5 Top Sins to Avoid in Mobile Testing

Nowadays, the user experience delivered by a mobile app determines its popularity and profitability. While testing a mobile app, the testers need to identify and eliminate all bugs that affect the application’s user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). But testers have to identify and eliminate all defects in a mobile app within a shorter amount of time. That is why; it becomes essential for QA professionals to avoid a number of common but critical mobile app testing mistakes.

5 Mobile App Testing Mistakes Each Tester Must Avoid

1) Not Focusing on Mobile Experience

Many reports have highlighted that most users download mobile apps based on their looks rather than functionality. So the testers must focus on testing the app’s user interface (UI) thoroughly and repeatedly. It is also important for testers to allocate more testing time to UI than other functionality. They must evaluate the UI thoroughly to ensure that the mobile app looks plain and simple, while allowing users to find information or perform an action in a quicker and more convenient way. They can even check if the UI design can save users’ time by providing special features like one-click facility, automatic spelling checks, and infinite scrolling.

2) Ignoring Factors Affecting Cross Browser Compatibility

Each mobile app must deliver quality experience across many devices and browsers to keep the users engaged. But testers often fail to identify the factors that affect the cross browser compatibility of the application. While testing a mobile website, the professionals must try to find out the reason behind such UX bugs. Often the cross browser compatibility of a mobile app is affected due to use of specific scripting language, or add-ons or plug-ins. Likewise, the document object model (DOM) of the application may prevent it from performing seamlessly across many browsers. The testers can always use specialized tool to assess the app’s cross-browser compatibility more efficiently. 

3) Not Assessing Quality of Links

The quality of links will have a huge impact on the user experience of mobile web apps. But testers often forget to assess the quality of links while testing a mobile website. They must remember that there are a number of factors that can make a hyperlink outdated or broken. For instance, changes made to the website’s structure or external resources, any document or old web pages removed from the site, or any changes made to a URL can cause broken links. So the testers must identify the broken or outdated links, and report them along with the root cause. They can even consider using a variety of tools to identify the broken or outdated links more efficiently.

4) Inadequate Usability Testing

Nowadays, each app must deliver richer user experience to become profitable in the longer run. But often testers fail to perform adequate usability testing due to constraints related to time and resources. The inadequate usability testing can have a huge impact on the application’s user experience, hence its popularity and profitability. That is why; the mobile app testing strategy must focus extensively on usability testing. The testers can further use a variety of tools to identify and eliminate the bugs affecting the application’s user experience. Likewise, they must help developers to fix the UX bugs effectively by providing detailed and specific information about the defects.

5) Not Mixing Real Devices and Emulators Properly

The emulators make it easier for testers to assess the mobile app’s functionality and performance across a variety of devices without investing in many real devices. But the emulators cannot provide adequate information about how the app performs on a specific device or a particular carrier network. So the testers still need real devices to gather more relevant information about the application’s quality, performance and user experience. However, it is always important for the testers to maintain a proper balance between real devices and emulators in the testing environment. They can always consider combining the emulators with a load testing tool to assess how the application performs under various loads.

The testers must remember that various mobile apps cannot be tested by implementing a single testing strategy. It is always important for them to make and implement custom test plans according to the type, usage and functionality of the mobile app. The custom mobile app testing strategy will help them to avoid a number of fatal mistakes.

Transforming the Way Testing is done via Automation Testing

Software testing is probably the most important part of the success of a particular software. As the main aim of the software developer is to gain more people to accept the developed software, hence this makes software testing the most important phase in the software development life cycle.

As and when this realization doomed on the software developers, they have been investing in the development of the software testing procedures which has slowly and steadily given way to automated testing procedures that have transformed the way testing is done.

1.     Transformation in Accuracy: “To err is human” and the case holds for software testing too. When a person is performing the same test again and again for a prolonged period of time, the activity becomes monotonous and it increases the chances of error to occur. However, in case of automation testing chances of error is reduced to a minimal even in prolonged or repetitive tests as it is performed by machines with the same accuracy.
2.     Transformation in Test Coverage: Factors like memory contents, data tables, file contents, and internal program are not tested during manual testing procedure. However, in automation testing, these factors are taken into consideration to provide you with a detailed result on whether the software is performing as desired or not. Another transformation in test coverage is brought about by automation testing by the fact that the machines are capable of performing prolonged tests which are usually skipped when done in the manual mode as time plays a crucial factor.
3.     Automation Does What Manual Testing Cannot: It is pretty difficult to get hold of thousands of users to check how the software will perform when it is being used by all at one go, when you are manually performing controlled web application test. However, this is easily achievable in automation testing process. Machines can easily create virtual situations where hundreds or even thousands of users will be using the software under consideration at the same time, thus providing an idea of its functionality in such condition.
4.     Automated QA Testing Helps Developers and Testers: Automation testing transforms the testing procedure on a whole by providing the testers and developers time to concentrate on more vital issues. Automation testing helps in performing tests on multiple machines at the same time thus relieving the testers and developers with time to resolve more complicated issues thus evolving the testing processes on a whole.
5.    Transformation in Team Morale: Automation testing takes care of all the prolonged and monotonous software testing processes. This provides the testing team with time as well as energy to take care of more vital issues or on further development of the software which will allow them to provide the customers with a even better software which will be superior in both design, work ability and ease of using. This in turn will ensure success of the product and increased profit for the organization on a whole.

