Web UI testing is often a challenging task but during a regression phase it may turn into a nightmare!
Can it be automated? Many would choose the answer 'yes', but you will face certain complexities when building a system of automated visual tests for your project:
- More time-consuming in short term: automated UI tests must be written and polished before they start running and yielding correct test data.
- Maintenance is needed: these tests must be reviewed and updated from time to time. Some tests could become obsolete as project requirements get changed.
- Finding a testing tool capable of capturing UI issues: not many UI automation testing tools are there in the market today; CSS testing is still a real headache with many of them.
So a good automated testing tool for UI regression testing should not only be helpful with CSS testing but also allow to minimize the preparation period (test creation and fine-tuning) and make test maintenance easy.
And what challenges are most painful for your UI testing? Have you considered automating this process? If so, which tool(s) did you choose and why?