Missing use case: If there is a use case missing from the use case document, then it will impact the testing process as there is a high possibility that the test cases for the missing use case will also be left out.
Cover only functional requirements: Since use cases cover only functional requirements so use case testing by default is functional requirements oriented.
Use cases are from the user’s perspective: 100% test coverage is not possible in cases as use cases are written from the user’s perspective and there may be some scenarios that are not from the user’s perspective, so then it may not be included in the test document.

Conclusion

In the field of software testing, use case testing stands out as a vital and successful tactic that emphasizes a user-centric approach to verify system functionality. Use case testing is an essential part of a thorough software testing strategy since it provides an extra degree of assurance that the programme not only satisfies technical requirements but also easily complies to user expectations.

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