It is quite obvious that automation testing has brought about a huge transformation in the testing process over the years. It has been capable of replacing a large part of manual testing. However, it can’t completely replace manual testing as the planning and development is still done by human who are the master mind behind the automation testing procedure at large. Automation testing has enhanced the accuracy as well as the depth of software testing on the whole and is steadily developing to become even better day by day. It has helped in developing better software which is widely acceptable.

The Need of Automation in Agile Testing

The agile project management methodology emphasizes on continuous collaboration between various stakeholders throughout the software development process. Further, the methodology does not consider software development and testing as two distinct processes. So the testers have to collaborate with programmers, managers and customers to ensure that the software meets the specifications and requirements of the client. They also have to test essential components continuously throughout the development process. The enterprises can always automate the software testing efforts in an agile environment to make the testers more productive, get faster test results, and deliver quality software.

Why Test Automation is Essential in an Agile Environment?

Need to Perform a Variety of Tests

In an agile environment, all aspects of the software are tested. So the QA professionals have to perform a variety of tests to deliver a quality application. Often testers have to perform unit, functional, performance, regression, integration, acceptance, and load testing in agile environment. Also, they need to repeat certain tests during each sprint to assess quality accurately. The test automation tools   make it easier for tester to perform and repeat a variety of tests without putting any extra time and effort.

Continuous Regression Testing

As noted earlier, programmers and testers have to continuously collaborate with the customer and other stakeholders in an agile environment. So they receive feedback from the client throughout the development process. Also, the developers need to add new functionality to the software or make changes to the system according to the feedback received from the client. Each time changes are made to the system, the QA professionals need to perform regression testing to ensure that the performance and functionality of the application remain intact. The test automation tools make it easier for testers to perform regression testing regularly without putting any extra time and effort. 

Frequent Changes to the Code

Based on the feedback received from the client, the programmers frequently make changes to the code in an agile development environment. The changes made to the code can have a huge impact on the software’s functionality and performance. So each time the code changes, the QA professionals have to repeat a series of tests. They cannot repeat a number of tests quickly without using any tools. The tools enable them to repeat all tests quickly by executing the test scripts. They can further reuse the same test scripts to perform the tests on a regular basis.

Deliver Fast and Reliable Test Results

In an agile environment, software testing efforts aim to deliver faster and more accurate test result. The quick and quality test results help various stakeholders to take critical decisions. The test automation tools help users to avoid rework and shorter feedback cycles. Thus, it becomes easier for testers to provide reliable test results to managers and customers without requiring any additional time. The tools further help users to organize and structure the test results to make them simple and easy to understand.

Simplify Agile Environment Management

Often organizations find it challenging to create and maintain an agile development environment. But the new generation test automation tools have made it easier for businesses to manage agile environment. The tools enable testers to create test scripts that are reusable and maintainable. The businesses can maintain the test scripts without investing in any additional resources. Further,   they can use the environment to deliver high quality software applications in future. 

Get Higher ROI in Automation

Many organizations opt for manual testing to avoid inflated project overheads. But a business can get higher ROI by automating its testing efforts in an agile environment. In an agile environment, both coding and testing occur simultaneously. So the software’s time to market is reduced drastically. At the same time, the reduced feedback cycles make it easier for manager to take crucial decisions about promoting and launching the software. Also, the enhanced quality of the product contributes towards boosting its popularity and profitability. 

On the whole, a business can reap benefits in terms of time and quality through agile testing automation. But it cannot automate all its manual testing efforts. So it is always important for the business to identify the repetitive tests that must be automated. At the same time, the exploratory testing cases and one-time tests need to be executed manually.

