What is behavioral?

Behavioral, in the context of software development, usually refers to Behavior‑Driven Development (BDD). BDD is a way of writing tests that describe how an application should behave from the user’s point of view. Instead of focusing on code details, it focuses on real‑world scenarios written in plain language that both developers and non‑technical people can understand.

Let's break it down

  • User story: A short description of a feature from the user’s perspective.
  • Scenario: A concrete example of that feature, written as a series of steps (Given, When, Then).
  • Gherkin language: The simple, readable syntax used to write those steps.
  • Step definitions: The code that connects each Gherkin step to actual test actions.
  • Living documentation: Because the scenarios are written in plain English, they double as up‑to‑date documentation of what the system does.

Why does it matter?

BDD helps teams speak the same language, reducing misunderstandings between developers, testers, product owners, and customers. It ensures that the software is built to meet real user needs, catches bugs early, and creates documentation that stays relevant as the code evolves.

Where is it used?

  • Agile and Scrum teams building web or mobile apps.
  • Companies that need clear communication between technical and non‑technical stakeholders (e.g., finance, healthcare).
  • Projects that require automated acceptance testing, such as e‑commerce platforms, APIs, and SaaS products.
  • Tools like Cucumber, SpecFlow, Behave, and JBehave are popular for implementing BDD.

Good things about it

  • Improves collaboration and shared understanding across the whole team.
  • Produces readable, executable specifications that serve as both tests and documentation.
  • Encourages thinking about user behavior before writing code, leading to better design.
  • Makes regression testing easier because scenarios can be re‑run automatically.

Not-so-good things

  • Requires extra time to write and maintain the plain‑language scenarios and step definitions.
  • Teams need training; the learning curve can be steep for those new to BDD or Gherkin.
  • Over‑specifying every tiny detail can lead to brittle tests that break with minor UI changes.
  • If not kept in sync with the code, the living documentation can become outdated and misleading.