Benefits of Mobile Application Testing - Why it is Vital to Ensure the Quality of the Application

As mobility solutions are ruling our hearts and mind, people are switching rapidly from computers to handheld devices for all their activities. Today, mobile phones and applications serve all our needs, as they deliver quick and desirable results, as per user-requirements. With the increasing demand for mobile applications in all the domains, like health, gaming, educational, financial, entertainment, etc., the Mobile Application Testing professionals need to be more stringent and strive to guarantee quality solutions to the end-users. Mobile apps are designed considering the specific user requirements, and the main aim is to provide an engaging and intuitive experience to the target clients. To ensure that a flawless app is delivered, it is essential to perform thorough Mobile Application Testing for the ultimate success of the product. Successful applications go through rigorous testing at each level and are reviewed time and again, to identify and rectify any flaws or glitches in the designed form. With increasing awareness amongst the Millennials, it is essential to fix the problems in the app before your clients experience a negative impact, and the app gets a low rating.

Role of QA Team

The developers and testers must understand the complete list of user requirements and the desired features. Quality Assurance teams need to ensure that mobile applications are tested and reviewed thoroughly to become bug-free and meet the specifications. The QA team plays an important role here by performing the necessary mobile application testing before the final product is delivered. Proper planning and analysis at the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) help to get through the iterations quickly and helps in achieving better quality. Development and testing of mobile applications contribute to generating higher market share by producing the best quality apps.

Types of Mobile Application Testing

Mobile Applications should be tested thoroughly before being launched in the market. The revised versions of any app should also be tested rigorously so that the existing and new clients do not face any disappointment. Majorly, there are four types of Mobile Application Testing, which guarantees the quality of mobile applications.

• Functional Testing
• Performance Testing
• Usability Testing
• Edge-case Testing

Benefits of Testing Mobile Applications

The tests, as mentioned above, are performed carefully at various levels of software development to ensure that the issues are figured out and corrected quickly.

1. Accurate Output

Functional testing is done on real-time devices to ensure that the app performs the expected task to produce accurate output. It is done before the product release to check out if there are any exceptions in the product output. For example, in case of a mobile application related to banking, the user may require to find out the nearest ATM location. A successful app can help the user in finding out the nearest accurate location of the ATM if it has been thoroughly tested. Exceptions can also arise while making transactions, which makes the testing more crucial.

2. Emulator/ Simulator Testing

Testing scenarios are evolving over the years, and it has become compulsive to test in both simulator/emulator environment and on the real-world devices, to adhere to the set quality and standards. Emulators are preferred during the initial stage of development, for fast execution. Testing done using real-time devices can be costly and practically not feasible. Business-critical applications need to be addressed carefully, as having defects at the final stage can be a costly affair. For optimal mobile solution, the tester can choose from Emulator vs. Simulator vs. Real Devices, depending upon the end user scenarios. These tests help to uncover real shortcomings and failures and can prevent detrimental impact to the customer.

3. Increase User Retention

According to Upland Localytics, "25% of users abandon apps after one use." Over the past few years, long term retention has increased significantly, but that does not guarantee the short-term success of an app. Effective QA testing for Mobile Applications can help greatly in increasing user loyalty and declining the rate of abandonment, to make the app a success amongst the target audience. Testers emphasize integrity at all stages to improve user retention for their app.

4. Mobile Quality

The quality of a mobile app is defined by its efficiency, security, and performance, especially under stress. All the marketers are targeting to deliver the best quality to the end-users through their apps, to attract more business, and gain profitable margins from their rivals. Performance testing, including Load testing and Stress Testing, ensures the best quality to offer great customer experience. AppRadar suggests that delivering quality mobile applications motivate users to write reviews, which in turn improves the conversion rate. Performance indexes help in comparing various applications from business rivals to target the best quality of its mobile application. It also helps in setting specific goals for the development team to improve their product.

5. Meeting end-user Expectations

User Acceptance Testing ensures that the designed features met the functional requirements. On the other hand, User Testing verifies whether the features meet the user expectations or not. Generally, a pool of end-users is chosen to perform user testing and based on their satisfaction level, and the app is validated. Mobile Application testing may fail, if the pool of users is not satisfied with the features, considering the industry standards.

6. Prevent Negative Perception

Quality Analysts and testers need to test mobile applications under extreme operating conditions as well to prevent poor end-user experience. Edge case testing scenarios are applied to functional regression units and performance testing, to check the output of the apps, while considering admissible allowance. For example, a mobile application that needs user login or sign-up details will have to validate username and password parameters. All inputs need thorough testing, considering the minimum and maximum range of allowance.

7. Security Testing

Mobile Application Testing should ensure that the apps are robust and effective, at all the devices. The loop-holes or the vulnerabilities of the app should be identified by intentionally breaching the security points. It helps in assuring various compliance by identifying and isolating the risks of an application. Edge case testing is useful in such a scenario and ensures a satisfactory user experience.

So, to launch a successful mobile application, it is essential to perform various types of testing scenarios. By thorough testing at every level, developers and testers can surely build apps to attract maximum end-users and help their clients gain maximum benefits. If the customer gets a beautiful experience while using the app, the business returns are sure to grow manifolds.

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