Essential Mobile App Testing Stages

Agile methods and CI/CD added a tendency to fast and frequent delivery of a code. The average duration of each sprint is ten days. Engineers have to write test cases for parts of code or particular functions to test them at the end of each sprint.

One of the ways to improve the development process is software testing.

The robust testing strategy facilitates an arduous development process and increases the chances to stand out among thousands of applications in stores. 

The strategy depends on the type, size, and goals of a project.

Some companies choose mobile automation testing to speed up processes and increase performance. Such an approach requires a higher budget and more qualified staff. 

But there are common stages of mobile app testing. They can help developers teams to create usability apps easily.

Let’s consider them. 

Mobile app strategy should begin by determining the scope and main goals of testing. At this stage, teams create documents that contain the main statements and points of the testing process. Proper documentation is key to a robust and streamlined process that increases performance.

First, you should determine which functions and functionality parts of the mobile app you check. It facilitates choosing types and methods of testing. Usually, engineers test at first most frequently used functions(sign up, log in) and most crucial functions for business goals. But every project is unique and requires an individual approach and deep analysis. 

There are some points to pay attention to during the planning mobile app testing strategy:

• interaction with other apps
• compatibility with multiple networks
• compatibility with different platforms
• scope web traffick that app can handle

Documentation fixes test procedures, requirements, who responsible for conducting tests, all test cases, and criteria for passes and failed tests. Through planning helps minimize risks and extra expenses. 

Functional testing ensures that all main app functions and features are workable and give correct responses. The type of app, its business goals, and target audience determine the main functions. If it's a social app, the main functions will be adding photos, sending messages, sharing posts, etc. For booking app, it is searching tickets and places, ordering, safe payment methods.  

Besides core features, there are crucial test cases to consider: 

• app launches and works correctly every time
• fields and buttons respond correctly 
• app behavior when something interrupts its work (turning off, incoming call other issues) 
• users get notifications and alerts about incorrect app work
• after system crashes and errors app can resume at the last operation

Studies show that 79% of users reject to use a mobile app with bad usability and pick an app with a better user experience. Usability testing helps a company to ensure that every user's interactions are smooth and convenient. Usability includes that users can achieve their goals within the app easily and app intuitive for understanding.

Usability testing can be performed in two ways: with usability experts and real users. Experts use deep analysis of an app and their knowledge to find usability issues. Testing with real users can provide insights into how the audience interacts with your app and what challenges they face. To facilitate mobile app testing with real users :

• Set clear, strict, and detailed tasks (book a trip to Miami for two on one week). It helps to measure users' experience effectively. 
• Don't interrupt during interactions. Observe how people reach tasks. It may provide insights. 
• records users action to fix how they deal with tasks

Most common things that can impact usability: 

• buttons size are appropriate for convenient using
• font size and color easy to read on different screens
• last actions in an app restore after closing 
• user can cancel inappropriate or mistaken action 

Every mobile app collects and keeps private and sensitive information about a user. Besides, an insecure mobile app can be a loophole for cyber hackers that intrude into a user's system and hack a smartphone overall.  

Almost all apps refer to servers which vulnerable to the same types of cyberattacks as desktop and web apps. However, mobile apps have better security measures and a smaller attack surface. But there are principal security issues we should pay attention to: 

• Local data storage. Improper usage of APIs system by an app can cause data breaches and other security issues. For example, failures in local data storage can transfer private users' data to other apps on a device. 
• Insecure networks. Smartphones connect with various networks regularly. It increases the risks to be hacked. Companies should ensure that their systems are protected and control what information they share with remote service endpoints.
• Authorizations issues. Usually, the authorization process is associated with endpoints but there are security risks related to the mobile app side. Some authorization frameworks (such as OAuth2) transfer the authentication process to a side provider. It can lead to transferring the logic of a user's authentication to other apps.