The power of the Sustainability Testing Manifesto for QA teams

Sustainability.

My initial opinion is that it's a great idea, but does it matter?

Not long ago, I was one of those sceptics who brushed off discussions about website sustainability as a nice topic but yet another exaggerated concern in our hyper-aware world. I was aware that the internet could contribute to pollution.

Still, I was sceptical about the extent of its impact and whether digital platforms could truly add substantially to environmental degradation. It seemed less immediately obvious compared to more visible sources of pollution.

Umbraco Codegarden 2024 sessions inspired me to revise my opinion.

Thanks to 2 sessions I visited:

• "GREEN TABLE TALK: Making web-development more sustainable" by Bolette Kern and Martin Wulser Larsen 

• "Green Code: A Blueprint for Eco-Friendly Websites" by Rick Butterfield

I learned about the community that worked together to promote the idea of more sustainable web pages and got an answer to my question about its real impact.

At its core, website sustainability revolves around the environmental impact of our online activities. From streaming videos and social media browsing to cloud storage and e-commerce transactions, every click and interaction consumes energy. This energy consumption translates into carbon emissions, primarily through the operation of data centres and the electricity used to power our digital lives.

The numbers are staggering. Reports indicate that the digital sector accounts for a significant portion of global greenhouse gas emissions, comparable to major industrial sectors. If the internet were a country, it would rank among the world's largest carbon emitters. A single query to chatGPT consumes between 10 and 100 Wh, translating to using a standard LED light bulb for several minutes.

My mind blew up.

According to the Low Impact Manifesto created by Organic Basics, there are ten rules we should follow to create eco-friendly websites. The rules concentrate on minimising data transfer and using low-use images, videos, scripts, frameworks and cookies. An interesting idea is also to inform users about the impact of their browsing behaviour or even give them a choice to reduce it by visiting a simplified page. Similar sustainable development best practices are popularised by the Umbraco Community Sustainability Team, which developed a sustainable package to help us follow the rules and even rate your page.

Following these rules rests on the whole team involved in website production: clients, designers, PMs, developers, and testers. But QA could be a particularly sensitive unit in advocating for sustainable practices within development teams and contributing to a greener digital ecosystem.

QA team usually tests page load time, image optimisation, and lazy loading implementation. In my case, the testing intention was rather an assurance of the user's good experience than the responsibility for environmental impact. Having this broader view allows us to develop sensitivity to deliver sustainable, accessible, and high-quality digital products.

So what if we try to create a similar Sustainability Testing Manifesto based on the best practices mentioned above?

1. Performance and Load Time Optimisation - measure load times and overall site performance using performance testing tools

2. Efficient Media Handling: Verify that images are compressed and resized appropriately and use modern formats like WebP. Ensure videos use adaptive streaming.

3. Code Minification and Bundling - ensure that CSS and JavaScript files are minified and bundled using available compression tools

4. Caching Implementation - check cache headers and configurations using browser developer tools and performance testing tools

5. Lazy Loading of Media - inspect the code for lazy loading attributes and observe the loading behaviour during page scroll.

6. Efficient Hosting and CDN Use - verify hosting provider certifications and ensure assets are delivered via a CDN.

7. Server Response Time Optimisation - track and optimise server response times with website monitoring tools

8. Redundant Data Request Elimination - use browser network analysis tools to monitor and optimise data requests.

9. Accessibility and Usability - conduct accessibility audits and test for usability with real users

10. Renewable Energy Usage - check the hosting provider's sustainability credentials and energy usage reports

I'm happy I had this opportunity to learn about Umbraco Codegraden 2024. What began as disbelief in the significance of digital environmental impact has evolved into a better understanding of this critical issue. By adhering to the guidelines, QA testers can be crucial in building a more sustainable digital future.