When it comes to mobile app development, creating a product that could win the heart of users need extensive focus on Quality Assurance benchmarks. Though most small-budget projects often try to overlook the quality factor associated with a mobile app, working with a top mobile app development company brings your application all the necessary QA support.
Also, the ever-increasing use of mobile devices over desktop operations makes it even more important to work on quality aspects of the mobile application to offer a rich UI and UX to the users. Thus, it would be nothing wrong to say that mobile application testing is essential for development companies that need to create a pleasing mobile experience. However, the process demands extensive focus on various stages of the software development lifecycle beginning from requirement analysis, defining test specifications, or deployment of full-fledged products.
In this blog, we will underline the concept of mobile app testing in detail while diving through the details surrounding the process. Meanwhile, we will aim to provide a thorough detail on app testing, the types, benefits, trends, and other essential detail that can help strengthen the launch process.
Let’s begin!
Mobile App Testing: The Definition
Mobile app testing is a technical practice planned and fostered to identify development issues related to design, performance, system flaws, bugs, etc. Besides, mobile testing aids testers and developers in creating applications that are consistent, functional, and usable. Though the definition of mobile app testing makes it look like an easy task, it is actually a crucial process that helps decide the outcomes of your business objectives.
Need For Mobile App Testing
Before we jump on identifying the reasons that make mobile app testing a necessary practice, let us quickly explore some statistics shared by Appslure that could help establish its significance:
- Global mobile app downloads stood at 218 billion in 2020
- The average consumer spending on mobile apps in Q2 2021 stood at 5.31 USD
Considering such big numbers, it would be quite clear why the mobile app giants are investing big money on mobile testing. And when there are 1.85 million different apps are available for iOS users and 2.56 million available through the Google Play Store, preventing testing could bring you more frequent uninstallation as nobody likes to use freezing or slow-loading apps.
Moreover, it does not make any sense to test an application when it has already into the market within the user’s reach. Such an approach not only delays the test process but even makes you miss opportunities to capture the market and users through a solid product. On the other hand, testing the application for functionality, usability, and performance in advance helps to prevent users lose their interest in an application while reducing the chances of negative reviews.
All in all, an application that responds well on varying devices, operating systems, and changing device configurations has a greater chance of gaining positive public response and, of course, an added business advantage.
But before we take on mobile testing initiatives, it is essential to understand the types of mobile apps that you may have to test.
Types Of Mobile Apps You Need To Test
Usually, testers are engaged in testing three types of mobile applications. These include:
- Native Applications: Made to serve users of a specific mobile platform, these are applications that are available on the Play Store or app store. These apps are developed using Objective-C/Swift for iOS or Java/Kotlin for android, while cross-platform native apps are developed using Native Script, Flutter, or React Native.
- Hybrid Applications: Hybrid apps work like native apps but are web apps made using web technologies. Usually, run inside a native container, the application uses the device’s browser to deliver HTML and process JS locally.
- Responsive Web Apps: Made to run on the mobile browser, web apps are PWAs or highly responsive site versions that offer extra mobile-friendly features.
Types Of Mobile App Testing
Mobile app testing could turn out to be a highly extensive process, especially when you are aiming to create a product that is technically sound and is made to offer all the necessary consistency, functionality, and usability on launch. Let us have some brief insights on understanding the various types of mobile app testing types that developers and testers need to foster for releasing quality products:
Manual Testing
When we say manual testing, it is the test process that does not require any automation tools. Manual testing is meant to detect any bugs or specific features in the development phase.
Automated Testing
Once an app is developed, the testers automate the test scenario checking on the functionality, usability, and performance using automation tools. It is a part of the test process that works on automated testing tools that can detect any defects in systems allowing rapid execution of the test case suite.
Performance Testing
A non-functional technique that works on response time, reliability, speed, stability, and scalability aspect of the application under test.
Functional Testing
Made to check the overall functionality of the mobile app, functional testing aims at validating the application for error messages, device-specific issues, product updates, signups or login issues, etc. Functional testing refers to meeting the specified requirements of the application that can help yield quality and customer satisfaction.
Interruption Testing
Interruption testing refers to checking the bugs or issues within an app that could interrupt other apps on the device, spoiling the overall user experience.
Security Testing
Security testing works on threats and vulnerabilities of the system by identifying any bugs or code issues that may follow intrusion. It is more of a loophole tracking process that is worked to prevent any loss of revenue.
