What is test design?

The process of creating and documenting test scenarios, test data, and verification conditions based on requirements and specifications. The goal is to thoroughly and efficiently verify the functionality, performance, usability, and other aspects of the product. Main tasks of test design include: determining what to check; how to check; what data to use; and which success criteria to apply.

Key methods of test design include:

• Specification-based techniques (Black-Box Testing):

  • Equivalence Partitioning
  • Boundary Value Analysis
  • Decision Table Testing
  • State Transition Testing
  • Pairwise Testing
  • Use Case Testing

• Structure-based techniques (White-Box Testing):

  • Statement Coverage
  • Decision/Branch Coverage
  • Condition Coverage
  • Path Coverage

• Experience-based techniques (Experience-Based Testing):

  • Exploratory Testing
  • Error Guessing
  • Ad-hoc Testing

The test design process typically includes:

1. Requirements and specifications analysis.
2. Defining testing areas.
3. Selecting appropriate test design techniques.
4. Developing test scenarios (Test Cases).
5. Defining test data.
6. Creating preconditions and postconditions.
7. Documenting test documentation (Test Plan, Test Cases, Test Data).