Xamarin Test Cloud and Its Importance to Mobile Testing

As a cross-platform mobile application development platform, Xamarin makes it easier developers to build native apps for iOS, Android and Windows using a single code base written in C#. But the developers still have to put additional time and effort to ensure that the application runs flawlessly on a wide variety of devices. They need to perform elaborate user interface (UI) acceptance testing to assess the app’s usage and user interaction effectively.

As a cloud-based service, Xamarin Test Cloud is designed to help businesses to automate the UI acceptance testing effort. It enables testers to assess the application’s look, feel, functionality and performance across a wide variety of devices without putting any extra time and effort. There are also a number of reasons why many enterprises nowadays opt for Xamarin Test Cloud.

Why Use Xamarin Test Cloud for UI Acceptance Testing of Mobile Apps?

Choose from Two Frameworks

Xamarin Test Cloud allows testers to write automated UI tests using either Xamarin.UITest or Calabash. Each framework runs smoothly on the application’s user interface, and tests its behavior accurately. The experienced QA professionals can use Xamarin.UITest to write tests in C#, while taking advantage of a popular testing library like NUnit. Likewise, the testers can use Calabash to write tests based on behavior-driven development methodology. Calabash enables them to write tests in Ruby, while taking advantage of Cucumber.  They can simply follow the grammatical rules imposed by Cucumber to develop test scripts in the language of businesses.

Test Mobile Applications on 1000+ Devices

Nowadays, each mobile app must deliver quality experience across a wide variety of devices to become popular and profitable. That is why, testers need to perform UI acceptance testing of applications across different models of smartphones, tablets and phablets. Xamarin Test Cloud enables testers to test the code on more than 1000 device. They can simply write the test scripts once, and run the same scripts to against various devices and emulators locally. Likewise, they can simply press a button to run the same tests across a variety of devices on the cloud. So businesses can use Xamarin Test Cloud to assess their mobile applications across a large percentage of mobile devices available in the market. 

Assess Various Aspects of a Mobile App

To test a mobile app effectively, the testers must focus on many factors. For instance, they must keep in mind the various ways to interact and use the mobile device. Likewise, they also need to need to assess the application’s functionality and performance in various environments. In addition to automating UI acceptance testing, Xamarin Test Cloud also helps users to assess the application thoroughly. The users can avail the cloud-based service to test the application under a variety of network conditions including 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi and no network. Also, they can assess the mobile application’s functionality accurately by simulating common user behaviors like rotating the device, tapping and swiping the screen, pressing any button, switching network connection, changing GPS location, and accessing hardware like camera.

Work with Popular Continuous Integration Tools

Often QA professionals have to test a mobile app repeatedly and frequently to identify and eliminate all defects. Xamarin Test Cloud allows users to create individual tests and functionality locally, and then submit the application or tests to the cloud through a command prompt. The testers have option to submit the tests to Xamarin Test Cloud either manually or though continuous integration (CI) tools. They also have option to work with some of the commonly used CI tools like TeamCity, Jenkins and Team Foundation Server. The CI tools make it easier for QA professionals to test the mobile app at frequent intervals and during different phases of development. 

Generate Detailed Reports

Various stakeholders in the project need detailed and accurate test results to take crucial decisions related to the mobile application’s release and promotion. So the testers have to present the test results in a detailed yet easy-to-understand format. Xamarin Test Cloud makes it easier for users to generate detailed test reports. The testers have option to generate reports for individual tests. Also, they can enhance the quality of reports by including high-resolution screenshots. Along with device logs, stack traces and similar debugging information, the test reports also provide useful results based on test duration, memory consumption, CPU access and similar performance data.  

However, it is also important for users to understand some of the major limitations of Xamarin Test Cloud. The cloud-based service does not allow testers to run different sets of tests simultaneously. So they have to queue up various sets of tests sequentially. Likewise, Xamarin Test Cloud cannot be used effectively to test certain hardware features like NFC technology and Bluetooth Pairing. But the enterprises can still use Xamarin Test Cloud to automate the UI acceptance testing process effectively

Best Practices to Follow while Performing Mobile Testing

Mobile testing of apps might not be an easy process to be performed. However, following certain rules helps in easing of the process and allows you to get better results from the whole testing process.

