By 2023, it is expected that the number of smartphone users may reach a whopping 7.26 billion people. As a result, it is believed that the number of mobile app downloads is expected to rise to approximately 258 billion.

These numbers are not surprising if we consider the fact that smartphones and mobile apps have taken the world by storm. On top of that, every company has now turned to mobile apps to promote their businesses. And so, today, there is an app for every need - be it for hoteliers and guests, travelling, banking, food delivery, or healthcare.

With this being the case, the demand for mobile app development companies in San Francisco, and the world, have gone up by a huge margin.

Also, never before have we felt such a need for proper app development and testing processes. This is especially true because mobile apps have to now deal with thousands of sensitive data - from medical information to banking details and more.

Therefore, app development companies have begun engaging in rigorous testing processes. So, if you want to learn more about such testing processes, this is the best time! This is why, below, we have provided a step-by-step guide to help.

What Is Mobile App Testing?

Before we tell you more about the testing processes, we want to ensure that we cover all the basics first. So, let’s first look at what mobile app testing is all about.

To put it simply, mobile app testing is just a series of testing procedures. During these steps, mobile app development companies In Atlanta and around the world check to see if the functionality and usability of an app meet the requirements.

This is often done with a general set of tests such as functional, performance, usability, security, load, etc. Afterwards, the apps are also put through some mobile-specific tests like an interruption, memory leakage, location, certification, installation, and so on.

As you can imagine, this is quite a complex process. There are also dozens of screen resolutions to check for, alongside the multiple versions of the operating software and types of network connections.

Step-by-Step Guide To Mobile App Testing

Now that we have a clearer idea of what mobile app testing does, let's have a look at each step that goes into mobile app testing.

1. Strategizing and Preparation

The very first step of testing a mobile app is to plan out the process. Once the development is done, you must set up a strategy and plan to determine what functionalities and possibilities your app must-have. App developers in Chicago may also make a note of the challenges that the app may have to face.

In this stage, then, you shall have to plan for the following processes:

●Affinity: You must check the app’s affinity for different platforms and systems.

●Checking The Necessities: Remember to check for things like frequency of data usage, space usage, the application interface for various platforms, and so on.

●Determining the Type of Load and Device: Also, app developers must include the load-bearing abilities of the app, what are the targeted devices, whether the app is native, web, or hybrid, and so on.

2. Categorize The Testing

The next step is to figure out the practical requirements of the app and testing methods. All apps must work with iOS and Android systems.

This is because it is hard to tell which operating system would be preferred by users. To guarantee that the app works on all such devices, app developers in Chicago often use a mix of manual and automatic testing processes.

Here, you can choose to use a real device, an emulator, or a cloud simulator. Developers test for things like the practicality of the app, its ease of use, the execution cycles, and the security functions of various platforms.

3. Design The Test Case And Test Script

The test case is simply a series of steps that allow developers to execute a specific type of test on a mobile app. The test script is something like this. The difference only lies in how they are both applied. A test case is applied when the tests are manually done. On the other hand, when the testing is automated, developers use the test script.

In this step then, you must draft the test script or case according to the requirements of your mobile app. Do take care to cover all the functionalities and features of the mobile apps here.

4. Setup The Appropriate Environment

A testing environment refers to the code arrangement, automated scripts, and devices that developers use. It assists in the testing of the app with the hardware and the software.

To arrange the testbed or test environment, app developers NYC must refer to the requirements of the app. In some cases, the testbed could be a mix of the test environment and the test information that it needs to work on. This step must be executed with the utmost care because any lapse in the process can lead to problems in the mobile app.

5. Manual and Automated Testing

The fifth stage includes the execution of the manual test cases and automated test scripts that have been designed until now.

To ensure that there are no glitches in the mobile app, these processes are centred around the main functions and features of the mobile app. Developers may then record the errors that the system picks up in the mobile app.

6. Beta Testing

The alpha testing is what we have seen until now. Once that is done, it is now time for beta testing. Here, developers may allow a select number of users to sign-up for the beta testing program. Most top app development companies carry out beta testing to receive feedback directly from the users.

Before the app is released to a larger audience, developers can continue to work on the feedback that the handful of users provide.

This way, any accidental glitches or bugs can be caught before it affects a huge number of people. Moreover, it also gives developers a chance to determine whether their app is ready to be released to a larger audience.

7. Performance Testing

Performance testing, as its name suggests, checks the app for responsiveness, usability, speed, power, quality, and app size.

This is where developers get to optimize their apps to use less CPU power, battery power, and network strength while also maintaining the basic functionalities of the app. They also look for any other issues or problems that the app may have while running.

8. Security Tests

This is one of the most crucial steps in mobile app testing. Here, developers ensure that the SQL injection, information dumps, session seizing, bundle sniffing, SSL, and gate crashers are all properly resolved. Typically, mobile devices work with very little memory storage spaces, compared to other computing devices.

This must also be taken into consideration when the app is being tested. Finally, the network security and connectivity of the app is tested on various bandwidths like 2G, 3G, 4G, broadband, and so on.

9. Device Testing

This step is where the apps are tested on specific handsets. This includes a few steps where the app is analyzed for errors that can be rectified. Alongside device compatibility, the apps are also tested to see if it is compatible with the different versions of the operating system. This provides decent test coverage as it ensures that all users can use the app with zero or minimum errors.

10. Reporting

Finally, the Quality Assessment administrator produces a synopsis report of the test. This is essentially a document that details the findings of the tests. It also makes note of the changes that were made to fix the bugs spotted during the tests. So, this document becomes extremely critical for all future app testing processes.

