Features of testing mobile applications

Technologies are rapidly developing, so in the modern market there are more and more various software products for gadgets that must work correctly and consistently perform their functions.

To ensure quality and identify errors, QA engineers conduct mandatory testing of mobile applications. The functional and non-functional capabilities of the system, usability, security level, performance and power consumption are subject to verification.

At the initial stage, the planning of the process takes place, in which the entire QA team takes part. The requirements and tasks of the application are considered, tests are selected, taking into account the specifics of the project, and so on.

The mandatory quality assessment criteria include the correct display of all interface elements, fields and forms, the correct performance of functions, as well as the security of data and personal information of users.

In order to simplify and speed up the testing process, the application is first tested on an emulator (a program that simulates the behavior of a gadget), and the final debugging takes place on real devices.

There are several types of verification that are widely used by testers:

Functional testing
The main task of testing is to check the functionality of the software product, which must comply with its specification. Special attention is paid to correct application installation, registration, login, updates and error messages.

To improve efficiency, QA specialists often combine manual and automated testing.

The elements of the interface, the logic of transitions across screens, use cases, fields and forms, power consumption, interrupts and consumption of device resources are subject to verification. If the functionality includes transactions, the application must also support payment systems (MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, etc.).

Usability testing
After completing functional testing, the usability of the product is verified. The structure of the application is assessed, whether it provides a positive user experience, whether it functions correctly on different devices.

In particular, the following are subject to verification:

passability of user scripts;

• clarity of navigation;
• completeness and availability of content;
• compliance with key performance indicators.

User interface testing

The quality of the final product largely depends on the correctness of the interface, so all its elements are carefully checked: toolbar, menus, images, dialog boxes, buttons, widgets, input fields, etc.

The task of testing is to make sure that all components of the system function and interact without errors.

• Compatibility testing

The application must be universal, flexible and work correctly on any devices with different parameters and versions of the operating system, as well as display correctly at startup.

To this end, the QA team uses emulators and gadgets to identify and fix common problems, errors and defects in a software product.

• Performance and speed testing

Rational use of device resources is one of the key indicators of the effective operation of an application. Also, during testing, the response speed, maximum load that the product can withstand, battery consumption and stability are subject to verification. The potential for further scaling is assessed, and lags (latency) are identified and minimized, which form the overall response time of the application.

In order to reduce time, increase testing efficiency and at the same time save resources, experts use automation tools. They allow you to find problems faster, work on multiple devices in parallel, and reduce development costs. For example, the UIAutomator framework, which analyzes the application from the perspective of an external user, or TestComplete, a platform for creating test cases, as well as automatically detecting and registering errors.

The quality of the application, the level of its readiness for release and customer satisfaction directly depend on how well the QA specialists perform their work.

The checklist for testing any mobile application includes the following items:

• Collecting requirements, systematizing, establishing relationships and documenting.
• Checking whether the functionality is consistent with the goals and the correctness of the operation of all functions of the product.
• Evaluation of the interface structure that provides a convenient interaction with the product.
• The speed of loading and operation of the application, the time it takes to surf the menu.

• The ability to make purchases (In-App Purchase).
• Determine the peak loads that the application can withstand.
• Compatible with any device and operating system.
• Checking bugs that were identified at previous stages in the product and new features.
• Testing of communication conditions, screen orientation, charge, Internet access and GPS, background, background, etc.
• Checking the localization of the software product.

Our company offers services of professional development and testing of software products for business. Experts conduct a full review of the software to determine whether it meets the customer’s requirements and the needs of the target audience.

The AVADA MEDIA team uses only proven tools and methods for testing mobile applications, which allow solving problems of any complexity as efficiently and quickly as possible.

We select an individual approach for each client when working on his project and direct all efforts to develop a high-quality full-featured product.