App testing immediately follows the app development process. It is of paramount importance as it helps to gauge the errors, bugs, and defects and ensure reliable and high-performance operation. A well-tested app will incur lesser maintenance costs and will deliver consistent performance across all platforms. It helps to improve the overall capacity and accuracy of the app and provide a user-friendly experience, hence generating more conversions and maximum sales.
Quality Assurance or QA testers perform the test operations on mobile apps through a set of standardized procedures. It enables them to ensure that the app delivers optimal performance before it is launched in the market. The testers need to test the native and hybrid apps via both manual and automated methods. Automated regression test suites help to validate app features quickly. The QA team should use the right tools for mobile testing for performing the regression, functional, and non-functional tests. It should offer both script and scriptless options for test generation to enable the QA tester to generate and execute test scripts efficiently.
Various open-source and commercial testing tools are available in the market; hence choosing the right testing tool can become tricky. To make the best choice, here are some of the essential features you need to consider.
Robust Reporting
The app testing tool should aggregate the reports of the test workflow. It should include a dashboard that will enable the tester to visualize the results and understand the format. The testing tool should facilitate better insights to improve the app quality continuously. The centralized dashboard feature of the app should feature reporting and analytics dashboard so that you can get a comprehensive glance analysis to understand the complete state of your app quality. It should highlight the code coverage and enable you to use a data-backed method to assess risks.
Assess Compliance
The app testing tool should enable you to evaluate if the app fulfills the standard regulations and standards. In addition, it should allow you to test the app’s reliability, comprehensiveness, and accuracy following the required specifications.
Support Multiple Scripting Languages
Based on the scripting language the tool used for the test automation process, you can choose the right tool for your project. Identify the coding skills of your testing team for creating a testing framework. If the testers do not have advanced coding skills, you can choose a tool with an easy syntax so that even the beginners can acquire the knowledge of writing test scripts. The language should have some intuitive features to implement the codes in the right section to run the test scripts successfully.
Defect Categories
You need to identify the kind of defects which you are targeting with the app testing tool. Some of the common effects are network latency, unoptimized encrypted connections, slow server speed, data overcrowding, and more. It would be best to determine the test scope to target the errors and bugs in the app.
Seamless Integration
The app testing tool should integrate easily into your test infrastructure, including mobile devices, simulators, and emulators. It should support cross-browser and cross-platform testing. Moreover, it should blend with your CI/CD pipeline to enable ongoing automation and continuous monitoring through the app lifecycle to improve the app testing speed. It also helps to quicken release cycles, lower costs, and eliminate any errors.
Scriptless Test Creation
The app should use the proper framework, be it model, object, data, keyword-driven or hybrid approach to enable you to generate scriptless test cases. Scriptless test cases help save time and energy, as the testers must not write code for the test scripts. It also uses the record and playback feature to run the reusable scripts for regression testing. Thus, it is a highly flexible and conventional testing framework that requires minimal coding.
Test Scope
It would be best if you planned the test scope before implementing the mobile test framework. The app testing tool should blend the manual and automated test procedure to test the app comprehensively. Outlining the test scope enables the tester to define the exact paths to cover for performing app testing operations with the test tool.
Implement POC
You can implement Proof Of Concept to test how the tool integrates with existing systems, applications, data, and processes in the target environment. It helps you to create a prototype to test the real-time usage and benefits of the tool.
Reusability And Refactoring
The mobile test tool should support the reusability of test scripts. It should enable you to refactor end-to-end test scripts. It helps to make the scripts more efficient and maintainable and makes the debugging process more smooth. The test tool should allow you to reuse the test script with minimal alterations or improve it without writing new functionality.
To Conclude:
These are some of the essential features you should look for in your app testing tool. Test tool which supports robust test framework and strategy allows you to improve test coverage to test the app for its functionality, usability, and consistency.
