Developing a mobile application is a trend among businesses operating in various sectors. However, one of the most common mistakes that most of the present-day entrepreneurs make is launching a mobile app as soon as it is developed.
While it is true that mobile applications are developed to be launched, it is also commonly known that the best of mobile applications are full of bugs and errors.
Therefore, it is essential to eliminate these bugs before launching a mobile application to ensure its success. However, this fundamental is neglected in many cases. But, how can we remove bugs from a mobile app? Well, this can be done by testing an app prior to launching it.
What is app testing?
App testing, in a broad context, is the process of optimising a mobile application and enhancing its performance. The aim of testing an app is to maintain its functionality and enhance the experience of end-users.
App testing is a stage of the development process and comes after the app has been developed. Here, app testers (often known as the QA team) test the app on various aspects and eliminates bugs and errors. This ensures that a high-quality app is launched on the OS platform.
Testing a mobile app is a comprehensive process and requires high technical expertise as well as an extensive understanding of UX.
Why is app testing a big deal?
Source: BrowserStack
We hope that by now, you are clear on the fundamentals of app testing and why mobile apps are tested. But the main question is, why is app testing such a big deal?
Businesses undertake mobile app development to expand their business digitally and target online customers. However, in order to gain maximum returns from this investment, it is essential to deliver an app that provides a high-end user experience to your target market. Moreover, as per a survey conducted on 3,000 mobile phone users, 80% said they’d only use a problematic app thrice before uninstalling it. As a result, it is essential to deliver a high-quality app to the users to reduce the uninstall rate.
This is what makes app testing an crucial stage of the app development process and a vital part of creating a business app. Without testing, it is impossible to create a high-quality mobile app and, therefore, deliver a high-end user experience.
Consequently, whether you want to develop an enterprise application for your established business or a startup app, optimally testing your app is a must.
Now that you are aware of how important is it to test your mobile app, you must be wondering what can go wrong in app testing, right? Well, as we mentioned before, app testing is a complex process, to be said the least. There are various things that can go wrong while testing a mobile app.
Here we have mentioned the top 10 app testing mistakes that you can avoid and efficiently conduct the testing process.
What are the top app testing mistakes?
Source: BrowserStack
Lacking testing plan
Having a plan laid out for app testing is fundamental to initiating the testing process. However, it is common for app testers to begin testing a mobile application without a solid testing plan.
This ambiguity in app testing often results in decreased efficiency of the testing process and, therefore, delays the application’s launch time.
Moreover, without a rigid testing plan, the testers are highly likely to miss out on certain parts of the app testing process and, therefore, deliver an app with unrectified bugs and errors.
It is due to this reason that preplanning app testing is a crucial stage of conducting application testing.
Testing single device & OS
At the present time, there are various mobile phone models with different screen sizes and resolutions. Moreover, various applications are developed to work on multiple operating systems.
This makes testing the mobile application on multiple mobile phones and OS platforms an essential part of the app testing process. However, this stage is often neglected as testing an app on different mobile devices is a cost-intensive affair.
As a result, when a mobile app is not tested on different platforms and devices, the testers are unaware of the app design’s responsiveness. Therefore, these apps are likely to have a poor quality UI and are incapable of delivering a high-end UX.
Not testing with OS guidelines
Once developed, the applications are launched on OS platforms (Play store for Android and App Store for iOS). The OS platforms have their own guidelines and standards for the applications. The platforms review the applications from their end before making them available to the users.
Generally speaking, the guidelines of the App Store are much more stricter than those of the Play Store. While testing an application, it is necessary to keep these OS guidelines into consideration.
An app that fails to meet the standards set by the OS platforms is rejected from being launched and is sent back for rectification. One can avoid this by ensuring that the app is at par with these OS guidelines before it is sent for review.
Not following KPIs
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are a part of performance engineering that defines the boundaries of an app’s performance testing. Following the KPIs is the key to ensuring that the app is in the right direction.
In the content of app testing, KPIs act as guidelines for the development and testing team to adhere to while creating an app. However, not following the KPI criteria can degrade the application’s performance and deliver a low-quality user experience.
Therefore, it is safe to say that following these key performance indicators is the way to achieve a benchmark of application quality. As a result, one must adhere to these indicators to deliver a high-end mobile app.
Not testing app security
Certain types of mobile applications require the users to add sensitive information such as credit and debit card details, address, bank account, etc.
In the present time, the security of this sensitive user information is a matter of debate, owing to the increasing cases of security breaches and data thefts.
Therefore, testing an application’s security is of utmost importance in the present time. This is especially important in the case of e-commerce mobile apps as they have a payment gateway. By testing the app’s security, a business can win the market’s trust and increase its customer satisfaction rate.
