How to Test Sign-Up Forms Without Writing Tests
Rihario automatically tests sign-up forms during exploration. The AI identifies form fields, fills them with test data, validates input, submits the form, and reports any issues. No test scripts needed - just point the AI at your signup page.
How It Works
When the AI encounters a sign-up form, it:
- Identifies the form - Recognizes signup forms by structure and field types
- Finds all fields - Email, password, name, phone, etc.
- Generates test data - Creates realistic test values for each field
- Fills the form - Types data into each field
- Checks validation - Tests field requirements, formats, and rules
- Submits the form - Clicks submit and observes the result
- Reports issues - Flags errors, broken validation, or submission problems
What Gets Tested Automatically
Form Field Validation
- Required fields - Tests that required fields show errors when empty
- Email format - Validates email format checking
- Password requirements - Tests password strength rules
- Phone format - Validates phone number formatting
- Custom validation - Tests any validation rules your form has
Form Submission
- Submit button works - Verifies form actually submits
- Loading states - Checks for loading indicators during submission
- Success handling - Verifies successful signup redirects or messages
- Error handling - Tests error message display
User Experience
- Form layout - Checks for broken layouts or overlapping elements
- Field accessibility - Verifies labels and ARIA attributes
- Error visibility - Ensures error messages are visible
- Form flow - Tests multi-step forms if applicable
How to Test Sign-Up Forms
Method 1: Start on Signup Page
Start your exploration directly on the signup page:
Example:
URL: https://app.com/signup
Instructions: "test the signup form"
Instructions: "test the signup form"
The AI will explore the signup page, find the form, test it, and report findings.
Method 2: Include in Multi-Page Flow
Include signup as part of a larger exploration:
Example:
URL: https://app.com
Instructions: "check homepage, then test signup flow, then test login"
Instructions: "check homepage, then test signup flow, then test login"
The AI will navigate to signup, test it, then continue with other flows.
What the AI Tests
Happy Path
The AI tests the successful signup flow:
- Fills all required fields with valid data
- Submits the form
- Verifies successful submission (redirect, confirmation message, etc.)
- Checks if user is logged in or redirected appropriately
Validation Errors
The AI also tests validation by:
- Trying empty required fields
- Testing invalid email formats
- Checking password requirements
- Verifying error messages appear
- Ensuring form doesn't submit with invalid data
Understanding Results
When testing signup forms, you'll see issues like:
✅ Form Validation Works
Required fields show errors. Email format validated. Form submits successfully.
❌ Validation Issue
Form submits with empty required fields. No error messages displayed.
⚠️ UX Issue
Error messages are not visible or overlapping with form fields.
Common Issues Found
Validation Problems
- Forms that submit with invalid data
- Missing error messages
- Error messages not visible or poorly positioned
- Validation that triggers on wrong events
- Required fields that don't show errors
Form Functionality
- Submit button doesn't work
- Form doesn't submit (JavaScript errors)
- Loading states missing or broken
- Success messages not displayed
- Redirects not working after signup
Accessibility Issues
- Missing form labels
- No ARIA attributes
- Error messages not associated with fields
- Keyboard navigation doesn't work
Best Practices
- Test on staging - Use test data, not production signups
- Focus instructions - Add "test signup form validation" to focus the AI
- Review findings carefully - Not every finding is a critical bug
- Test edge cases manually - AI tests common cases, you test unusual ones
- Verify fixes - Re-run exploration after fixing issues
Limitations
- Email verification - Cannot test email verification flows automatically
- CAPTCHA blocks - Cannot solve CAPTCHAs (exploration marked as BLOCKED)
- Custom validation logic - May not test complex business rule validation
- Not exhaustive - Tests common scenarios, not every possible input
- Dynamic content - May miss issues with dynamically loaded form fields
Example: Testing a Signup Form
Step-by-Step Process:
- Start exploration on signup page
- AI finds signup form with email, password, name fields
- AI tries submitting empty form → checks for validation errors
- AI fills form with test data
- AI tests email format validation
- AI tests password requirements
- AI submits form with valid data
- AI verifies successful signup (redirect, message, etc.)
- AI reports any issues found