You have probably heard the surprising news that the app industry is bigger than Hollywood thanks to the millions of ever-ready professional and amateur developers spitting apps into apps store by the seconds; and the 220 billion downloads (and counting) from billions of eager app users globally. (And mobile apps are expected to generate $189 billion in revenue by 2020.) However, this figure is expected because the number of smartphone users worldwide will top 3 billion in 2019. (This figure will continue to increase with no sign of slowing down as the mobile app development / Android, iOS process continues to advance.)
But there is one thing that most people actually miss – these apps must be well-built and properly tested to garner tons of download with good ratings. In other to do that, some effective principles are followed for successful app testing. In this post, you will be exploring 4 of these said principles. Without further ado, let’s dig in.
#1. Test on multiple devices and avoid emulators
Mobile apps were built to be used on actual mobile devices OS platforms, not run by another app – emulators. So it is always better to run your tests on the actual OS it was built for. The reason for this is that it will give you an accurate quality assurance report. For example, if you built an app for Android OS, you should run a mobile app test on different versions of the OS, such as Android 6.0 – 6.0.1(Marshmallow), Android 7.0 (Nougat), Android 8.0 (Oreo), Android 9.0 ( Pie), and so on. Do it on all versions if possible. Actually, it will be difficult to have access to all the versions that your app is built for, but you could make it happen. You can do it with the two main methods for conducting usability testing of mobile apps – Remote usability and laboratory-based usability testing.
But make sure you are selective of the end-users who are going to participate in the testing if you do decide to go with the laboratory-based usability testing method. Their smartphones should be run by different versions of the Android OS. This will give you the unique opportunity to test your app on different versions on the platform after and during the mobile app development / Android, iOS process. As you carry out the test, make sure you check for interface consistency and general backward incompatibility issues. Remember, mobile app testing should be part of your developmental strategy.
#2. When doing the test, focus more on functionality testing first and always review it
Your app was developed to do a task or tasks. It could be a simple or complex task(s). It is of utmost importance that your apps should do what it is built to do without any complications. For example, if you built an app that helps people to read faster, then the user should be able to read faster if they use it. And be certain you have achieved this feat. That is why you need mobile app testing – to be certain.
So do functionality testing first to ascertain, well, it’s functionality to gain quality assurance that it is going to do the job perfectly. Do this immediately the mobile app development / Android, iOS process is over. But things could get pretty complicated in actually real-life scenarios. End-users stray off the beaten path all the time.
This will obviously affect the functionalities of the app. You must consider this too. In a nutshell, professional app testing covers the nitty-gritty of considering the possible scenarios in which the end-users might stray off the laydown path, and meticulously writing all of them down to be reviewed later.
#3. Do regression testing only when necessary, or else stick with resolution and smoke testing
The type of app you are testing affect the methodology you are going to use, which means it affects the type of testing you should do. For example, if you are testing a version of an app that has a huge changelog, it is always better to do regression testing. But if the changelog is small, it will be a waste of time to go for regression testing then. Stick with resolution and smoke testing because all you need is a passing glance, which will definitely cut it.
This is a great time management techniques which won’t affect productivity negatively. (But rather, it will boost your productivity immensely.) So consider this on your mobile app development / Android, iOS stage. Besides, it will make your life a lot easier.
#4. Wrap things up with destructive testing
Have you finish building an app and then wonder if it will crash under pressure? The only way to ascertain how resilient your app could be is to do destructive testing after the mobile app development / Android, iOS process is completely over. With this, you can be sure that your app is up to any task or know the limit your app can take. Start by tapping all over the place. Press as many icons as you can in the shortest amount of time possible. Minimize your app haphazardly at erratic successions during this process. No freezes or crashes? You have done an excellent job.
In all, every successful mobile application testing follows some laydown rules and principles that make the whole process a success. These rules must be studied and thoroughly learned if you want the effective quality assurance that you can count on anytime. This is literally what this post is written to address. And since testing is integrated into your mobile app development / Android, iOS strategies, it makes this all the more important. However, this does not mean that the principles must follow chronologically. (It is unrealistic to do it that way.)
