The Page Object Model vs. Screenplay Pattern: My Experiences

When I started building test automation frameworks, I followed the golden rule everyone talked about—Page Object Model (POM). It made sense: keep locators and actions together, keep test scripts clean. But as my projects grew in size—multiple users, different flows, many pages—I started hitting walls. That’s when I discovered the Screenplay Pattern… and it changed the way I think about scalable automation.

Let me break it down for you in the simplest way.

Page Object Model (POM): The Old Reliable

Think of Page Object Model like a notebook for every page on your app. Each notebook has:

• All the elements (like buttons, fields)
• The actions you can do (click, enter text, etc.)

So instead of writing these again and again in tests, you reuse them.

For example:

• You want to test a login page?
• Create a LoginPage.py and write methods like enter_username(), click_login_button() etc.

Why it’s good:

• Easy to understand and start with.
• Great for small to mid-size apps.
• Helps avoid repeating locators everywhere.

Where it struggles:

• Doesn’t scale well in huge projects.
• Logic starts leaking into test scripts.
• If multiple roles (admin, customer, guest) use the same page differently—POM starts getting messy.

The Screenplay Pattern: The Actor in the Spotlight

Now imagine your test script is like a movie, and every user is an actor. Actors perform tasks like "login", "search product", or "place an order", instead of interacting directly with the UI.

So instead of writing:

login_page.enter_username("neelam")

login_page.enter_password("password1234")

login_page.click_login() 

You write:

actor.attempts_to(Login.with_credentials("neelam", "password1234"))

Why it’s powerful:

• Extremely scalable and reusable.
• Encourages clean separation between logic and UI.
• Ideal for complex workflows and multiple user roles.

Where it needs caution:

• Slightly more complex to set up.
• Learning curve for team members new to the pattern.
• If not well-documented, can become hard to follow.

Real-World Example: Testing a Retail App

We were working on a retail web app with:

• Admins adding products
• Sellers managing inventory
• Buyers placing orders

With POM, we had one ProductPage.py shared across all users. Result?

• Tons of if role == "admin" conditions
• Lots of duplication in test scripts
• Long, unreadable test cases

We rewrote the framework using Screenplay, and BOOM!

• Each user became an actor.
• Tasks like AddProduct, SearchProduct, CheckoutOrder were cleanly separated.
• Test cases became readable and modular.

Practical Tips to Choose and Implement

When to Use POM:

• Your app is small to medium scale.
• Team is new to automation or prefers simplicity.
• There aren’t too many user roles or dynamic behaviors.

When to Consider Screenplay:

• You have a large, complex application with many user types.
• You want to scale the test suite over time without mess.
• You’re struggling to reuse steps or maintain your POM codebase.

Common Risks to Watch Out For:

• Don’t mix patterns midway. Decide your approach early.
• Don’t put test logic inside Page classes or Tasks—it defeats the purpose.
• Screenplay can get over-engineered—keep it simple.

Final Thought

Page Object Model is a great first step in automation. But if your project is growing, and you want more reusability, readability, and scalability, the Screenplay Pattern is your next big upgrade.

“Don’t just automate actions. Automate behaviors.” That’s what Screenplay is all about.

Both patterns have their place. The key is to choose based on your project needs, not just what's trending.

#softwaretesting #automationtesting #neelampal