Atlas › 11 Manual Testing Fundamentals › Test Design Techniques☰ Read as one page
Test Design Techniques
2.1OverviewClassical test design techniques have been taught since the 1970s and remain the backbone of test case derivation. Every interviewer…2.2Boundary Value Analysis (BVA)Test at the edges of input ranges, where bugs cluster. Off-by-one errors are the most common numerical bug in software, and BVA is…2.3Equivalence Partitioning (EP)Divide inputs into groups (partitions) where all values in a partition are expected to behave the same. Test one representative value from…2.4Decision TablesWhen business logic involves combinations of conditions, a decision table ensures full coverage. Each column represents a unique…2.5State Transition DiagramsModel features that have distinct states and transitions between them. State transition testing ensures that the system correctly moves…2.6Pairwise Testing (Bonus Technique)When you have many input parameters, testing all combinations is impractical. Pairwise testing (also called all-pairs) ensures that every…2.7Choosing the Right TechniqueIn practice, experienced QA engineers combine these techniques. For a single feature, you might use EP to identify the partitions, BVA to…2.8Practical ExerciseYou are testing a discount system with these rules: - Employees get 20% off - Orders over $200 get 10% off - Discounts do not stack…2.9Key Takeaways- BVA catches off-by-one errors at range boundaries - EP reduces test count by grouping equivalent inputs - Decision tables ensure complete…