If you’ve worked in software testing for a while, you’ve probably seen the same conversations repeat themselves:
UI tests break too often. API tests don’t reflect real usage. Manual testing takes too long. Performance testing gets pushed aside. Regression testing grows until no one can run it anymore.
Meanwhile, software applications keep getting more complex.
A single customer task today can jump between mobile apps, browser windows, backend systems, PDFs, dashboards and databases. Different devices behave differently.
Operating systems behave differently.
And yet most testing efforts still treat everything like it lives in neat little boxes.
That’s exactly why the recent conversation with Tobias Müller, CTO and co-founder of TestResults, felt so refreshing. Instead of repeating the usual debates about which testing tools or testing methods are better, Tobias talked about what’s really missing: testing that aligns with how digital products actually work.
This article captures the key points from that discussion.
What digital testing really means
Digital testing is not a buzzword and definitely not something Tobias claims to have invented. It’s simply a more realistic way of doing digital software testing across the full value stream, not just screen by screen.
In the discussion, Tobias pointed out how teams often slice the testing process into tiny, disconnected parts:
- some functional tests for the UI
- regression testing for APIs
- mobile app testing for the login flow
- performance testing only when deadlines allow
- security testing or stress testing right before release
- manual testing where automation keeps failing
- exploratory testing for everything else
The result? You test a lot of pieces, but not the whole thing.
Digital testing tries to fix that by looking at how the entire workflow behaves under real world conditions, using real world scenarios and following the same path a user would.
It’s not meant to replace functional testing, security testing, usability testing, load testing or accessibility testing. It simply brings them together so you get more comprehensive testing and better overall software quality.
Why traditional automation keeps failing
One thing Tobias emphasized was how testing teams get stuck in endless maintenance efforts:
- updating brittle locators
- rewriting test scripts after every small UI adjustment
- managing different frameworks for different devices
- trying to conduct testing across apps that don’t speak the same language
- fixing functional tests that break because a developer moved a button 4px to the left
Most test automation tools were built around individual elements, not connected experiences. So the moment you try to automate complex systems or workflows that cross devices, you end up with fragile tests that collapse under even minor code changes.
Eventually, teams fall back to manual testing, exploratory testing or partial automation because they simply can’t keep up.
According to Tobias, this isn’t about skill or effort, but about using tools that were never designed for how businesses operate now.
What makes digital testing feel different
One of the most interesting parts of the conversation was how Tobias described using screen-level understanding rather than DOM-level selectors.
Not “visual testing” in the old screenshot-comparison sense. Not “AI magic”.
Just a more human approach to interacting with software.
Humans don’t read code. We read what’s on the screen.
We understand labels, layout, context and intent.
We review a PDF instantly.
We spot data integrity issues without digging through HTML.
We recognize usability issues because we feel them.
Digital testing captures this idea by working across:
- mobile apps
- web interfaces
- desktop systems
- PDFs
- documents
- dashboards
- workflows that cross multiple operating systems
This allows omni-channel testing where one test case covers the actual business journey, instead of leaving half of it to manual testing.
And because TestResults follows what users see (and not what frameworks expose), tests survive code changes, new features, UI tweaks and repetitive tasks that would normally cause breakage.
Connecting automated testing to real business workflows
Another strong theme from the discussion was the gap between how organizations think their systems work versus how they work in reality.
Digital testing highlights that gap.
It supports continuous testing and continuous integration.
It gives development teams and testing teams real-time insights into what breaks across the full workflow.
It helps identify bottlenecks and performance bottlenecks in the actual journey.
It shows where security vulnerabilities, performance issues or critical issues appear when multiple systems interact.
It improves test coverage by validating different aspects of the value stream, not just surface-level functionality.
Tobias also emphasized that testers don’t need to “become developers” to stay relevant.
Instead, they need to understand software development flow and apply smarter testing strategies that blend automation with thoughtful scenario design.
Why digital software testing matters now
Every digital product (whether banking, insurance, medtech or anything else) relies on predictable, error-free behavior across every channel. Customers don’t think in silos.
They expect workflows to behave consistently across different devices and systems.
Digital testing respects that. It supports:
- faster release cycles
- better customer satisfaction
- stronger brand image
- reliable test results
- realistic test cases
- smarter testing with less manual overhead
- better data protection and security measures
As TestResults can automate UI, documents and mixed workflows in one place, organizations finally get testing tools that mirror reality instead of idealized lab conditions.
Watch the full conversation with Tobias!
This article translates the main ideas from the discussion, but hearing Tobias explain digital testing in his own words is worth your time.
In the full video, he walks through:
- why automated testing breaks so easily
- why traditional testing efforts don’t reflect real customer journeys
- how TestResults approaches functional testing, regression testing, performance testing and more
- what digital testing looks like in practice
- how teams can rethink the development lifecycle and improve testing efficiency
- how real world conditions expose gaps teams never see in isolated tests
If you want a clearer picture of where testing is headed (and how to finally make testing align with real user expectations), watch the video.
Frequently asked questions
1. How is digital testing different from traditional automated testing?
Digital testing focuses on how real people use digital products across multiple channels, not just how a browser responds to a locator. Traditional automated testing relies heavily on test scripts tied to a single interface, which often break during bug fixes or UI updates.
Digital testing brings together functional testing, usability testing, mobile app testing and even security testing, so your tests behave more like users working under real-world conditions.
This helps development teams get better test coverage and clearer test cases across web, mobile and desktop without stitching together several testing tools or an open source tool stack.
2. Why do functional tests often fail when systems get more complex?
Most functional tests are built around fragile selectors or assumptions that don’t hold up when real-world conditions change. Once a layout shifts, a field moves or a service responds differently, the test case breaks.
Digital testing reduces this by following what users actually see instead of relying on the internal structure of an app. It also supports omni-channel testing, which gives development team members real-world feedback from workflows spanning mobile, desktop and documents. With this approach, development teams can analyze performance bottlenecks, expand functional testing, improve performance optimization and keep sensitive information protected without rewriting entire suites of tests.
3. Can digital testing replace my existing testing tools?
You don’t have to replace anything overnight. Digital testing works alongside your current testing tools, automated testing frameworks and existing functional tests. It simply fills the gaps traditional tools struggle with, like cross-device flows, PDF validation or test automation scenarios that span multiple apps.
Most teams start by adding digital testing to complex test cases where finding bugs is hardest, then grow from there. This supports proactive testing, broader test coverage and more thorough testing across digital products without losing what already works.
