Software Testing Bugs (which are the most frustrating to find?)

Last week, we ran social media polls about software testing bugs. More specifically, we asked which ones were the most frustrating to find. Read on to discover the results, along with breakdowns of some of the more common bug examples.

Common software testing bugs

Using LinkedIn and Twitter, we asked ‘what is the most frustrating type of software bug to find?’ The options provided were syntax bugs, usability bugs and performance bugs. Why these? Because they are amongst the most common found.

Syntax bugs

Speaking of common bugs, syntax bugs are probably the most common to show up. This is so no matter how skilled or experienced the developers involved may be. Essentially, these bugs need to be removed before a program can be compiled, as the compiler does not recognise what the affected code means. A typical syntax error is a missing semicolon, which informs the compiler where a command ends in programming languages such as C# and Java.

Usability bugs

This type of bug affects how users interact with software, essentially making it confusing and difficult to use. Usability bugs can overcomplicate certain functionalities, often making them impossible to use.

Performance bugs

These bugs can affect a software’s speed, response and load time, as well as overall stability. Whilst users can still use a program experiencing performance bugs, the overall UX will probably be poor.

Poll results

Having read our short descriptions of syntax, usability and performance bugs, which do you think was the most frustrating? If you answered, ‘usability’, then you would be absolutely correct. The votes were unanimous, clearly demonstrating that usability issues are the most important to our respondents.

Conclusion

There are many other types of common software testing bugs, including:

• Logic bugs
• Functional bugs
• Compatibility bugs
• Security bugs

These are all found on a regular basis during the development process and must be overcome. Experienced testers will be no strangers to these but their frustration levels will be no lower despite that knowledge!