UI Testing: Techniques, Tools, and Test Cases

User Interface (UI) is the cornerstone of how users interact with applications. A seamless and intuitive interface is critical to delivering a positive user experience, from visual elements to interactive features.

A well-designed user interface is not just about aesthetics; it significantly impacts business performance. According to Forrester, a thoughtfully crafted UI can boost a website’s conversion rate by up to 200%.

However, UI issues remain one of the primary sources of user dissatisfaction. These challenges often result in increased support tickets and operational inefficiencies, directly affecting user trust and business outcomes. Such problems emphasise the need for rigorous UI testing to ensure application reliability and meet ever-growing user expectations.

This blog will explore advanced techniques, powerful tools, and detailed test cases for effective UI testing. These insights will help teams deliver impeccable user interfaces that drive productivity and achieve business success.

What is UI Testing?

UI testing ensures that all interactive elements work as intended and that the layout behaves consistently across different devices, screen resolutions, and browsers. It involves verifying that UI components trigger the expected events, such as form submissions or button clicks. 

It ensures the correct rendering of visual elements, including fonts, colours, and images. Additionally, UI testing validates the application’s responsiveness across different screen sizes. 

UI testing is broadly divided into two categories:

Web UI Testing

Web UI testing focuses on validating web applications’ functionality, performance, and appearance across diverse browser environments. Testing must ensure consistency and reliability regardless of the browser type, version, or platform. It also verifies the application’s responsiveness across different screen sizes, ensuring a seamless user experience on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.

Special attention is given to dynamic elements such as modals, dropdowns, and AJAX-based content to ensure they load and behave as expected. Automation tools are often employed to improve efficiency and accuracy, enabling testers to quickly handle repetitive tasks and cover multiple test scenarios.

Mobile UI Testing

Mobile UI testing addresses the unique challenges of mobile applications, which depend on diverse hardware features and operating systems. It ensures that apps are intuitive, responsive, and functional across various devices and screen resolutions.

This includes testing hardware-specific features such as touch gestures, camera integration, and GPS.

Mobile testing also ensures compatibility across multiple versions of Android and iOS. 

It accounts for real-world scenarios by simulating varying network conditions, from high-speed 5G to offline modes. Automation tools in this domain support device-specific testing while ensuring high-quality performance and user experience across all conditions.

Key UI Elements to Test

These are a few UI elements in both web and mobile applications that you should focus on during testing for a functional, accessible, and user-friendly experience:

By thoroughly testing these key UI elements, you can ensure a user-friendly and intuitive interface that meets functional and aesthetic expectations. However, the value of UI testing extends far beyond individual components. It significantly enhances the overall user experience and contributes to the success of your digital products.

Let’s explore the broader advantages of UI testing.

Advantages Of UI Testing

UI testing validates key aspects such as design, functionality, and responsiveness, ultimately helping to optimise the software. Here are some key benefits of UI testing:

• Early Bug Detection: UI testing helps identify design or functional issues early in development, preventing costly fixes later in the process.
• Improved User Experience: It ensures the application is intuitive and user-friendly across devices by validating user interactions.
• Cross-Browser and Cross-Device Compatibility: UI testing verifies that the application works consistently on different browsers and devices, improving accessibility for users on various platforms.
• Increased Efficiency with Automation: Automated UI tests reduce the time spent on manual testing, enabling faster and more frequent releases without compromising quality.
• Validation of Business Requirements: It ensures that the application aligns with business needs, as UI tests can verify that all critical user journeys work as expected.
• Prevents Regression Issues: By automating UI tests, teams can quickly detect when updates or changes cause regressions in the user interface, maintaining product stability.

Applying the proper techniques is essential to fully realise these benefits and meet the specific needs of each project. The following section explores the primary methodologies employed in UI testing to ensure thorough coverage and optimal efficiency.

