The mobile technology has been growing by leaps and bounds. The hardware configurations too have improved phenomenally over the last decade or so, In fact it’s the software that actually unleashes the real attribute of these devices. As a matter of fact what really drives the incredible success of smartphones and tablets is the application market which is projected to grow further in the years to come.
A giant leap of this sort invariably poses loads of challenges to developers, as they always have a sense of urgency to produce mobile apps quickly and efficiently for the diverse market segment. Mobile testing teams are always on the toes as they venture to test mobile apps properly before they are out in the market. Mobile market testing has always been a challenge.
The four key challenges of mobile testing are listed below for your reference. These are the major roadblocks that one needs to overcome if you wish your testing plan to succeed.
Fragmentation – Mobile apps are meant to be able to run on a wider variety of different device combinations and subsequently on different OS versions. The number of possible permutations and combinations is daunting.
Usability challenges – The way we interact and use touchscreens is still evolving and a smart user interface design is crucial if you intent to create an app that users can pick up and use intuitively. The solution for the same lies in looking beyond the functional aspects of the application and consider usability.
Network challenges – The performance of the service provider or carrier network will have a tremendous impact on the user’s experience with a mobile app. This is another challenge beyond the hardware and software that, notwithstanding, must be taken into consideration for testing scenarios. What is the impact of low signal strength, 3G or 4G networks, and different Wi-Fi speeds? What are the consequences when the network drops and you switch to Wi-Fi or vice versa? How does the app operate offline? Are there constraints with particular chipsets, or is memory being impacted in unexpected ways?
Tools – As mobile testing is still in its nascent stages the tools at your disposal are very limited when compared to traditional software testing which has hundreds of thousands of tools available in the market.
The four key challenges of mobile testing are listed below for your reference. These are the major roadblocks that one needs to overcome if you wish your testing plan to succeed.
Fragmentation – Mobile apps are meant to be able to run on a wider variety of different device combinations and subsequently on different OS versions. The number of possible permutations and combinations is daunting.
Usability challenges – The way we interact and use touchscreens is still evolving and a smart user interface design is crucial if you intent to create an app that users can pick up and use intuitively. The solution for the same lies in looking beyond the functional aspects of the application and consider usability.
Network challenges – The performance of the service provider or carrier network will have a tremendous impact on the user’s experience with a mobile app. This is another challenge beyond the hardware and software that, notwithstanding, must be taken into consideration for testing scenarios. What is the impact of low signal strength, 3G or 4G networks, and different Wi-Fi speeds? What are the consequences when the network drops and you switch to Wi-Fi or vice versa? How does the app operate offline? Are there constraints with particular chipsets, or is memory being impacted in unexpected ways?
Tools – As mobile testing is still in its nascent stages the tools at your disposal are very limited when compared to traditional software testing which has hundreds of thousands of tools available in the market.
There’s a lot to ponder over in the planning stage. A successful mobile app testing strategy will include a right blend of varied range of devices for obtaining maximum coverage. It will also include some real devices, emulators, and perhaps few remote access devices delivered through cloud service. Above all consideration of real world conditions should not be overlooked. How different locations and fluctuations in connectivity will impact the app? How the app handles hiatus such as incoming calls, text messages, social media notifications. performance, security and usability. The level of automation which can be achieved acts as a deciding factor in making the project more manageable.
Adopt a solid mobile testing plan
You won’t be creating a holistic mobile testing plan and then just repeat it until the app ships. Business requirements will change during the course of your project and you need to plan it stage by stage. Use emulators to identify bugs and functionality issues. You can subsequently move to real devices, and perhaps remotely accessed devices, later when you begin testing in real-world conditions and considering security and network impact.
However you can validate the quality of the product primarily through functional and usability testing, but be aware of the fact that all new features may be thrown into the mix during development. Everything must be validated before it is released into the live environment. Do not forget to take in to account the compatibility and impact of all the essential upgrades.
Testing in the real-world
It is imperative to emulate the end-users as much as humanly possible which means going way beyond optimal conditions.
You need to think about low-level resource usage and watch out for buffering problems or garbage data generation. Security considerations include data encryption and multi-user support handling. What you have seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg for effective mobile testing. It is humanly not possible to cover all scenarios here, but this will throw some light on what are the vital aspects to be considered, and help you to create a holistic mobile testing plan.
Conclusion:
As a leading Mobile app testing Services Company, we completely understand that there will be challenges aplenty while testing a mobile app, however, success lies in the adoption of right mobile app testing strategy combined with deliverables from a team of passionate testers. We excel at every gamut of mobile app testing and would love to help your business succeed – connect with us today to work with the best Mobile App testing professionals in this arena.
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