Testing is an essential aspect of mobile app creation, and it requires a significant amount of time and effort to be done adequately. But many app developers don’t pay much attention to it.
Mobile app testing involves testing a mobile app for usability, functionality, and consistency. Testing helps ensure that an app functions properly under changing networks and different load conditions. Also, testing allows developers to apply security measures when programming to validate the mobile app’s resistance to attacks by malware. The developer can create lists of vulnerabilities, develop multiple lines of defense, and run tests from an attacker’s perspective. This will help them understand their app’s weaknesses and possible ways attackers could exploit them.
To adequately secure a mobile app, it is crucial to have a solid strategy early on. One of the ways a developer can ensure this is by using a secure private Docker registry to host and manage Docker images. According to JFrog, a software DevOps platform, ”A private Kubernetes Docker registry can give you fine-grained access control as you securely share packages and images across your organization for provisioning to your k8s cluster.”
In addition, through mobile app testing, developers can explore the logic behind the app and ascertain whether it is intuitive and convenient to follow. The developer can put themselves in their users’ shoes and assess the overall experience with the app. This helps ensure a better user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). As a result, the app owner can establish a strong reputation in their industry, reach a wider audience, and achieve a high level of user loyalty.
Testing is best done before an app is launched. Testing a mobile app early on in the development process helps ensure good quality, reduces cost, and reduces the likelihood of spending much more on emergency repairs after the app is launched.
When a mobile app is not adequately tested before launch, developers could face difficult situations of watching all their hard work go down the drain due to crashes. And users wouldn’t hesitate to leave bad reviews about poorly performing apps that probably cause severe battery drains. Interestingly, all of these can be avoided if the mobile application is adequately tested. This article will show you essential tips for testing a mobile app:
1. Plan the Process
Planning is crucial for every process, including mobile app testing. Before you start testing, list out all the cases you will test and describe the tests you’ll perform and the expected results.
The way you define your mobile app’s test cases would depend on the type of functional or non-functional test you want to run. Examples of functional mobile app tests are integration testing, unit testing, system testing, interface testing, and regression testing. Non-functional mobile app tests include performance, security, usability, compliance, volume, reliability, and stress testing.
Also, decide whether you’ll conduct a manual or automated mobile app test. Manual mobile app testing provides increased test coverage. It is necessary for exploring mobile app use-cases that are not immediately noticeable. However, it can only cover a few OS and device permutations. On the other hand, automated testing can cover more permutations. It is ideal for multiple, time-consuming mobile app tests on various devices and screen dimensions.
2. Pay Attention to Changes During Testing
Some aspects of mobile app testing take place during development. In the process of testing, a developer may need to change some pieces of code. Remember, once you start changing codes, many other things on the mobile app may change as well, such as the graphics, user interface, and functionality.
You’ll need to holistically test your app features to ensure that such changes don’t negatively affect the mobile app’s performance. In such cases, automatic testing may be preferable. It would allow testing to take place on the go and reduce the time spent on testing new features. Manual testing would require you to create test cases for new features.
3. Choose Your Mobile App Testing Tech Provider Carefully
Ensure you select a testing tech provider that can allow you to achieve your testing goals easily. The technology should be able to handle your app testing needs as your product grows and support new OS platforms if you plan to scale up.
If you are outsourcing your mobile app testing, ensure that your testing provider doesn’t rely solely on simulations. They should conduct tests with actual devices on real networks and have a global infrastructure for testing UX scenarios under real-world conditions. This will help ensure that your mobile app functions optimally for your targeted customer base across the globe.
