Witbe - Smart Navigate
Categories QC QA Monitoring
Traditionally, the automatic testing and monitoring of OTT video services on real devices has required manual updates to testing scenarios with every update to an app or device’s UI. That has changed with the introduction of Smart Navigate, a groundbreaking AI algorithm developed by Witbe and deployed on the company’s Witbox testing device family, through Workbench, its software for programming tests. Thanks to Smart Navigate, the Witbox is now fully autonomous in browsing and testing video streaming applications. It understands menu structure, keyboard inputs, dynamic rails, and more. Furthermore, it is capable of navigating and testing apps without requiring every step of the process to be manually programmed by test engineers. For video service providers, the result has been a dramatic reduction in the time required to program tests. For example, before Smart Navigate, programming a test to locate the VoD menu in an app meant painstakingly scripting every button press on a remote control until the test navigated to the correct menu. The process was then repeated for every device the app ran on.
Even if testers created a “Go to VoD” function that could be reused across different devices, they still had to meticulously capture the VoD menu and program each step of the function. With Smart Navigate, the code is simply “Go to VoD menu.” Through advanced machine learning, the test analyzes and comprehends the menu, and undertakes all the necessary steps to arrive at the correct destination. The algorithm understands the app’s UI just like a human would, without requiring explicit instructions on which buttons to press or seeing each menu item in advance. Furthermore, the same prompt works regardless of the specific device being tested or how the UI has changed since the last test.Smart Navigate represents a significant step forward in the test programming process.
With the power of AI, tests are no longer dependent on fixed screen components that must remain in the same location every time. For testing teams contending with a constant stream of new app updates, this is a monumental shift. Compared to previous programming methods in Workbench, scripting an advanced QA test has gone from a six-hour to a two-hour task – representing a huge time save that enables resources to be channeled elsewhere.
Altering tests to adapt to different devices or button location changes is now automatic. While updating 1,000 tests with a small UI change used to take a month, with Smart Navigate it happens instantly.Smart Navigate deserves to be recognized with a Digital Media World Award because it utilizes AI to deliver a substantial advancement in video monitoring and testing. In an initial case study, scripting teams were able to work up to 10 times faster than they were on previous versions of Workbench. For any video service provider looking to measure the true quality of experience their customers receive, testing on the same devices they use is a must. Now, with Smart Navigate, testing is smarter, faster, and more accessible than ever before.
