Mobile app testing – best practices. Part III

Speed and robustness is essential in terms of mobile app testing. After all, it’s about time-to-market and quality, isn’t it? And the robust version of a mobile app (we mean the first one) in its category at Google Play usually stays on top of the downloads rankings for long. This translates to massive exposure to potential users. The later your new app gets to the store, the lower the chance to win the hearts of most users is. On the other hand, you cannot afford to release a flawed mobile app, as it will simply be abandoned. Thus, automated tests are the best option. And we’re going to tell you more about them here.

Manual app testing – what is it and when it works best?

Automation of processes is nothing new. Back in the 2017, only 13% of Statista recipients declared that they use only manual testing in software development. Manual app testing works best for the following:

• UI (user interface);
• UX (user experience);
• User acceptance;
• Functionalities;
• App/website behavior;
• Features.

The point is, the tester (QA expert, developer, product manager, or designer) has to have the necessary skills and be proactive. What does it mean? It means that the person, who performs the tests, has to exhibit a multidimensional approach and has to have a great understanding of technical and business use case aspects in testing. Well, luckily, we have that kind of pros in our company. So, in case you have the resources, itCraft can help you in this matter. Our experts can spot any discrepancies and inconsistencies, so the final products will be just flawless.

Automated app testing – works best in the fast-paced market

The market depends on the technology. It’s not a trend, it’s happening, and the pressure to ship the products as fast as possible is getting higher. It’s simple, you have to be quick to stay ahead of the game. That is why Agile methodologies are not nice-to-have anymore, they are a must-have. Sure, the manual app testing performs very well in the areas that require fast results, but when the development cycle requires many iterations and repeated executions of code, the automation steps in.

Just imagine it – running parallel, iterative tests, on multiple devices, different browser versions, as well as various operating systems – manually, in one go. Oh, and add to that the error reports and logs, generated in real time. Yeah, that is not impossible. But what would the cost look like? How many skilled experts that would require? Exactly. It’s not impossible, but without automation of app testing, a company can be rather a weak competitor than a market leader these days.

Automated app testing – what is it?

So, you know now why and when automated app testing should be used. But what is it exactly? To make the story short – automated app testing uses frameworks to perform tests. There are plenty of frameworks to choose from:

• Linear;
• Key-driven;
• Data-driven;
• Hybrid;
• Agile in nature.

The chosen framework can be integrated with various components, like these:

• Test data sources;
• Function libraries;
• Object details;
• Reusable modules.

It all depends on the business requirements (we can help you unveil these as well). What is worth emphasizing, is that the frameworks provide the required infrastructure for the automation testing tools. 

Automated app testing – benefits

If your project is large, then automated app testing is something you definitely need. If the project requires plenty of iterations and code executions, the automated app testing is the way to go, Here are the benefits of automated app testing:

• Cost efficiency;
• Easy-to-perform in large-scale projects;
• Quick turnaround time;
• Real-time-generated error logs and reports;
• Good accuracy.

When the project requires repetitive tests and the volume is massive, the automated app testing is especially beneficial. For example, when there is a lot of newly added code and the regression tests must be performed to ensure that these new pieces don’t disrupt the existing features, the automated app test work fast and well.

Manual mobile app testing or automated mobile app testing?

It’s not that we underestimate manual app testing. The fact is that manual app testing requires plenty of resources. Many companies cannot afford these costs. It’s understandable in terms of constant economic pressure – the faster your product gets ready, the faster it starts generating revenue. Manual app testing takes time. Automated app testing needs far less time and is not that expensive, as manual app testing. Thus, automated app testing is helpful in taking new products or features to market faster, while ensuring that users receive the crucial bug-free experience. If you plan to reduce costs, automated app testing could work for you. Still, QA experts can spot flaws that may slip through the automated checks.

Automated app testing exhibits high accuracy for algorithm-based test cases, that is certain. But there is something, that automated app testing lacks. Namely, the cognitive abilities. No matter how ‘smart’ the algorithm is, it cannot precisely depict the human-like intelligence in terms of decision-making. In other words, in testing the areas of usability, functionality, user experience, behavior, or aesthetic side of the app – the automated app testing does not stand up to the expectations of the market.

So, what’s the testing option you should choose for your new mobile app (or web application)? Well, the optimal solution is to strike balance between the automated app testing and manual app testing. The key is to optimize the coverage, costs, and speed. And we have good news here – we are proud of our holistic approach. We help our clients make the right business decisions from the very start. We help with turning the creative spark into impactful mobile apps and web apps. We are the one-stop-shop for crafting game-changing experiences for users.