The mobile app world is expanding at a very rapid rate and penetrating every possible area to obtain the benefit through digital technology. Mobile app technology is evolving every single day and providing more accessible and precise ways to generate significant revenues.
Enterprise apps have already taken over the market; it's mandatory now for an enterprise to acquire a well operational app to compete in the market.
Recent actions from Google and Apple have proven that poor performance, slow and bug embedded applications don't have space even in the app stores. Thus Testing an application is much more needed than ever.
A trusted and thorough testing of an application must be done to ensure the seamless working of all the functionalities and optimal performance. Mobile app testing is more complicated than testing a web application as it's way more functional and needs to be tested on different platforms.
This process is much effort demanding because it not only depends on the platforms; there are other factors also that need to be considered.
10 Stages in The App Testing That Promise a Well Operational App
Here are the different stages of the app development life cycle when it comes to testing:
1. Installation Testing
This process of testing is started when the app is created and ready to be tested. A tester needs to test the app and ensure it is easily installed and uninstalled in the device without any issue.
They also have to ensure that all the data should be removed after uninstalling the app. The shouldn't be crashed during updating it from an older version to new and give seamless flow to the user.
2. OS and On-Device Testing
A tester needs to be sure the application works accurately for the targeted devices along with the respective operating systems. The tester can use the real mobile devices and device test simulators to rectify and check the basic functionalities of the app.
The tester needs to check the app behavior across all the major OS to ensure the seamless working of the application.
3. UI and UX testing
At this stage of testing the tester need to think from the user perspective and judge all the designs and functions. The testing is done to ensure that the application design and interface are instinctive, easy to use and easily accessible.
The process also involves the testing of functions like language translation, icons, drop-down list, home button, and all the functionalities are synchronized with the user actions.
4. Functionality Testing
This stage can be considered as the core process in the testing, here tester test the functionalities of the user. The tester needs to ensure that all the required functions of the app are working as designed. This also involves user interaction, and the application is responding well to the user actions as expected.
Tester also need to check the device is not getting any trouble and able to multi-task while accessing the application. The functionality testing is quite a comprehensive task; the tester can integrate automation testing to carry out this stage efficiently.
5. Interrupt Testing
While using the app user can be interrupted with numerous things like calls, SMS, notification, network error, battery issue, etc. , an app should be able to react well to these situations. To ensure that the app can handle these interruptions well this interrupting testing is done.
The tester needs to ensure that well an interruption occurs like call app goes to temperature suspended mode and reactive instantly after the call ends. This testing process also ensures that the app returns with the exact content and state after interruption without any glitch and crash.
The tester can use monkey tool which is used to create a frequent interruption to test the app at an extreme level.
6. Data Network Testing
An application to serve its functionality to the user relies on network connectivity. This process helps to rectify any data issue and know the bandwidth up to which the app responds well to the user. To bottleneck the app speed with the provided data speed this process is included in the testing process.
This stage also let know the tester that is the application to handle the network transition with ease or not?
7. Hardware Keys Testing
To function an application need to synchronize with different sensors and hardware of the device. Sensors like proximity sensors, Gyroscope sensors, location sensors, ambient light sensors, etc. and in hardware like camera, microphone, display, etc. is required to perform.
The tester needs to test the app with sensors specific and hardware specific environment to extract out the best performance by eliminating any hindrance.
8. Performance Testing
This testing phase is self-explanatory; it involves testing the overall performance of the application. This process includes observing the functions, the response time of the app, memory leak, network coverage support, load conditions, and the behavior while operating. The aim of the testing is making sure that the app is performing optimally as per the requirements of the user and expectation of the developer.
9. Load Test
The tester also needs to test the application performance under high traffic and rigorous loads. The application should not be crash or lost its performance standard in the case of too many users at a time. This testing is done to check the yielding point of the performance of the application in terms of many users and traffic.
10.Security Testing
Security testing is done to make sure all the functionalities and attributes of the application are secured. Collective information is gathered by comprehensive research to understand all possible threats and vulnerability to the application. Tester also makes sure that the application is not breaching or breaking any guidelines given by the specific platform.
Mobile app testing is a complicated and multistage process that needs to be designed first and planned. These aim-oriented plans then implemented with precise actions to obtain the best results. These above ten steps of testing are essential for any application to come out as a perfect product that the targeted industry or people will love.
Frequently Asked Questions
By Sakshi Kaushik
Content Writer (B2B Editorial)
A passionate writer and tech lover, she strives to share her expertise with mobile app developers and fellow tech enthusiasts. During her moments away from the keyboard, she relishes delving into thriller narratives, immersing herself in diverse realms.