Software testing is like exploring a new city - before setting up automated tours (automation testing), you need to walk the streets yourself (manual testing) to truly understand what's worth showing to others. Manual testing provides the essential first-hand experience that forms the foundation for effective test automation. This approach ensures testers understand the system thoroughly before automating test cases.

Key Reasons Why Manual Testing Should Be done before Automation Testing:

Understanding System Behavior

• Manual testing helps QA engineers deeply understand how the system works
• It allows testers to discover the natural user flows and edge cases
• Helps identify critical scenarios that should be automated

Test Case Development

• Manual testing helps validate test cases before investing time in automation
• Testers can refine test steps and expected results through hands-on experience
• Reduces the risk of automating incorrect or inefficient test scenarios

Exploratory Testing Benefits

• Manual testers can uncover unexpected bugs through insightful exploration
• They can identify usability issues that automated tests might miss
• Helps discover scenarios that weren't considered during requirements gathering

Cost and Time Efficiency

• Not all test cases are worth automating (one-time scenarios or rarely used features)
• Manual testing helps prioritize which tests should be automated

User Experience Validation

• Manual testing better evaluates subjective aspects like UI/UX and user-friendliness
• Provides insights into the actual user experience that automated tests can't capture

Rapid Initial Testing

• Allows quick feedback during early development stages
• Helps identify major issues before investing in automation

Complex Scenario Verification

• Some scenarios are too complex or unpredictable to automate effectively
• Useful scenarios for with multiple dependencies, helps to understand how one should approach when generating automation test cases

Baseline Creation

• Manual testing establishes a baseline for automation
• Helps identify stable features suitable for automation

Risk Mitigation

• Manual testing reduces the risk of automating incorrect processes
• Helps identify potential automation challenges early
• Ensures critical business flows are thoroughly understood before automation

By starting with manual testing, organizations can build a more efficient and effective automation framework that truly serves their testing needs while minimizing wasted effort and resources.