If you’re not computer-knowledgeable, the idea of behavior-driven development (BDD) testing could seem intimidating. On the other hand, it’s a useful strategy that may help everyone engaged in the software development process, from product managers to marketing specialists. This step-by-step tutorial will explain BDD testing for non-techies, assisting you in grasping the fundamental ideas and showing you how to put them to use.

Understanding the Basics

Let’s define what BDD testing is all about before we go into the step-by-step procedure. A collaborative technique called behavior-driven development (BDD) emphasizes a software application’s behavior above its technical implementation. It’s a technique to make certain that software operates in accordance with user expectations.

When utilizing BDD, you describe the software’s behavior in plain terms, frequently using “Given-When-Then” scenarios. These hypothetical situations explain the situation (Given), the action (When), and the anticipated result (Then) of a certain feature or functionality. This style makes it simple for team members who aren’t technically savvy to take part in creating and validating requirements.

Step 1: Identify the Feature

Finding the feature or functionality you want to test is the first stage in the BDD testing process and it sets the foundation for effective collaboration between developers, testers, and stakeholders. This may be a whole new feature, an already-existing one that needs to be improved, or a crucial component of your program.

Step 2: Gather Stakeholders

Product managers, designers, developers, and testers are some of the stakeholders who participate in the collaborative process of BDD. Discuss the feature and its anticipated behavior with your team as a group. Here, you’ll outline the needs and scope of the functionality.

Step 3: Write Scenarios 

The core of BDD testing now is scenario authoring. The formula “Given-When-Then” should be used for all scenarios. 

  • Given: This serves as the scenario’s initial context or setup. Before taking action, the system is described in this sentence. Say, “Given that a user is logged in.”
  • When: This is the event or action that causes the desired behavior to occur. For instance, “When the user clicks the ‘Add to Cart’ button.”
  • Then: This is what you would anticipate to happen as a result of what you did. It outlines what the user ought to see or feel. To put it another way, “Then the selected item should be added to the shopping cart.”

Create several scenarios to address the feature’s various facets and use cases. Ensure that these situations are precise, focused on user behavior, and explicit.

Step 4: Review and Refine

Write scenarios, then go over them with your team. This phase is necessary to make sure that everyone understands how the feature behaves. The scenarios can also be improved for clarity and accuracy by identifying any holes or ambiguities.

Step 5: Choose a BDD Testing Tool 

You’ll need a BDD testing tool if you want to deploy BDD testing successfully. You may produce test results and automate the BDD scenarios’ execution with the aid of these tools. While there are numerous possibilities, some of the most well-liked ones are Cucumber, SpecFlow, and Behave.

Step 6: Create Step Definitions

Step definitions must be made after selecting a BDD testing instrument. These are bits of code that convert the plain-language instructions in your scenarios into functional test code. Despite the fact that this can sound technical, developers and testers usually handle it, so non-techies don’t need to be concerned about the coding part.

Your written scenarios may be run as automated tests thanks to the step definitions. They serve as a link between the software’s interaction code and the scenarios written in simple language.

Step 7: Automate the Tests

You may now automate the tests after putting your step definitions in place. In order to do this, you must write the software interaction code based on the stages specified in your scenarios. Once more, developers and testers who are proficient in coding are usually in charge of this.

The automated tests will replicate user interactions with the application and confirm that the behavior adheres to the goals described in the scenarios.

Step 8: Run the Tests

Once the tests are automated, you may use your programme to put them to the test. Running the tests entails putting the scenarios into action and confirming that the programme responds as anticipated in each situation.

Step 9: Review Test Results 

Review the test results once you’ve run the tests. The majority of BDD testing solutions include thorough results that list which scenarios succeeded and which ones failed. This information is useful for locating software flaws or problems.

Step 10: Iterate and Improve 

Iterative testing is a feature of BDD. The team can work together to fix any problems or flaws you may find. In order to keep your scenarios correct as the programme changes, you may also update and improve them.

Step 11: Continuous Collaboration

Team members must work together continuously throughout the BDD testing process. The scenarios and the behavior of the programme can benefit greatly from the input and feedback of product managers, designers, and other non-technical stakeholders.

BDD encourages openness and makes sure that everyone knows what the product should do. Additionally, it aids in identifying problems early on in the development process, when they are simpler and less expensive to fix.

Benefits for Non-Techies

Now that we’ve covered the steps of BDD testing, let’s explore why it’s valuable for non-techies.

  • Shared Understanding: BDD scenarios offer a universally accessible vocabulary that promotes a common understanding of the behavior of the programme.
  • Improved Communication: BDD encourages team members, especially non-technical stakeholders, to collaborate and communicate with one another. It guarantees that each person’s viewpoints and needs are taken into account.
  • Early Issue Detection: By specifying and automating scenarios, BDD assists in identifying bugs and faults early in the development process, lowering the likelihood of expensive late-stage corrections.
  • Clarity and Transparency: Since BDD scenarios are straightforward and easy to understand, even non-techies may follow along and take part in the testing process.
  • Effective Testing: BDD automation makes testing effective and repeatable, allowing testers to concentrate on more challenging and exploratory testing jobs.

Testing using Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is not only for techies. It’s a team effort that gives everyone engaged in the creation of software the ability to design, test, and guarantee that software acts as users would anticipate. Non-techies may contribute significantly to producing high-quality software that satisfies user expectations by following the step-by-step instructions provided above and embracing BDD.