Not setting testing priorities
There is a lot in an app that needs to be tested. However, it is commonly known that testing everything at once isn’t possible. Therefore, app testers must set priorities in app testing and adhere to them.
Of course, testing everything in an app is important. However, by prioritising what is important and urgent for testing, you can optimise your app’s testing process with ease.
When an app is tested without setting certain priorities, the testing process is prone to being inefficient and ambiguous. By prioritising certain features and modules of your app for testing, you can efficiently conclude the testing process.
Solely focusing on UI
Ofcourse, UI is an essential part of an application. However, one of the most common app testing mistakes is solely focusing on the UI of the application and neglecting other criteria.
Testing an app in other criteria such as functionality, performance, security, etc. is equally important for a successful mobile app. However, most of the app testers only test the features and UI design of the mobile application and neglect these factors, along with others.
This results in a poor-quality mobile application that is prone to errors and crashes, ultimately hindering the UX of the application.
Testing at end
Mobile apps are developed in various sizes and complexities. With that being said, it is easily understandable that the more complex a mobile app is, the more challenging its testing will be.
Moreover, one of the most common mistakes that app testers make is testing everything at once in the end. This not only increases the chances of negligence but also delays the launch time of the app.
One way to overcome this challenge is to follow the agile methodology. We will be discussing this concept in detail in the last section of the blog, so make sure to read it until the very end.
Using website testing criteria
Mobile apps and websites are two very different digital platforms. The development technologies, UI/UX, approaches, and a lot more differs between mobile apps and websites. Therefore, it is impossible to test a mobile app with website testing strategies.
Moreover, mobile apps are used in different environments as compared to websites. The mobile phone users are on the move most of the time, in contrast to desktop users who have a fixed location and internet connection.
However, many a time, app testers test the mobile applications with website testing strategies which results in inefficient and unreliable testing of the platform. As a result, it is important to use testing strategies that are specific to the platform.
Neglecting beta testing
The ultimate users of the mobile app are the consumers. Therefore, it is necessary to take their interest and opinions into account before fully launching the app in the market.
Beta testing is a strategy that facilitates this need and is a highly recommended testing process. Here, the app is tested by the end-users in different environments. This allows the app testers to get a fresh perspective and user feedback.
However, neglecting the importance of beta testing can result in an app that is not at par with the market’s requirements. This, in turn, can result in app failure and a tremendous financial loss for the business.
This was it for the top 10 app testing mistakes. By now, we’re sure that you know what to avoid while testing a mobile app. Moving further, let’s find out some ways through which we can increase the efficiency of the app testing process.
Tips to increase efficiency of app testing
Source: BrowserStack
Follow agile methodology
Agile methodology is one of the most popular testing strategies and is a breakthrough in delivering high-quality mobile apps. The concept of agile methodology revolves around developing the application in chunks and testing individual chunks before moving on to developing the next section.
This technique is followed by the top development agencies and is widely recognised all across the globe for being the gold standard of app testing.
This process ensures that the mobile app is tested and developed on time and that the testing process is efficient. Following agile methodology will not only cut down on the launch time of your app but will also increase the chances of your app’s success, making it an ideal strategy for platform testing.
Automate testing
Testing automation is the process of using the latest technologies to automate app testing. By automating your application’s testing, you can significantly cut down on manual work and increase the app testing process’s efficiency.
Moreover, automated testing is one of the best ways to test the app design’s responsiveness without incurring a large investment. There is a plethora of open-source testing software that can aid this need for responsiveness testing.
Automating app testing is by far one of the most widely recognised and preferred approaches to app testing. This makes test automation a promising app testing strategy for increased process efficiency.
Test in market
As we mentioned earlier, the end users of the mobile app are the customers. It is, therefore, necessary to get their validation on the app in order to gain market success.
Moreover, the scope of app testing is not only limited to removing bugs and errors from the app but also extends to delivering an app that is at par with the customers’ expectations.
This can be done by testing the app in the market before launching it on the OS platform. This will enable the app testers to gain insightful information on users’ likes and dislikes. This user feedback can be utilised to make timely changes to the app and enhance its quality.
This was it for the top three tips to increase the efficiency of the app testing process. By carefully following these tips, you can seamlessly conduct your application’s testing and deliver a high-end user experience.
Summing it up
This is the end of the blog ‘Top 10 app testing mistakes’. We hope that by now, you are aware of the importance of app testing.
The blog provided information on how to efficiently test a mobile app before launching it in the market.
The above-given list of app testing mistakes will be insightful in knowing what to avoid during app testing and how to deliver a high-end app.
Moreover, by adhering to the tips given in the last section of the blog, you can efficiently and easily test your mobile app.
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