Primary Techniques Used in UI Testing

UI testing employs various techniques to ensure the user interface meets functional, aesthetic, and usability standards. Each method serves a specific purpose and provides a comprehensive approach to identifying and resolving potential issues.

 

Below are the primary techniques used in UI testing:

Manual UI Testing

Manual UI testing involves human testers interacting directly with the application. Testers simulate real user actions such as clicking buttons, navigating menus, and submitting forms to ensure the app behaves as expected.

Benefits:

• Contextual Accuracy: Manual testing identifies usability issues, workflow inefficiencies, or design inconsistencies that automated scripts may not capture.
• Flexibility in Complex Scenarios: Human testers can dynamically assess non-repetitive interactions, such as multi-step user flows, complex data entry, or visual alignment across different screen sizes.
• Adaptability: Testers can adjust to complex scenarios that are not easily automated (e.g., emotional responses to design elements or usability issues).
  
  

Challenges:

• Inconsistent: Human testers may have variations in how they interact with the UI, which can lead to inconsistencies in test results.
• Limited scalability: Time and resources required for manual testing make it less practical for ongoing or large-scale testing.
• Repetitiveness: Testing the same functionality after every update increases the chance of fatigue and leads to slower turnaround times for testing cycles.
  
  

Best Use Cases:

• Usability testing: Testers can provide direct feedback on the intuitiveness of the UI, ease of navigation, and design consistency.
• Initial exploratory testing: Manual testing is ideal in the early stages of development to explore new features or uncharted areas of the app.
• Ad-hoc testing: Manual testing provides immediate, real-time feedback when performing small, quick tests or verifying minor fixes.
  
  

Automated UI Testing

Automated UI testing uses testing tools and scripts to simulate user interactions with the application. Test scripts are written to execute predefined actions such as clicking buttons, filling out forms, or verifying content without human intervention. 

Benefits:

• Speed and Efficiency: Automated tests allow running extensive test suites quickly, especially for large or complex applications.
• Scalability: Automated tests can be executed across multiple platforms, devices, and browsers simultaneously. 
• Repeatability and Consistency: Automated tests can be reused across multiple releases. Every test is performed the same way, regardless of the tester’s experience.

Challenges:

• Limited Flexibility: Automated tests struggle with complex, non-standard user interactions or visual assessments that require human intuition.
• False Positives/Negatives: If not correctly written or maintained, automated tests can produce false positives (indicating issues where none exist) or false negatives (missing issues). This can lead to inaccurate results.
• Tool and Platform Dependencies: Automated testing relies heavily on third-party tools or frameworks, which may have limitations or compatibility issues.
  
  

Best Use Cases:

• Regression Testing: Automated tests are ideal for checking that previously working functionality has not been broken by new code changes, especially when frequent updates are involved.
• Cross-Browser and Cross-Platform Testing: Automated testing verifies that the UI works consistently across different browsers, devices, and operating systems. 
• Performance and Load Testing: Automated scripts can simulate multiple user interactions simultaneously, ideal for stress testing and performance evaluation. This includes testing page load times and assessing responsiveness under high-traffic conditions.
  
  

To effectively implement these techniques, leveraging the right tools is essential. Automated UI testing tools streamline the process, improve accuracy, and ensure comprehensive test coverage.

Popular Tools for Automated UI Testing

There are several widely used tools for automating UI testing, each catering to different testing needs, platforms, and programming languages. Below is an overview of some of the most popular options:

1. Coco
   
   

Coco is an AI-powered platform that automates the testing of ServiceNow applications. It streamlines test creation for testers while ensuring that ServiceNow’s user interfaces function correctly and meet user expectations.

The platform uses artificial intelligence to automate repetitive testing tasks. This speeds up the testing cycle. It also improves accuracy and boosts productivity.

