Visual Testing with AI: The Secret Sauce for Trustworthy UIs

What Is Visual Testing?

Visual testing is a UI testing approach that checks what appears on screen, rather than what exists in the DOM.
It helps catch issues like:

• Blocked buttons
• Overlapping UI elements
• Content that’s clipped or hidden
• Layout breaks on different devices

These bugs often pass DOM-based tests but still disrupt real user experiences.

Why DOM-Based Tests Aren’t Enough

Consider this example:

expect(getByText('Submit')).toBeVisible();

This will pass even if:

• The button is covered by a floating banner
• It’s positioned off-screen
• It’s visible in the DOM but unreadable or unclickable in practice

Visual bugs like these aren’t detectable unless you test the screen output itself  which is what visual testing does.

What Makes Visual Testing Smarter in 2025?

Modern tools like AskUI use image recognition, OCR, and AI models to:

• Detect UI elements directly from screenshots
• Analyze visual structure (e.g. alignment, overlap, spacing)
• Run cross-platform validations (macOS, Windows, browsers)
• Automate tests through natural language commands

No need to write or maintain brittle UI selectors.
Just describe what should be visible and the system checks it.

AskUI’s Vision-Based Approach

Sample Use Case: Bug That DOM Tests Missed

Scenario:
You launch an AI-generated product page. On smaller screens, the “Buy Now” button is present in the DOM but visually blocked by a chatbot popup.

Result:

• DOM test: ✅ Pass
• Real UI: ❌ Users can't click the button

AskUI detects this instantly by evaluating the actual screen image.

Workflow: From Natural Language to Visual Validation

With AskUI’s new launching chat, you can say:

AskUI will:

1. Open your app visually
2. Analyze the screen
3. Detect the presence, position, and visibility of the element
4. Report whether it’s blocked, off-screen, or missing

All without a single line of code.

AskUI vs Traditional Testing: Feature Comparison

FAQ: AskUI Visual Testing (No Redundancy with Other Posts)

Q: Can AskUI detect UI issues inside native OS applications, not just browsers?
A: Yes. AskUI supports macOS and Windows desktop applications through its native agent.

Q: What happens if the screen has animations or dynamic elements?
A: AskUI waits for UI stability before capturing a screenshot. You can also add timing controls via CLI or prompt adjustments.

Q: How does it identify what a “button” is if there’s no HTML tag?
A: AskUI uses visual pattern recognition and OCR to interpret labels and shapes not just code structure allowing it to find functional UI elements across native and web apps.

Q: Does AskUI require baseline images to compare against?
A: No. It works standalone by analyzing the screen at runtime, but baseline image comparison can be configured if visual regression tracking is needed.

Q: Is there support for accessibility testing?
A: While not a full a11y engine, AskUI can detect visual accessibility issues like overlapping text, contrast problems, and hidden interactive elements.

Final Thoughts

Logic tests confirm functionality.
Visual tests confirm reality.

If your app looks broken users will believe it is.

AskUI gives you the ability to test your product as your users see it, not just how your code says it behaves.