Testing your app: how to do it right

Mobile technologies and devices are all over the place today and smart brands make the most of this trend by developing dedicated mobile apps that bring amazing experiences to their audiences.

Even if apps are popular, releasing an untested product can seriously hurt a business. That's why you need to test your app before it sees the light and lands on the smartphones of your target.

Why do you need to test your app?

Testing apps on mobile devices can be quite challenging. There's a wide range of potential devices to consider. And all of them have different screen sizes and hardware configurations.

Not only to mention the different operating systems – Android, Symbian, Windows, Blackberry and iOS – but also different versions of these operating systems that in fact undergo frequent updates.

Testing your app is a smart move. By testing your app, you'll ensure that:

• its interface is in line with what you imagined and it's user-friendly
• the app renders well as it switches from landscape to portrait mode
• it's easy to navigate through the experience
• the screens are easy to scroll through
• the forms are understandable and optimized for completion
• the privacy and access settings correspond to your design
• and all content is appropriately cached.

Automated vs. manual testing

In manual testing, test cases are executed manually by real users who usually don't use tools or scripts for that purpose. In automated testing, test cases are carried out exclusively with software, scripts and tools that are either object or image-based – for instance, Sikuli, EggPlant or RoutineBot.

It makes sense to automate certain parts of your testing. For example, regression test cases or complex scenarios that would be too time-consuming if executed manually. However, manual testing is just excellent if your mobile app doesn't need a lot of testing or if you add a new functionality and want to check whether users like it and can quickly learn how to use it.

Testing native apps vs. mobile web apps

When it comes to mobile applications, you can differentiate between 3 types of apps:

• Native apps: apps created for particular mobile operating systems which have single platform affinity. Testing a native app can be automated with the help of app developer tools and frameworks like Appium, and the platform SDK.
• Mobile web apps: apps which are stored on servers and can be accessed on mobile using different browsers. Testing web apps is a piece of cake for those who know how to test websites. It's important to test these apps with different browsers in mind – not different devices that are critical to native app testing. The same line of code might be translated differently on different browsers and some parts of the app might be displayed incorrectly.
• Hybrid apps: which combine aspects of native and web apps. They usually run on devices offline, but they're written with technologies like HTML5 and CSS. In case of hybrid apps, things can get a little tricky. If a hybrid app is written in CSS, HTML5 and JavaScript, it can be tested just like a web app. But if it contains some native code, you'll need to create test scripts that are written in the native language of the platform that you want to test on.

Testing in the cloud - pros and cons

What about cloud technologies and testing? Here are the most important pros and cons of testing your app in the cloud:

Key takeaway

Testing is crucial for ensuring that your app provides the best possible experience to your target audience and displays all key elements correctly. Test your app before releasing it to the world and you're bound to take the mobile scene by storm.

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