Mobile app testing: history, today and tomorrow
Introduction
The excitement in mobile app development would fade if it weren’t backed by proper and comprehensive testing procedures. Application development and testing go hand in hand. As the saying goes “To err is human!”, and since the creators of these applications are also human, it is necessary to test the applications.
Therefore, even an expert app developer needs an equally competent tester to test their apps. In Europe, the European Union Commission requires that developed applications be tested before they are made public.
What is mobile app testing?
For would-be geeks, mobile app testing is the process of testing an app developed exclusively for a handheld device and running on a particular operating system. Testing is done to determine if the app’s features work properly, are easy to use, and are durable. The tests are carried out at different times and conditions before the application is certified as worthy of use.
History of mobile app testing
Like any other process, mobile app testing also underwent changes to keep up with the latest in app development. The next couple of paragraphs testify to how far testing has adapted to the rapid changes in the mobility space.
Hardware-based testing (for first-generation mobile applications): Various components and interconnect cables were used to test mobile applications, primarily through remote access. Most of the time, a hardware interface called a screenshot was used to interact with the application being tested. Such techniques later became exhausted due to their indifferent performance against later applications that were richly designed.
Software-based testing (for second-generation mobile apps): In this method, designed especially for richly designed apps, software is used to access the object in the app and its attributes that make the app perform the tasks. Because it takes advantage of the object class directory, this technique produces few incorrect results compared to the hardware test method.
Challenges in mobile app testing
Unlike PCs, the mobile market has to deal with a diversity of options while testing the application and these present the biggest challenges.
The problem could be compounded for companies where different mobile infrastructures run on multiple operating systems, nullifying any integration efforts. The development of applications such as mobile retail, mobile banking, mobile health, etc. presents challenges in terms of scale, integration, implementation, and maintenance touch points for business operations. A mobile app development company must take these factors into account when developing apps for such business customers.
Most of these challenges can be categorized into the following list:
- Various Operating Systems (OS): Operating systems like Android, iOS, Windows, Bada, Blackberry, BREW, etc. they pose a challenge for testing that sometimes requires adjustments in testing techniques.
- A mind-boggling number of phones: Like grains of sand, the staggering number of mobile phones available on the market has ensured that testing apps on at least some, if not all, of them is a stifling exercise. Screen size, resolution, search/input methods, processor, etc. determine how an application works. These parameters should also be taken into account when testing apps on mobile.
Along with different operating systems, these two factors pose the biggest challenge for testing apps on mobile devices.
- Communication technology: mobile communication is mainly carried out through the Group Speciale Mobile (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) standards. These standards impose their nature on the physiology of the applications and their operation, thus naming themselves as test factors.
- Network service providers: There are many mobile network service providers on communication standards. The flow of information in the applications depends on the type of service provided on top of the standard.
- Scripts: Different mobile devices and different operating systems pose a challenge in that scripts need to be customized in terms of command input methods, keystrokes, navigation structure, etc.
Different ways to test apps
A one-size-fits-all test obviously doesn’t work in application tests. Instead, different approaches are required to test apps on mobile devices that vary in size and features. On a broader level, the following types of tests can be performed:
- Performance tests: The behavior of the application is determined under various conditions, such as network coverage, battery status, memory status, access to the server hosting the application and its load capacity. Most of the time, the worst case or the highest stress point is applied for the test, for example, the application performance is tested when the mobile battery is low.
- Lab tests: This test is often performed by network providers on applications that use the network’s voice and data services.
- Functional Testing: Functions that the app claims to perform are thoroughly tested.
- Usability Testing – This type of testing determines whether the app is easy to navigate and performs all required functions without hesitation or lag. This is an important test since the success of the application depends on how users perceive it.
There are other tests like memory leak test, installation test, certification tests that also need to be completed before the application is worthy of being used on a large scale.
directs
As mentioned earlier in this article, mobile app testing goes hand in hand with mobile app development. Application developed specifically for enterprise mobility must undergo mandatory testing. So, whether one is into Android app development, Windows Phone app development, iPhone app development or any other mobile app development platform, you need to test your apps. This also applies to independent app developers. Therefore, they ask for the help of other developers in their community to test their applications.