Releasing a new version of a mobile app every week involves a vast amount of repetitive verification work, eventually hitting the limits of relying solely on human effort. While quickly confirming that core functions operate normally is essential, manually tapping through screens to verify each time consumes too much time and effort. To solve this problem, efforts are being made to automate the verification process using tools, which is creating significant changes in the field. In the past, automation methods were fragile; they would easily break if a new tool was created or if the screen changed slightly, often requiring more effort than manual verification. Based on these trial-and-error experiences, the current approach has evolved into an intelligent verification system where the tool reads the screen and judges the situation on its own. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the specific process of shifting repetitive verification tasks from humans to tools and the resulting changes in the field.
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Moving Beyond Manual Repetition: How to Automate App Testing
1. The Limitations of the Manual Verification Approach
In an environment where mobile apps are released weekly, a large number of builds accumulate, and each time, verification staff must manually tap through the same screens, from sign-up and login to asset management and transfers. While this method has the advantage of quickly scanning for issues in core functions, the effort required for humans to repeat this process every time is enormous. In reality, while early versions of verification tools performed their duties faithfully, running them repeatedly each week led to a buildup of various inconveniences. It took too much effort to write new verification code, and the verification process would often break if the screen design changed even slightly. Once the process broke, humans had to examine the reasons for the failure one by one, leading to the paradoxical situation of increased workload.
Ultimately, to reduce this repetitive drain, fundamental changes were needed, from how verification code is created to how elements on the screen are located, and from the criteria for judging failure to the methods for fixing it. Rebuilding the execution environment to ensure these processes run seamlessly on actual devices became an essential task. It was concluded that the traditional method of humans manually tapping and verifying is no longer sustainable in a massive app environment. To escape the simple tasks repeated weekly, the field began introducing a new system where tools make judgments and act on their own.
The traditional verification method of humans manually tapping screens consumes excessive time and effort and is prone to breaking when the screen changes.
2. A Method Where Humans Write Only the Verification Content and Tools Generate the Code
In the past, creating a single verification item required manually opening the screen, finding elements, and procedurally translating the steps for clicking, inputting, and checking results into code. This approach often buried the essence of the verification within the code and involved the tediousness of repeating the same work from scratch every time a new feature was introduced. To improve this, the new approach changed the structure so that humans simply write what needs to be verified. Instead of detailing complex procedural steps, readable scenario syntax is used to clearly define the verification goals.
The written scenarios are not only easily understandable by humans but also in a format highly suitable for intelligent technology to convert into actual code. A convenient environment has been established where entering a single command immediately converts the scenario file into executable code. During this process, passing all screen-related information at once caused capacity issues, so the element-finding step was subdivided into multiple stages. Efficiency was maximized by first attempting the least costly methods and using deeper methods only when necessary. A division of labor has been completed where humans write the scenarios and tools automatically generate the code.
Unlike the past where humans wrote code directly, a system has been established where tools automatically convert verification content written as scenarios into executable code.
3. Smart Technology That Finds Elements on Its Own Even When Screens Change
No matter how sophisticated the code is, unexpected screens can suddenly appear during execution. A new guidance popup that wasn’t there yesterday might appear, button names might change slightly, or even an external ad screen might cover the entire app. If the verification process stops every time this happens, the automation tool becomes a burden that requires constant human attention. To solve this, intelligent exploration technology was introduced that immediately handles the situation at the exact moment verification gets stuck.
The tool directly examines the screen where the problem occurred, identifies and resolves obstacles on its own. For example, if an external app sharing window appears and blocks the screen during a transfer to an external account, the tool closes the obstacle and naturally continues the original transfer input step. Records of resolved issues accumulate, so if a similar screen or step causes a blockage in the future, the tool refers to past success cases to overcome obstacles much faster. However, in the result judgment phase, the system is designed to strictly exclude shortcuts that pass by clicking the wrong elements, ensuring accurate quality is maintained.
Even if sudden popups or screen obstructions occur, intelligent exploration technology clears obstacles on its own, allowing verification to continue without interruption.
4. A System That Detects Failures and Diagnoses Causes on Its Own
Verification processes breaking down midway is a natural occurrence in mobile environments, but what matters is the response taken afterward. The moment a failure is detected, the verification tool gathers all information, including the failed scenario, step code, error messages, and a screenshot of the screen at that time. This information is recorded in real-time and immediately undergoes precise analysis to identify the root cause of the problem.
The analysis process clearly determines the estimated cause, necessary actions, and whether human intervention is required for a fix. The core role of the diagnostic function is to distinguish whether a transfer failure, for example, can be resolved by modifying the code or if it is due to external factors. Instead of just leaving a failed screen behind, the system analyzes and provides all the context needed to solve the problem, drastically reducing the time it takes for staff to identify the cause. This eliminates the tedious task of humans manually digging through logs to find the cause when an error occurs.
A system has been established that immediately collects relevant information upon verification failure and diagnoses the cause and need for code modification through precise analysis.
5. Effects of Minimizing Human Intervention and Improving Work Efficiency
After introducing the intelligent verification system, the field has created an environment where repetitive simple tasks are automated, allowing focus on essential quality improvements. The numerous screen verification tasks repeated weekly are now handled automatically, drastically reducing the time and effort required from humans. Even when new features are added or screen designs are revamped, the tool adapts on its own, significantly reducing maintenance efforts.
Developers and verification staff are freed from simple screen-tapping tasks and can focus on creating deeper value. Even when errors occur, the tool analyzes the cause and suggests solutions, making problem resolution speeds incomparably faster than before. Job satisfaction among practitioners who were tired of repetitive tasks has increased significantly, and the overall development cycle has become more stable. The answer to the question of how much humans need to manage is now a perfect division of roles where tools and humans each perform what they do best.
With the significant reduction in effort spent on repetitive tasks, practitioners can focus on essential value, greatly improving overall work efficiency.
6. Future Prospects and Attempts Toward a Better Mobile Environment
As the scale of mobile services grows and the pace of change accelerates, the importance of technology for maintaining stable quality will be emphasized even more. Moving beyond the era of humans manually checking every screen, intelligent verification systems where tools judge and learn on their own will become the standard in all technical fields. The various automation technologies and intelligent diagnostic techniques established this time are forming a solid foundation for the various core verification systems currently in operation.
In the future, as technology advances, verification tools will become even smarter, reaching a stage where they can learn and resolve variables that humans cannot predict. Saving the energy previously consumed by repetitive checking tasks to focus on creating more innovative user experiences is the true direction of technological innovation. If you are struggling with simple tasks repeated weekly in your field, please seriously consider introducing automation using tools. The start of small changes will gather to transform the overall work method and bring magical results that create more complete services.
Intelligent verification systems will become an essential standard in mobile technology fields in the future, serving as the foundation for creating innovative user experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
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