1.      Testing Strategies: Planning and creating a testing strategy helps in maintaining a rule for all the testers in your organization. This will ensure uniformity of the testing procedure which in turn will make sure that there is optimum test coverage of the device being tested.
2.     Test on Real Devices: In the early stages of development, mobile testing of the application may be performed with the help of the simulators and emulators. But with the advancement of the development of the software testing needs to be done on real devices to check the reaction of the software in real time and in the hands of the real users who will actually be using the app after it has been launched.
3.     Test Early & Repeatedly: If you are trying to create an app which is completely bug free, then you will have to start testing the app at an early stage of development when the complexities are low. You will also have to keep testing the app repeatedly in order to prevent accumulations of complexities in the app.
4.    Operating System and Device Preferences: The current world has a huge number of mobile devices which run on various operating systems. It is impossible to test the app on various types of operating systems. However, you may try to set the preference of devices and operating system to which your app will be primarily catering to.
5.     Automated Mobile Testing Procedure: When you make the testing procedure an automated one, you ensure that the same test is running with the same accuracy and precision every time which in turn will maintain the fine quality of result obtained as a result of all the mobile testing. This will make sure that you get to work with a reliable report every time.
6.     Adequate Performance, Stress and Security Testing: If you want to be sure about the robustness of your software then you must put them under considerable amount of performance and stress testing so as to make sure that the system is working fine under various amounts of load. Security testing on the other hand will ensure that the customer’s data is safe and should be performed repeatedly.
7.     Check Battery Consumption, Fault Tolerance and Interoperability: You are creating an app for a mobile device where the battery consumption is a vital issue. If the app you have created consumes a lot of battery, it is likely to get deleted as no one wants their battery to get drained fast. Your app also needs to adjust itself to networks with slower internet speed and provide the same kind of function.
8.    Ensure the Global Nature of App: While mobile testing an app, one of the main things which needs to get tested is the globality of your app. Your app should cater the needs of the people all around the world in order to become truly popular to the mass of the customers. Confining your app to a certain locality is basically wastage of time and money.

These are just some of the practices which you can follow to ensure that your mobile testing procedure is a full proof one and will provide you with the best possible results that will help you to rectify the glitches and produce an app which will be accolade by the customers.

Traits for an excellent mobile tester

Mobile application testing is tedious and costly, yet important to ensure that your buyers have a positive ordeal when they utilize your versatile applications. It is basic that you verify that the experience is an incredible one for each buyer each time they utilize your application, beginning with the first run through.

In the event that you neglect to benefit a vocation application testing, this will bring about your client doing it for you—and not at all like you're trying group, your clients don't have the instruments or an ideal opportunity to report back issues. Likewise, remember that your clients would prefer not to be dealt with like guinea pigs. When they discover a defect, you'll never hear a word from them and they absolutely won't return.

Prioritizing work

Programming Analyzer accidentally turns out to be great time chief as the first thing he needs to comprehend is a priority. More often than not, you are given a module to test and timeline which is constantly tight and you have to give yield. These standard difficulties make you see how to organize the things.

Generation of ideas

Almost in every other blog post, you’ll find that programming testing speaks the true thoughts. When you can create quantities of thoughts to test the item, you emerge of group as more often than not individuals feel vanity subsequent to composing customary useful and execution experiments.

Question your ideas

·         To understand requirement

·         To understand changes done

·         To understand how requirement has been implemented

·         To understand how the bug fixed

·         To understand bug fix effects

Analyzing the data

Being an analyzer, you are not only expected to do testing but is also required to comprehend the information gathered from testing and need to investigate them for specific conduct of use or item.  There is no bug that is non-reproducible. In the event that it happened once that implies it's going to pop out for the second time. Yet, to connect with the underlying driver, you have to investigate the test environment, the test information, and the intrusions.

Offer flexibility

The developer is not just restricted to testing a software or reporting a bug. After the bug is found, he needs to access the bugs and reproduce it. Because only when you know how to reproduce it, will you know about the track of bug and the reasons following it.

Also tight timelines for software testing makes many testers ignorant for quality. The right approach should be proper planning and an extra effort to cover whatever is required. It’s pretty essential that flexibility is exercised.

There are various other traits which are essential for an excellent mobile app. These are basis on which you should categorize your project.

-          The work is correlated

-          Regular reporting

-          Bug fixing

-          Performance

-          Network

-          Security

-          Connection

-          Usability

-          Installation and Processing

The aforementioned traits are pretty important for you to consider wile judging a mobile app and its functioning. The tester needs to consider various aspects pre and post testing and thus to make any app a successful one, the ten traits along with the primary traits are needed to be considered vigorous.

Common Myths Striving Around Testing Automation

We as humans are closely related with myths where with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, we start to assume things which we believe are in fact true. Such is the case with Automation testing.

In the age of technology where human physical efforts are being replaced by the mental ones. The process of technological usage has come under scrutiny. As it has enhanced automation.

What is Automation?

Automation is a process whereby the human manual efforts are limited by the introduction & implementation of various technological tools. As the name suggests, Automation focuses on reducing unnecessary human effort which drains them mentally and physically.

