I work for a large company on various projects doing software testing. We recently started using X-Ray for all of our projects. After working with this software I've noticed several inneficiencies which could do with some improvement. We have to use it all day long so if there is something which is a bit clunky then it really slows us down.
The difficulties I've had with using X-Ray are:
1. CTR+V does not guess or determine which step to attach the screenshot to. This means you have to do ctrl+v, then select the step, then add a title, then click save.
In HP ALM we could just click the paste button, then enter our title/description for the screenshot. and click ok. I think X-Ray would be a lot better if it had a "current step".
2. After uploading a screenshot the entire page refreshes. You then have to wait for it to load fully and then manually scroll back to the step you were on, this is very time-consuming. I know that this could just be a browser restrictions. Maybe it could at least jump back to where you were previously?
3. No dedicted "Actual Outcomes" box. This is a big one. You have to Click Comment, then click the textarea box, then type your outcomes, then click the tick.
In HP Alm, we would just type what we wanted into the box and then move on. The Actual Outcomes column should be next to the Expected Outcomes one. We upload screenshots and do Actual Outcomes for EVERY step.
4. It would be good if ALM-shortcuts such as CTRL+P and CTRL+F could be used for Pass/Fail for that step.
5. The status colours are too similar for NA and Pass. This is only minor because after a while you remember that the left one is pass, but initially I got them mixed up as they were both green.
6. There don't seem to be any Run-IDs to refer to. I can see Test ID, Test Execution ID, Bug ID but nothing for runs.
7. Couldn't we use similar terminology to other testing programs? A test execution is a test instance in ALM, the term Bug is usually a Defect ("Bug" is sometimes frowned upon).
8. Please could you study ALM's features in general for use in X-Ray? ALM is buggy and awful (irony) but in some ways quite well thought through.
Some things I like in X-Ray:
1. Having overall screenshots, defects and notes.
2. Being able to navigate back to the test set (execution) by clicking "Return to test Execution"
3. Not being locked into the run and being able to navigate out to other pages and then come back again
4. Having a data column for test data
5. Having documentation and test execution in the same place.
I can't discuss any project details for confidentiality reasons. Thanks for reading.