Features: 

• Real-time reporting and analytics provide detailed feedback and insights into UI performance, usability, and functionality issues. This enables faster issue resolution.
• Automated cross-browser testing across Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge browsers.
• On-demand test execution provides the flexibility to run tests at any stage of the development cycle.
• Parallel testing enables simultaneous execution of multiple tests, reducing testing time and improving overall efficiency.
• AI-assisted bug detection helps identify UI inconsistencies, layout issues, and other UI-related defects.
• Automated deployment and migration management to ensure seamless application deployments with full traceability and secure version control through Git repositories.
• Scalable testing infrastructure enables automated testing across different environments and ServiceNow instances. 
  
  

Coco also offers white-label solutions, allowing businesses and partners to integrate its AI-driven testing platform under their brand. Companies can deliver advanced testing capabilities to clients while expanding their market reach and improving customer satisfaction.

2. Selenium
   
   

Selenium is one of the most widely used automated UI testing tools. It supports multiple programming languages (Java, Python, C#, etc.) and allows testers to automate interactions with a web application’s UI. Selenium WebDriver is the core component of Selenium and provides interaction with browser elements like buttons, text boxes, and links.

Features:

• Parallel test execution with Selenium Grid enables tests across multiple browsers and machines.
• Seamless integration with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Travis CI, and Bamboo enables continuous testing and faster deployment cycles.
• WebDriver API feature allows for precise browser automation through user interaction simulations.
• Customisable and extendable with third-party libraries, test frameworks (like TestNG, JUnit), and reporting tools.
• Large community support with extensive documentation, tutorials, and third-party resources.
  
  

Selenium is an indispensable tool for professionals aiming to optimise UI testing workflows. Its open architecture and extensive ecosystem allow for deep customisation. This will enable teams to create testing frameworks tailored to their project’s needs.

3. Cypress
   
   

Cypress is an end-to-end testing framework that makes writing fast and reliable tests for web applications easy. Unlike Selenium, which runs tests outside the browser, Cypress runs in the same runtime as the application, providing faster execution and better control over the test environment.

Features:

• Supports modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Angular, Vue, etc.), making it ideal for testing modern web apps.
• API testing capabilities alongside UI testing allow for both front-end and back-end testing within the same framework.
• Automatically captures snapshots and videos of test runs for detailed insights into test execution.
• Built-in waiting for elements to be visible or interactable, reducing the need for manual waits and timeouts.
• Automatic handling of asynchronous behaviour ensures that tests wait for actions to complete before proceeding.
  
  

Cypress transforms end-to-end testing with a seamless and intuitive approach for modern web applications. It combines front-end and back-end testing within a single framework. This streamlines workflows and simplifies the testing process. 

4. Appium
   
   

Appium is a leading open-source automated UI testing tool designed for mobile applications. It supports Android and iOS platforms, enabling testers to automate interactions with native, hybrid, and mobile web applications. Appium leverages the WebDriver protocol for automating UI elements such as buttons, text fields, and gestures across various devices and operating systems.

Features:

• Supports multiple programming languages, including Java, Python, Ruby, C#, and JavaScript.
• Supports real devices and emulators/simulators, enabling comprehensive testing across various hardware and software configurations.
• Advanced gesture and action support enables the simulation of complex user interactions like swiping, pinching, and multi-touch gestures.
• Extensible with third-party libraries and frameworks such as TestNG and JUnit for improved test management and analysis.
• Allows for cross-platform testing with a single script, reducing duplication of effort for Android and iOS applications.
• Provides a flexible architecture that can integrate with custom tools or workflows as needed.
  
  

Appium provides unparalleled flexibility for replicating real-world user interactions. This adaptability and support for various programming languages allow teams to build customised solutions. You can meet the evolving demands of mobile app development with Appium.

After selecting the right tools for automated UI testing, the next step is to apply them effectively. This involves focusing on common test cases that validate the core functionality and usability of the user interface.

