The Need for Mobile Application Testing

In the current market for technology-based applications and products, almost all enterprise services are compatible with mobile devices. Mobile applications are now global entities. They are everywhere – in e-commerce, e-bidding, e-learning, e-reservations, e-banking and social media. Mobile application usage is exploding worldwide today as web application consumers expect continuous access to the same web services through their mobile phones while away from their computers.

Mobile applications are fast becoming a critical aspect of business profitability that many web-based applications are considering going down the app-only route. That means the desktop application will be discontinued and the services will only be made available via mobile apps. This has complicated the already existing software delivery challenges as consumers have very high expectations for the application quality they install on their devices. Applications are expected:

• Responsive

• Stable and safe

• 100% uptime 24/7

• be supported on any mobile platform with equal efficiency

This requires a comprehensive mobile testing strategy to not only bring the applications to market, but also to keep them competitive.

CHALLENGES:

Mobile application testing is different and more demanding than that of traditional desktop web applications. The big challenge in mobile testing is the constantly growing variety of mobile devices; mobile operating systems, firmware updates, and other customizations require a large number of test permutations. This correspondingly increases the costs of quality assurance for the organization.

The key considerations when planning a testing strategy can be summarized as follows:

• Maximize test coverage with an optimal mix of emulators and physical devices.

• Choose an effective automated testing tool to reduce regression testing costs.

• Consider the different types of tests.

• Perform the test processes mainly on Wi-Fi networks and use the network tools to simulate network connectivity and other network parameters.

TYPES OF MOBILE TESTS:

The main types and sub-types of mobile testing can be categorized as follows:

• Functional

– Validation

– Regression / smoke

– Offline accessibility

• Not operational

– Network Strength/Failure/Recovery

– peripherals

• Application performance

– Network and CPU usage

– render time

• acceptance

– User experience

– Competitive Analysis

• Interrupt

– Voice/SMS interruptions

– Impact of notifications

– Remove battery/cable

• Memory leak and security

– Memory leaks and usage

– Garbage collection

– Data retention and cache checking

– Security audit, scanning and penetration

– Transmission

• Installation

– Uninstall, reinstall and update

– New app installation

• Vulnerability

– Open the web application security project

– Static and dynamic code analysis

– Encryption of data

– Compliance check according to marketplace guidelines

• Language

– Locale validation

– Locale data generation

The different types of testing that must be performed for each application depend on the type of application, the target audience and the distribution channel. The requirement for an additional test cycle is also created with the implemented agile methodology. This is also required when a new device is launched.

CONCLUSION

Building without tests is a very insensitive approach. Most of the negative mobile app reviews are based on crashes, battery failures, and poor network performance. A streamlined combination of manual and automated mobile testing can solve these problems and help developers prevent program failure. Mobile applications and services have become a strategy for organizations around the world. It’s also very easy for organizations to have their deployment strategy go awry. This can easily stumble companies if mobile testing and quality assurance are not used in the early stages of development.

Thanks to John Cartar | #Mobile #Application #Testing