When looking at mobile app development, testing ensures that the final result is a reliable, functional, and well-performing product regardless of the operating system or device preferred by the user. Therefore, choosing the right mobile test automation tools is vital to deploy a high-quality app on time confidently.
At Imagemaker, we value the importance of using the full spectrum of resources available for agile development. While it's true that both manual and automated testing show their own benefits and usefulness, there are some variables that should be taken into consideration to choose the latter for your QA team. However, how can your team decide from the overwhelming amount of tools available?
The Importance of Test Automation for Mobile Apps
Looking more closely at quality assurance, automated testing can help cover a broader range of scenarios and edge cases, testing as many different scenarios as possible in the least amount of time.
As the app becomes more complex and feature-rich, it can be time-consuming and error-prone when left in manual revision, making it crucial to allocate costs for a proper automated testing solution.
While catching mistakes and fixing defects early on in development processes will permanently save time and resources in the long run, these automated solutions may require a more significant upfront investment for their initial setup. At the same time, they can prove themselves as a cost-effective solution in the long run.
Ultimately, if your QA tester is dealing with limited time and resources, running automated testing alongside manual tasks is the best approach to this development process. When choosing the right tools for mobile test automation, here are some guidelines you may follow to select the best option for your development project
Tip 1: Identify The Type of Testing Required
Your automated testing tool should cover many usability, performance, and security scenarios. A proper mobile testing tool also presents failures and results through complete reports, sharing all the necessary data developers could need to pinpoint the mistake and fix it. Some of the most frequently used tests include:
Functional testing: as one of the first types of testing required during the development process, it aims to ensure every practical aspect of the app gets implemented and works as per the original project requirements.
Performance testing: evaluating response times of important events, such as UI rendering time or click event, is vital to avoid potential frustrations or even user abandonment from your app.
Security testing: any mobile application needs to ensure optimal levels of data security for its users, especially when dealing with sensitive information such as financial transactions. Therefore, these tests aim to find any exploitative breaches or flaws in the application that require patching as soon as possible.
Compatibility testing: if your mobile app has plans for working on various types of mobile devices, these tests ensure standard usage and performance regardless of the operating system, browser, or device used alongside their different versions.
Tip 2: Cloud Devices vs. Emulators and Simulators vs. Real Devices?
Three methods are available for testing: real devices, cloud-based devices, and emulators or simulators. While it's true that emulators and simulators are great for testing the mobile app during its initial stages, at some point, you must transfer testing to real devices or use cloud-based devices to amplify possible scenarios and ensure a high-quality product. Remember to solve these environments as soon as possible!
Tip 3: Check Integrations Available With Other Frameworks Or Tools
Not all testing tools are created equal. Most mobile apps release with versions available for Android and iOS, and it's highly likely that your team already has specific tools, programming languages, and protocols meant to cover these operating systems. What other tools or resources is your team already using? It may prove more challenging to use a testing framework with low compatibility with the rest of your instruments, and you may even need to create an in-house solution if the required tests demand it.
As the bottom line, test automation proves itself as a powerful tool in your team's arsenal, but it won't act as the sole replacement for manual testing. By setting reasonable goals, centralizing test results for further analysis, and always keeping in mind cross-platform efforts, your QA team members can take full advantage of automated testing tools for improving a mobile application during its development.
At Imagemaker, we always seek to deliver high-quality solutions when collaborating as digital business partners. Contact us to start a conversation about your business' needs and kickstart your digital transformation today!