The demand for mobile applications is at an all-time high, and every Android app development company is striving to get its brand to the front row of the industry. On the Android App Store alone, there are over 4million mobile apps, and more are added almost on a daily basis. There has never been a better time to invest in app development.
However, the fact that you have built and launched your mobile app is not a guarantee that you would be smiling to the bank anytime soon. If your app is not “good enough” it will be deleted in a matter of seconds. And there goes all your hard work, time and money. The sad thing is that users barely re-install an app after deleting it.
Is there a way to ascertain that your app is functional in all ramifications? Of course, there is. It is called ‘Quality Assurance (QA) test.' The possibility of building a perfect app the first time is very slim: there will always be a few bugs here and there. For this reason, Android app developers and other experts put their apps through different types of tests to ascertain the quality of the app.
Here are the different kinds of tests your app should undergo to make sure the end-user loves it:
Functional Testing
Every app is expected to undergo a basic functional behavior test to ensure that it is working according to defined requirements. In addition to finding out whether a user can complete a task, functional testing is an attempt to know whether or not a particular feature is working.
The user interface and flow of the app are mostly considered when carrying out this test. For example, if someone who wants to buy shoes on your e-commerce app has a hard time moving to the next slide, the previous one or even exiting the app, it is obvious that it has failed the functionality test.
The diversity of mobile devices and Operating Systems make functional testing a complex, expensive, time-consuming and a strenuous activity, especially if it is manually done.
This is why more organizations opt for automated functional testing tools like Appium, MonkeyTalk, IBM rational test Workbench.
For even better results, some organizations combine both automated and manual testing methods.
Performance Testing
As the name implies, this test is carried out to check the client application performance, server performance and network performance of your mobile application.
The test attempts to find out how adding one more feature to an app would affect its overall performance. The focus is on the speed, battery performance and responsiveness of the app with the addition of new features.
Performance testing tools like IBM Rational Performance Tester and many others will help you to identify the bottlenecks associated with the performance of the app; low battery power, poor network, bandwidth issues, changing internet connection mode, broadband connection, less memory, etc.
The test should cover front and back-end performance of the app especially if the application is a hybrid mobile application.
A client-focused performance test is for user experience optimization (app responsiveness to UI)). Application’s server can also affect the performance of the mobile application, so testers should consider both sides of the application.
Memory Testing
Memory leakage is responsible for slowing down the process of transferring files. It can also cause mobile devices to switch off while trying to alternate between apps automatically. Because mobile devices have very limited memory, mobile operating systems by default stop apps with poor UX and excessive memory. It is very important for Android app developers to carry out memory testing on apps to ensure that they optimize memory usage and prevent memory leakage.
Interrupt Testing
A lot of things could happen while using a mobile app; you could get an email or an SMS, see an incoming call, get a Facebook notification and you could even need to connect the charger to a power source, remove or insert the battery, etc. Mobile applications are supposed to handle these and every other interruption properly without affecting the functionality of the app. Apps typically stop and restart afterward. Thus, Android app developers conduct an Interrupt Test for their apps just to be sure they meet the standard. Testers use emulators and actual devices for the tests.
Usability Testing
A usability test focuses on how useful, flexible and User-friendly a mobile app is.
Testers are concerned about two key areas (Efficiency and Satisfaction)
First of all, they consider ‘App Efficiency.' Testers want to ensure that the app accurately and completely meets the specific needs of the end-user.
Satisfaction is the second consideration: The user accepts the app in its entirety and derives maximum satisfaction and pleasure from using it.
Some mobile app development companies make the mistake of waiting until the application is completed before carrying out usability test.
The end-users have a major role to play in usability testing, the results may completely alter the app design, and changing the design later may be a futile effort. The best time to carry out the test is at the beginning stage of the mobile app design.
Installation Testing
All mobile devices come with two kinds of applications. The first type of apps are system apps in the device’s Operating System and the second type are those that the user downloads and installs from the app store. Mobile app developers and testers conduct installation checks to ensure that their apps can be installed, uninstalled and updated as many times as possible without hitches.
Operational testing:
Operating systems have built-in functions that make it possible for Smart Phone users to back up and recover their lost data, files or documents on mobile apps. Mobile app developers conduct operational testing to confirm that the backup and recovery process is working according to specification.
Load Testing
Every mobile app or web page has a limited number of people it can accommodate at the same time without slowing down, or crashing. The figure is determined by the server. They begin to malfunction when they exceed the server limit. Load testing is very important, especially for popular websites and apps because it shows the breaking point of a mobile app or web page. App developers carry-out load testing to know the number of users that an app can conveniently accommodate. With this information, app developers may choose to upgrade their server and other features of the app to attract more users.
Conclusion
Conducting the various types of testing on your mobile app can be very expensive and time-consuming. However, since the benefit outweighs the cost, in the long run, app testing is definitely a step in the right direction.
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