Common Types Of UI Testing

UI test cases help identify potential issues and ensure consistency across devices. They also confirm that users can interact with the application without difficulties. These are a few UI test cases to validate key aspects of an interface:

Functional Test Cases

Functional test cases focus on verifying the core functionality of the application. They ensure users can navigate menus, interact with buttons, and use forms without encountering errors. These tests confirm that the application’s basic features perform as expected. This includes: 

• Navigation Menu: Verify that the navigation menu links direct users to the correct pages.
• Button Functionality: Ensure buttons trigger intended actions like form submissions or redirects.
• Form Field Validation: Check for error messages when invalid or missing inputs are provided.
• Link Functionality: Validate that all links are clickable and navigate to the intended destinations.
  
  

Visual and Design Test Cases

Visual and design test cases validate the aesthetics and responsiveness of the UI.


These tests check how layouts, fonts, colours, and media are displayed across different devices and screen sizes. They ensure a visually appealing and consistent user experience. As part of this, testers focus on:

• Responsive Design: Ensure the layout adapts properly across different screen sizes.
• Text Display: Verify that text is legible, aligned, and displayed in the correct font.
• Images and Media: Check that images, videos, and media load and display correctly.
• Colour and Contrast: Confirm adherence to accessibility standards with proper colour contrast.
  
  

User Interaction Test Cases

User interaction test cases evaluate how effectively users can interact with the application. These include:

• Login and Registration Forms: Validate login and registration with valid and invalid credentials.
• Pop-ups and Modals: Ensure they appear and function correctly with proper closing mechanisms.
• Search Functionality: Verify that the search bar provides accurate results for user queries.
  
  

System and Behaviour Test Cases

System and behaviour test cases assess the application’s ability to handle various scenarios. They focus on:

• Error Handling: Confirm that error messages display for invalid actions.
• Data Display: Ensure dynamic content like tables and lists loads and displays correctly.
• Session Timeout: Verify user sessions expire after inactivity and securely log users out.
  
  

Incorporating these validations into your development process ensures your application remains intuitive and accessible. However, fully optimising UI testing requires more than just manual checks. You need a tool that combines automation with AI to enhance efficiency and precision.

Common Test Case Examples for UI Testing

Since we have already covered detailed descriptions of the UI elements, let’s shift the focus of these examples to advanced scenarios or edge cases for UI testing. These test cases address uncommon or complex situations.

They can help ensure that the user interface functions as expected, providing a seamless experience across different platforms and devices:

1. Buttons
   
   
   • Test Case: Ensure that disabled buttons do not trigger actions when clicked and are visually distinct from enabled buttons. Test for varying states, such as hover, active, and focus states, to confirm correct visual feedback.
     
     
2. Forms
   
   
   • Test Case: Test form submission with edge-case inputs such as extremely long text, special characters, or empty fields. Validate that the form handles all types of data input, including invalid or unsupported characters.
     
     
3. Navigation Menus
   
   
   • Test Case: Simulate using the navigation menu with keyboard shortcuts (Tab, Enter, Arrow Keys) to ensure it’s fully accessible. Test menu links in different screen orientations (e.g., portrait vs. landscape on mobile).
     
     
4. Links
   
   
   • Test Case: Test the behaviour of links when the user is offline or on a slow network. Ensure broken or expired links return appropriate error pages instead of crashing the app or site.
     
     
5. Dropdowns and Select Lists
   
   
   • Test Case: Test the dropdown list when it’s dynamically populated with many items to check for performance and responsiveness. Ensure scrolling works correctly and that options are appropriately selected.
     
     
6. Modals and Pop-ups
   
   
   • Test Case: Ensure modals close correctly when using the “X” button, the background, or the escape key. Test modal content resizing on smaller screens to ensure content is not cut off.
     
     
7. Images and Icons
   
   
   • Test Case: Verify images load correctly under network conditions, such as slow or intermittent connections. Ensure that placeholder images appear when the main pictures fail to load.
     
     
8. Responsiveness
   
   
   • Test Case: Test how the UI adapts dynamically when the window is resized. Verify that buttons, images, and navigation menus retain proper alignment and usability at different resolutions.
     