OS Testing
Most users, when the update size exceeds 100MB, tend to resist updating the system. Therefore, developers and testers have to take control of operations for a streamlined experience on all OS versions.
Installation Testing
Installation testing aims at checking if the application install/uninstall properly on a mobile device. Also known as implementation testing, the test helps to ensure all updates are worked without any error or interruption.
Compatibility Testing
A non-functional test practice that is made to yield the desired app performance on varying operating systems, devices, network environments, system configurations related to OS or hardware.
Localization Testing
Localization testing aims at creating applications that are made to align with the users’ cultures based on their geographical details. Besides, it is necessary that the application should be calibrated to serve the audience from varying locations, serving their needs related to language and a general understanding of technology.
Operational Testing
Operational testing is a non-functional practice that is meant to observe the behavior of the application for varying circumstances like insertion of data cable, WiFi on/off, and airplane mode settings.
Design Testing
Design testing is meant to check the ease of use of an application so that an engaging and fully-functional experience can be delivered to the user.
Acceptance Testing
Acceptance testing or User Acceptance testing refers to checking an application for usability, functionality, and performance goals with consistency. Besides, it is meant to ensure that the users must be able to meet their needs with the application.
Trends In Mobile App Testing
The app market is growing at a very quick pace. But still, a large number of app installs and uninstalls happen because of technical issues in the system. This has made brands more cautious of working on user experience by working on all the practices trending around when it comes to mobile app testing. Let’s find out:
Automation Testing
App testing is all focused on improving the brand value by confirming that all the functional and non-functional aspects of the app work properly. Since it can be difficult to run all the test suites manually, testers and developers often use automation tools to foster their test initiatives. The process might involve cross-browser testing, performance testing, compatibility testing, and any test actions that need extensive manual effort.
AI & ML Implementation
With mobile app testing gaining popularity, there are several AI and ML-based test automation tools that are entering the market. AI in-app testing complements all the DevOps tasks speeding up the CI/CD pipeline. In short, AI & ML have the potential to simplify the process of bug rectification as the technologies work on rapid issue tracking and even deliver suggestions to improve.
CI/CD Implementation
When we say CI/CD implementation, it refers to building continuous integration and continuous delivery cycle that helps in systematic and efficient testing. Some of the most popular tools that are used to empower CI/CD implementation include Jira, Jenkins, Travis, etc.
Cloud-based Testing
Cloud-based mobile app testing does not require any hardware or labs. It allows you to test for several devices at the same time while bringing you to ease to choose or remove devices as per your convenience. Moreover, cloud-based mobile app testing could assist you in performing testing anywhere and anytime without any need for extra test resources.
Benefits Of Mobile App Testing
Mobile app testing not only helps you meet your app requirements quickly but even helps you to align it with your business goals. Besides, there is a huge list of benefits surrounding mobile app testing that makes it an essential practice to follow for mobile app development companies.
Ensure Proper Functioning
Since the entire objective of defining a QA process is to create a solution that offers seamless performance, mobile app testing helps to create an application that users can easily download and use on any device. Moreover, the ability to test on real devices and varying usage environments make a product highly functional.
User Experience
Testing a mobile application helps to work on the navigation, making it more intuitive and logical. The process even aids in creating a perfect app experience for varied situations and leads to a product that user prefers to keep in their device.
Customer Loyalty
When you deliver a highly functional and usable application, it complements user satisfaction while offering better user and market exposure that adds to the reputation.
Higher Revenue
Though mobile app testing services require investment at the initial phase, it can help the mobile application development company to avoid unnecessary expenses on fixing or rebuilding the product. Besides, the QA process even helps to reduce time to market and generate better revenue.
Reduced Testing Time
Manual testing needs a lot of skills and resources. However, mobile app automation testing helps run tests in a shorter period while adding to the accuracy and efficiency of the test process.
Less Development Expense
Automated mobile app testing helps testers to reduce the price of developing an application reducing the financial burden of development. Since a defective application could damage the reputation of a brand, testing an application from the very beginning of the development lifecycle could save you from bad user reviews.
Rapid Deployment
Last but not least, automated mobile app testing that is backed up through agile testing methodologies helps testers to enjoy rapid deployment. Automation also helps to shorten the development lifecycle.
All in all, mobile application testing brings you all the business objectives that you wish to accomplish with a product.
Whether it is meeting the requirements related to functionality or targeting a specific user base, mobile app testing helps you to cut off the expenses related to deployment and ensure maximum returns on your efforts to create a perfect application.
