A poorly functioning application doesn’t just ruin the user experience – it can seriously damage your company’s reputation and lead to significant financial losses. In this article, we highlight 5+1 of the most common software testing mistakes and, more importantly, show you how to avoid them.
Why is software testing important?
Software testing is one of the most critical stages of the development process. Yet, it’s often compromised due to tight deadlines, habits, or lack of experience. Bugs can appear not only in the code but in the testing process itself. And even small oversights can result in unusable, unstable, or insecure software being released to users.
1. Relying only on manual testing, ignoring automation
Manual testing is still essential – but over-relying on it is a common mistake. Without automation, repeated large-scale tests are time-consuming and prone to human error, making it difficult to maintain testing efficiency.
How to avoid it: Start writing automated tests for core functionalities early in the development process. Use appropriate tools, and ensure your tests remain maintainable and up to date. With tools like TestNavigator, you can also track code coverage from manual testing, integrating all testing activity into your development workflow. It provides real-time feedback, smart test prioritization, and risk mitigation – ensuring your software remains stable and business-ready.
2. The illusion of coverage without real validation
A high test coverage percentage is often mistaken for test quality. But metrics can be misleading. Without proper context, even solid-looking numbers might fail to reveal whether critical parts of the code have actually been tested. Measuring is not enough – what matters is using accurate data to make informed decisions.
How to avoid it: TestNavigator helps here as well. It not only provides real-time visibility into test coverage but also actively supports test case prioritization and optimization. With up-to-date, interactive coverage data, teams can focus resources on recently modified, business-critical, or error-prone areas – saving time and reducing costly late-stage bugs.
3. Poorly documented or missing bug reports
If bugs are not clearly described, or screenshots and logs are missing, the debugging process becomes significantly slower and more frustrating. Poor bug reports can also prevent stakeholders from understanding the impact of code changes, resulting in unclear release notes or overlooked risks.
How to avoid it: Standardize your bug reports. Include all essential information: version number, device, environment, reproduction steps, expected behavior, actual results, and supporting visuals (screenshots or videos). The more detailed the report, the faster the fix.
4. Ignoring edge and corner cases
Testing tends to focus on the "happy path" – the most expected, ideal user flows. But real users behave unpredictably, and serious bugs often hide in rare or extreme conditions: invalid input (e.g., incorrect date format), overflow errors, race conditions, or network failures.
Example: A user enters an invalid date in a search field, and the application crashes. The scenario wasn’t tested – yet it caused a real issue.
How to avoid it: Use techniques like equivalence class partitioning, boundary value analysis, and fuzz testing to uncover these hidden issues. They help you identify and fix problems during development – before they cause failures in production environments.
5. Poor test case prioritization
If everything is a high priority, then nothing truly is. Testing everything after every change is unrealistic in large systems due to time and cost constraints. Test selection shouldn’t rely on gut feeling – data-driven decisions are far more effective.
A 2018 study found that effective test case prioritization, especially in regression testing, plays a critical role in catching bugs early and optimizing resource use.
How to avoid it: Establish a test prioritization strategy. Tools like TestNavigator offer intelligent suggestions on which test cases to run before a release. The TA Score algorithm evaluates your full test suite and identifies which tests are most relevant based on recent code changes. This results in faster, more focused, and cost-efficient testing – without compromising quality.
+1. Ignoring user feedback
User feedback is a goldmine of insight – yet many testing processes operate in isolation from real users. This can lead to missed issues, as users often encounter problems testers didn’t anticipate.
How to avoid it: Incorporate feedback channels (e.g., in-app feedback, app store reviews) and analyze them regularly. Identify recurring issues and use them as input for your next testing cycle.
Smarter testing = better software = happier users
Software testing isn’t just a checkbox at the end of the development cycle. It’s a strategic tool that helps prevent most bugs and significantly improves the user experience. By applying the principles above, you’ll save time and energy for both your team and yourself – while delivering more value to your users.