Why Page Object Model is Dead

For over a decade, the Page Object Model (POM) has been the de-facto standard for Selenium-based automation. It successfully solved the problem of code duplication by encapsulating page-specific elements and actions into reusable classes. However, as applications moved from static pages to dynamic, component-based architectures (React, Vue, Svelte), the POM started to crack.

The "God Class" Problem

In a complex application, a single "Page Object" can easily grow to thousands of lines. When a login page includes 2FA, social logins, and account recovery, your LoginPage.java becomes a "God Class" that is difficult to maintain and nearly impossible to unit test.

// The bloated POM anti-pattern
public class LoginPage {
    @FindBy(id = "user") WebElement username;
    // ... 50 more elements
    
    public void login() { ... }
    public void socialLogin() { ... }
    public void handleTwoFactor() { ... }
    // ... 20 more methods
}

Enter the Screenplay Pattern

Screenplay (also known as the Journey Pattern) applies SOLID principles to test automation. Instead of modeling pages, we model Actors, Tasks, and Interactions. This decouples who is performing the action from what they are doing.

// Actor-based testing
Actor james = Actor.named("James");
james.can(BrowseTheWeb.with(browser));

james.attemptsTo(
    Login.as(user),
    NavigateTo.dashboard()
);

Summary

The transition from POM to Screenplay or Component-based testing isn't just a trend; it's a necessity for scaling modern test suites. By focusing on intent rather than implementation, we create tests that are as robust as the systems they verify.