Project Overview
- The Al Waleed Cultural Network website aims to promote inclusivity and connectivity by bringing together prestigious universities and cultural institutions worldwide. Owned by Prince Al Waleed, a Saudi royal, the foundation focuses on philanthropy, charitable causes, and raising awareness about Islam to combat Islamophobia.
- The website serves as a platform for showcasing various Islamic programs, events, and courses offered by reputable universities. It provides users with opportunities to gain in-depth knowledge about Islam.
Challenges
- Tight Timeframe for QA: The project had a limited timeframe of two months for all QA activities, including automation testing and CI/CD deployment. Meeting this deadline while ensuring comprehensive testing was a significant challenge.
- CMS Complexity: The website’s layout and templates were divided into components managed by a relatively new Headless CMS called Sanity.io. Familiarizing ourselves with this CMS and effectively utilizing its features posed a challenge.
- GROQ Language: Sanity.io uses the GROQ language for managing and sending data. The team had to learn and understand this new language to work effectively with the CMS.
- Testcase Creation: Developing manual test cases and automation set to cover at least smoke testing within the given timeframe was a demanding task due to the project’s complexity.
- Unique Website Structure: The website’s structure involved pages, components, and courses, making it initially challenging to determine the overall architecture and development approach.
- Arabic Language Support: The website is needed to support both English and Arabic languages. Designing and developing the layout, content, and components to ensure they functioned correctly when switched to a right-to-left (RTL) layout posed additional complexities.
- Translation Testing: The complete translation of the website into Arabic required thorough testing of each component twice to ensure they appeared correctly in both languages, increasing the testing effort.
- Content Readiness: The project had a strict launch deadline, necessitating the timely addition and readiness of website content to meet the launch date.
Solution & Strategy
- During the project, we faced a tight timeframe for QA activities, which required us to prioritize testing efforts. We adopted a risk-based testing approach to identify and focus on high-priority functionalities and potential risks. We leveraged agile methodologies and iterative testing to maximize testing efficiency within the given timeframe. In addition, we utilized automation testing to speed up repetitive and time-consuming tasks. To ensure seamless collaboration between development and testing teams, we worked closely with them to identify and resolve issues promptly.
- The complexity of the CMS (Sanity.io) required us to conduct small and quick training sessions and provide documentation to familiarize ourselves with its features. We collaborated with developers and Sanity.io experts to understand the CMS’s capabilities and limitations. To ensure comprehensive testing, we developed test cases specifically targeting Sanity.io functionality and integration. We also performed thorough end-to-end testing of Sanity. io-driven components and data retrieval. By adopting these testing techniques, we were able to ensure the quality of the product and minimize the risks associated with using a complex CMS.
- The website’s unique structure posed a challenge for testing activities, which required us to adopt a structured approach. We collaborated closely with developers and designers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the website structure and architecture. We developed test scenarios covering various combinations of pages, components, and courses. We conducted extensive cross-link and navigation testing to ensure a seamless user experience across the website’s structure. Additionally, we validated data consistency and integrity throughout different sections of the website. We also developed a comprehensive localization testing plan that covers both English and Arabic versions. To streamline the testing process, we utilized automated localization testing tools. We worked closely with content creators and stakeholders to ensure timely content delivery. We developed a content validation checklist to verify the accuracy, completeness, and formatting of the content. Finally, we performed content-driven testing to ensure proper data integration and presentation
Conclusion
The Al Waleed Cultural Network project was a resounding success, delivering a robust website within a tight timeframe. We overcame challenges with the Sanity.io CMS, GROQ language, unique website structure, and Arabic language support. Collaboration with content creators ensured timely and accurate content delivery. The website now fosters inclusivity and understanding, standing as a beacon of knowledge and connectivity.