     
9. Error Messages and Alerts
   
   
   • Test Case: Validate that error messages appear in the appropriate context and disappear after a reasonable time or when the user corrects the issue. Ensure the messages are displayed in an accessible manner (e.g., with screen reader support).
     
     
10. Interactive Elements
    
    
    • Test Case: Test interactive elements like sliders and toggles for their behaviour with boundary values. For instance, verify the slider works when moved to its minimum and maximum values. Ensure that toggles maintain their state when switching between pages.
      
      

Having reviewed various test case examples for UI Testing, the next step is to ensure that these tests are executed efficiently and effectively. To achieve this, adopting best practices for UI testing is crucial. 

UI Testing Best Practices

UI testing can be more efficient, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, user-friendly applications by adhering to these best practices:

• Maintain Test Modularity: Break test scripts into smaller, reusable modules to improve maintainability and reduce redundancy.
• Prioritise User-Centric Scenarios: Focus on critical user flows that impact the user experience, such as login, registration, and payment processing.
• Automate Repetitive Tests: Automate frequently executed tests like regression tests to save time and ensure consistency.
• Test on Real Devices and Browsers: Test UI on various real devices and browsers for accurate cross-platform compatibility.
• Test for Responsiveness: Ensure the UI adapts smoothly across different screen sizes and devices, from mobile to desktop.
• Perform Cross-Browser Testing: Verify consistent functionality across browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari).
• Monitor Performance: Test the UI under various load conditions to ensure it performs well and doesn’t degrade with heavy traffic.
• Check Error Handling: Ensure the UI displays clear error messages and provides easy recovery for users in case of issues.
• Regularly Update Test Scripts: Review and update test scripts regularly to ensure they align with UI changes and remain effective.
  
  

These best practices help optimise UI testing efforts. To truly maximise efficiency and effectiveness, you need the right tools. Coco’s AI-powered platform can accelerate your UI testing process.

Boosting UI Testing Productivity with Coco’s AI-Powered Platform

UI testing is critical to ensuring that an application delivers an enjoyable user experience across different devices and environments. Coco enhances ServiceNow application testing by combining advanced AI capabilities with automation tools. Its key features, including AI-generated acceptance criteria, parallel test creation, and automated update set deployment, simplify workflows and improve accuracy.

The platform’s risk-ranking system ensures critical functionalities are prioritised, allowing teams to focus on the most important areas. Its end-to-end testing automation provides thorough coverage, streamlining the entire testing lifecycle from design to execution. Additionally, integration with Git enhances deployment processes by offering secure version control and efficient management. 

This reduces errors, improves traceability, and ensures a seamless workflow for development and testing teams.

These key metrics highlight Coco’s effectiveness:

• 40x faster testing cycles, 
• 36% improved productivity
• 80% reduction in resource requirements
  
  

Coco provides a reliable and scalable solution to achieve consistent test results for organisations managing complex ServiceNow environments. It can streamline your testing workflow and drive faster, more accurate application results. Schedule a demo today for a comprehensive demonstration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is UI vs UX testing?

UI  testing focuses on an application’s visual and interactive elements to ensure that buttons, menus, and layouts work as expected. UX (User Experience) testing evaluates the overall user journey. It assesses how intuitive and enjoyable the interface is, often through real-user feedback.

What is the difference between UI and API Testing?

UI testing concentrates on the front-end elements users interact with, ensuring they function correctly across devices and browsers. API testing, on the other hand, tests the backend services. This ensures APIs return the correct data and responses, verifying their functionality, security, and reliability.

Is UI testing easier than UX?

UI testing is typically more technical and focused on verifying design elements and interactions, while UX testing requires a deeper understanding of user psychology and behaviour.

Read More:

1. AI and Machine Learning for Software Testing: A Modern Approach
2. Calculating ROI and Saving Time with Test Automation
3. Top Mobile App Automation Testing Tools and Frameworks in 2025