The Importance Of Mobile App Testing

There are many reasons why mobile app testing is an important part of app development. Let’s take a look at some of them.

1. Boost Core Metrics And Optimize In-App Features

To make sure that your users have a seamless experience while using the mobile app, app developers in NYC must carry out a thorough testing process.

Developers must look deep within the app and measure which iteration leads to better results in the metrics of the app, such as monthly active users, retention rate, drop-offs, and so on. This will help you take a data-driven approach to the development of your mobile apps.

2. Experiment With Features

Although standard UI-based testing is the most important function of app testing, this is not the only use it has. Mobile app testing also lets developers experiment with the features and test their efficiency.

You can carry out a test with multiple variations of the core features, experiment with multiple features for the app, and so on.

3. Minimize Risks

Testing an app is mostly meant to minimize the risks of it causing accidental data leakages or other such serious issues. Such glitches are bound to reflect badly on the top app development companies. But with mobile app testing, it is possible to avoid this altogether. Also, since beta testing is a part of mobile app testing, it is now easy for developers to gather data directly from the users, and minimize their company’s liabilities.

4. Implement and Manage Continuous Integration and Delivery

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery are two crucial practices in app development. This helps app development companies in Atlanta maximize their output and profits. According to this practice, the features are released by frequently integrating code changes into the main codebase. Then, they are tested as regularly as possible.

This continuous cycle of automated delivery of mobile apps heavily depends on efficient system app testing.

5. Map The User Experiences And Journeys

Marketers and developers must understand the experiences of the users if they are to improve the features of the mobile app. Mobile app testing helps a development company collect user experiences and journeys as best as needed. By testing exhaustively, developers can validate what works for their users.

What Can You Test For In The Mobile App?

There are a few things you can test for within a mobile app.

1. In-app Experiences

In-app experiences are the core functionalities and features of the app. You can test for a few different things here.

●Messaging: There are countless tests you can run on the in-app messages that you want to be conveyed to your users. For instance, a gaming app could test to see the rewards pop-ups for various milestones within the game. If such pop-ups are timed right, it can increase user engagement.

●Layout: The layout is what users first encounter on the app. So, it must be as engaging and attractive as possible. Rigorous testing of the layout and its appearance is, therefore, a crucial step in mobile app testing.

●UI Copy: Things like the CTA button text, captions, product information, headlines, and so on are crucial parts of the UI copy. The app copy plays a pivotal role in attracting users to your app. Therefore, you must test this core functionality of the app frequently.

2. User Flow

The user flow refers to the sequence of actions that a typical user may perform on the app. For instance, on an e-commerce app, the checkout and payment process may have a set of steps that are required for a user to complete the task. This would then be the user flow on that app.

To ensure a seamless experience for users, app development companies Atlanta must regularly test this.

3. Push Notifications

Push notifications are one way to increase the user engagement rates of your app. However, to increase the traffic to your app, many things need to be considered about the functionalities of push notifications. Some of them include the copy, the timing, frequency, and so on. Regular testing of push notifications will help you figure out how functional they are on your app.

4. Features and Functionalities

Apart from testing for the UI functionalities, mobile app testing also lets developers experiment with the deep stack. This allows them to measure the performance of certain features of the app during the production stages. This then prevents them from releasing bug-infested versions of an app.

Complications That May Arise While Testing Mobile Apps

Now that we have covered the how-to sections, let’s look at what you must avoid in mobile app testing.

1. Not Making An Exclusive Mobile App Optimization Strategy

One of the most common mistakes that many mobile app development companies in Los Angeles, and the world, make is not creating a mobile-centric strategy. Mobile app development is wildly different from web development and software development. Therefore, it needs a specific app testing strategy.

2. Lack of Methodical Testing

Without a strict methodology for mobile app testing, it's easier to miss out on critical testing processes. But if developers create a step-by-step method for testing, this will not be a problem.

3. Skipping On Data-Backed Hypotheses

No matter how experienced a developer is, it is not recommended that they test an app without a proper hypothesis. This statement is crucial in defining the goal of the testing processes. Without that, the whole methodology may just completely fall apart.

4. Using Too Many Variations

Testing with a few variations is certainly important to check the functionality of your app on multiple devices and platforms. However, too many variations may also cause issues in the processes. For instance, you may end up with too many false positives because the significance level of the test will be lowered with an increase in the number of variations used.

Also, when running a test with too many variations, you are bound to take up too much time with each step. This could ultimately affect the release time of your app.

5. Too Much Dependency On Engineering Teams

Very often, there is little to no independence for the UX designers, marketers, and product managers to run their tests. But this can be avoided through careful and meticulous planning done by the A/B testing teams. By devising a framework, every other team can reduce their dependence on the developers.

6. Non-Linear Mobile UX

Mobile apps do not have linear functionalities when it comes to the app flow, user experiences, or conversion funnel. This can complicate the testing processes. To avoid this, it might be better to first learn how the app flow may interact with one another and test them accordingly.

Conclusion:

In today’s mobile era, it is hard to forgo the use of mobile apps. Also, with there being an app for almost every need and function, the competition to release popular apps is very high. This is where app testing plays a crucial role.

With rigorous and regular testing becoming a part of app development strategies, it becomes easier to catch bugs before they become a huge problem.

This will then let you enhance user experiences and stay ahead of the competition. And so, with this step-by-step mobile app testing guide, mobile app development companies in Los Angeles can create high-functioning, top-quality, and profitable mobile apps.