Testing a mobile application an examination of strategy and tools

Best Mobile Application Testing Strategy And Tools

Mobile phones have taken over the world in a way few technologies and inventions have been able to in the past. The far-reaching repercussions of such a widely accepted adoption can be felt in all fields of life, from education to tourism. As mobile phone usage and internet penetration continue to grow at unprecedented rates, competition amongst developers is also at all-time heights. Hence, quality control and assurance within the mobile application development sector has become vital.

A survey done three years ago showed that over 88% of users have at some point of time abandoned an app because of too many bugs or glitches. So, what can app developers and QA managers do to prevent such a migration? This article will take an in-depth look at the various tools and strategies that help with mobile application testing.

Why do you need to engage in testing a mobile application?

Studies by Gartner showed that as early as 2013, companies were bringing in $26 billion through app revenues. They also predicted a 2.6 times growth in downloads and 2.9-fold increase in revenues in the years to come. Keeping with these figures, global in-app purchases and downloads have sky-rocketed in recent years, thanks to companies taking their business online and onto smartphones.

However, testing has also grown in prominence and importance because without rigorous testing, companies cannot put useful apps onto the market. Even a small bug will make consumers avoid, uninstall and leave bad reviews for your application. All of these will affect your application’s overall impact and adversely affect your brand’s credibility.

Studies show that in 2017, the worldwide failure rate of iOS apps was as high as 54%, with Android apps crashing 10% of the time. However, this trend needs to improve if businesses wish to engage with their customers and better their brand’s visibility and trustworthiness.

Also, since bugs, glitches and bad user interfaces are preventable digital diseases, companies must do everything in their power to ensure maximum usability and robustness. By using simple, efficient and automated mobile application testing tools like Testsigma, companies can avoid embarrassing themselves and prevent app glitches significantly.

What business processes help with testing mobile apps?

1. Test Case Reviews:

Go through cross-team Quality control and assurance test case reviews. Not only will this help speed track the testing process, it will also help make the objectives clearer. Before adopting any new feature, QA specialists must review various test cases associated with the feature. Companies must complete this review process before even finishing the new feature’s wireframe design.

2. User Interface Testing:

Make sure your Product Design, UX and QA teams help in developing your user interface. This helps companies get varied opinions on the subject, helping in the creation of an engaging user-interface. User Interface development and testing is a vital cross-departmental activity that helps organisations create useful and engaging apps. Involving QA specialists in this process can help them ensure the perfect alignment between the design and the code which implements it.

3. OS and Version Support:

Before starting with any design process, ensure the team is aware of what OS and versions your app must support. Run a market analysis to understand what the current OS trends are, and based on user data, decide which versions to support, and which to avoid. Trying to support every version available will only lead to diminishing returns that hurt your company’s profit margins. Once you know which OSs to support, determine the number of form factors to consider, and start development with these in hand.

4. Documented Beta Testing Strategy:

This Mobile Application Testing Strategy makes sure you adopt a well-documented User Acceptance or Beta-testing strategy. This will help prevent ambiguity and confusion regarding what tests to run, and how to use the internal resources available to the team. Additionally, it also enables internal users to try out specific test cases defined by the QA team.

5. Flexible Schedule:

Sometimes analysts have a hard time figuring out all the bugs because they have been staring at the same piece of code for hours. Hence, it is always best to employ a switch-and-bait system of testing, allowing for a new pair of eyes to systematically test the features.

6. Staggered Rollout:

Consider adopting a staggered rollout plan to allow for adequate testing and monitoring. Not only will this make it easier to find and solve bugs, but it will also help boost the overall user experience.

7. Battery-Testing:

Invest in a well-defined battery testing strategy to prevent users from abandoning your app due to its power consumption issues. Battery life consumption has come up time and time again as the most critical factor users consider while deciding on whether to keep an app or not.

Learn More: Why and When should a business invest in mobile automation testing

Mobile Application Testing Strategy Types:

“Owners will interact with their smartphones over sixty-five times a day by 2023”, predicts Deloitte making it abundantly clear how important mobile applications have become. Hence, mobile app developers face tremendous pressure to ensure their products fulfil consumer expectations. Here are a few routine testing methodologies used by QA specialists to ensure optimum performance.

1. Battery life testing to ensure optimum power consumption.

2. Regression testing on all new features to prevent harmful and unintended ripple effects.

3. Automated testing which enables the automatic loading and testing of use cases for new features.

4. External factors testing to ensure your app responds correctly whenever there is a network issue or connectivity problem. These tests help developers check how the application will respond to adverse conditions such as network issues and connectivity problems.

5. Performance testing to ascertain the efficiency of the application

6. Security testing to promote company goodwill and customer trust.

7. Load testing to prevent app crashes during high-traffic situations

8. Stress testing to identify the breaking point of the application and define its upper limits with regards to load and data

Why Opt for Automated Mobile Application Testing

1. Traditional manual QA cycles might take as long as eight weeks, leading to slower turnaround times.

2. Higher demand leads to companies having to release applications within shorter periods.

3. More cost-effective approach when compared to manual testing as it removes other additional expenses.

4. Helps companies improve their brand image, better consumer satisfaction and expectation.

5. Provides developers with a competitive advantage by helping them create better apps more efficiently.

6. Unlike automated testing which goes through several test cases, manual testing no longer ensures 100% efficiency

7. Automation allows the integration of highly complex test cases leading to effective testing

8. Helps improve overall employee morale and productivity by reducing repetitive testing tasks

9. Enables developers to discover bugs early in the cycle leading to faster error correction and improvement

Also Check: The steps you should not miss while doing mobile testing

Formulating the right Automated Mobile Application Testing Strategy 

1. Choose the best automation tool by comparing key parameters, checking their specifications and analysing which one will best suit your needs. Here’s a quick look at the various benefits that Testsigma’s tool provides compared to others to give users some perspective on the matter.

2. Create test cases and provide concise details regarding the data needed and the expected test results. Choose what type of tests you want, and set the key parameters, including coverage area, traffic, and device configurations.

3. Next, conduct the actual tests on the necessary devices and simulators to see how your app responds.

Check out: Challenges of Mobile Application Testing with solutions

How Testsigma Can Help

As you can see, Test Automation helps in reducing overall costs and improving the efficiency of your testing life cycle. Partnering with the right service provider, such as TestSigma can help companies get to market faster. These service providers also enable companies to test more efficiently and create bug-free apps that consumers love. Testsigma offers mobile app testing tools that enable companies to test their products without coding experience. 

Signup for free and get your mobile testing automated from today.

Our testing solution can help you jump-start your testing cycle and accelerate your development with ease. The experts at TestSigma would love to hear more about your current application or project. So, what are you waiting for? Deliver the best, most efficient and complete uninterrupted mobile app experience to your customers with us by your side!


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