But there are various myths that are fitted into the human minds when they initially come across the process of Automation. And thus there exists common myths that strive around Automation testing. Those myths are attached to the mentality of the tester by a vendor. Such as:

§  Automation replaces Manual work: Many testers believe that Automation completely uproots the Manual process. But that’s not true. Automation can work optimally and thus provide better output. But one needs to remember that it was the Manual effort which led to Automation. So in no way can it overtake manual work. The best form of work is where both manual efforts and automated process are blended together.

 §  Automation can be done by anyone: Majority of the vendors pin point their task of convincing the end users to get the product. They make it look so easy that an individual feels that the process of Automation is peanuts. But in reality it isn't. Automation requires strategies, scripting & testing process which cannot be done by anyone.

§  Automation is simply record & Playback: It's amusing how people think that Automation is as easy as recording and playing the recorded effort. But they aren’t aware about the whole process that comes to play in order to get a desired output.

 §  Automation cannot automate every test process: Many people believe that Automation can completely control the output arena, but that’s not true, as somewhere or the other the Manual process is needed.This is as Automation cannot cover that up, no matter how advance the strategy or planning may be.

§  Automation finds more bugs: This is the one most common myth striving in the minds of people. Fed by vendors or assumption they believe that Automation finds more bugs. It’s not Automation that finds bugs, but in turn the Manual tester who designed the actual test case. It’s the test case that finds the bug not the test script.

 §  Automation is one time investment: If you believe that is going to be the case and you jump in. You shall be ready to get frustrated. Because Automation isn’t a one time investment. It isn’t a onetime investment, but it requires timely maintenance to keep it fine. One has to bear the cost which pertains to its quality code.

 §  Automation doesn't need planning: Any process without a proper plan is doomed to be a failure. Automation requires the same. Proper planning with appropriate strategies and selection of tools is essential to keep the ball rolling. If not, the result an individual is expected to get is terrible.

 Conclusion:

Automation undoubtedly is one of the most amazing creations through manual effort. But it cannot over run the Manual work and neither can replace it. Both need to work hand in hand to derive amazing results. Automation isn’t as easy as it seems but once known about is not that hard either.

Proper execution is essential which initially starts off with the rightful selection of tools. If put to effective use it can do a lot of wonders, if not, then you are left to blame yourself. Thus, people need to get over these aforementioned myths that are striving around automated testing and use these myths as an advantage.

Automated testing – The future of software testing

Transformation is the most trending word in today’s time. Almost everything is undergoing transformation the inventions, thoughts behind it as well as the outcome. The methods of testing are efficiently experiencing a shift in curve like the every usual transformation from manual to automatic.

The process of manual testing of products and software are long gone, but not totally erased from the process. On the contrary the automated testing has risen to great prominence in the past decade or two. There are automated processes rising up in every sector. Since modern man is currently shifting towards mental outlook than the physical one.

The automated process is way more effective than the usual manual process. Not only is the test efficient enough, but it is also very less time consuming. It provides maximum output, which is accurate in minimum amount of time, which isn’t possible through manual testing as it is more error prone, since humans are bound to commit mistakes.

The process of automation does not need human intervention, but the planning of the process needs so. Since the process itself is a human creation. There are various reasons due to which automated testing is our future- it is here and here to stay for a long time.

The selection of tools under automation testing is the primary feature of the following as it offers the most effective tool. Every test is conducted with some or the other kind of tool. The test tool is required to be specific; with automated testing it has become pretty easy to define that which test selection tool will be needed to conduct a specific test.

Unlike manual testing, under automation not only is the scope of the testing decided but automation as a whole process is put under assessment. In order to avoid any mishap, various steps are taken to define the goals and scope of automation. This is the very reason why everyone prefers an automated test over a manual one.

Although the manual testing is fading away slowly from the mainstream testing process it acts as a base for the automated testing. The future is all about automated testing, but manual testing needs to be present in somewhere as without it, automation cannot be carried out productively.

Thus, though the process of automation saves us time and money, it is still reliant on manpower. Furthermore, the automated design undergoes various steps such as planning, design and development of a software or product. Now under that, almost each and every aspect is covered. The testers are required to just worry about the overview and not the entire process itself as it becomes the duty of the automated testing.

Finally, after all the deep study of the process and its know-how the test is finally executed. This makes the automated testing the most complete form of testing. Although the organization spends hours on studying the process ultimately they aren’t required to waste their time on energy on the process itself.

The businesses are growing, dynamic these days. It is pretty much impossible for a human mind or an organization to employ so much of workforce to derive output. Thus, automated testing is the future – as with each passing session, the process will only enhance and improve itself.