Mobile App Testing Archives - Page 2 of 2

Checklist for Windows Application Testing

Posted on January 14, 2016 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Software testing came to the scene in the application development industry very recently. But organizations have already realized the worth of testing and picked it up as one of the major steps amidst the entire process.

Testing is a job that requires highly talented professionals. Apps should be tested in a variety of devices that are being used at present and are still emerging in the market.

Windows App Testing focuses primarily on testing six major areas: functionality, performance, security, compatibility, regression and usability.

User interface/GUI testing: This testing ensures user –friendliness of your application.

Colors- Check whether the colors used for background, warning messages etc. are appropriate.
Graphics- Ensure the images are displayed properly. Check for alignment and size issues.
Text- The content should be error free. Check for grammar, spelling and font errors.
Instruction- On instructions, specific actions should be carried out. If you click help, the app should direct you to the help menu.
Usability- System navigation should be correct. Loading time, display sequence, broken pages etc. should be tested.

Read Also: 5 Types of Testing to Make Your Mobile Apps User Friendly

Functionality testing: Here, the app is tested whether or not it fulfills the functionality specifications.

Forms- Check the field types (numeric only, date field, e-mail specific, pop-downs etc.). Check if all mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk and errors are shown in red. There should be maximum character limits set.
Confirmation messages- Check if confirmation messages are displayed for actions such as delete, update and close.
Other Functions- Test time-out, sorting, e-mail and other available functions. Test for redirection to an error page, if any.

Performance testing: This testing ensures if the product complies with the required performance. Performance testing is not done manually but with the help of performance testing tools.

Security testing: It is performed to find out if there is any security vulnerability in your app.

Authentication- Prevent data breaches by allowing access permission only to registered users. Ask for strong username and password. Repeated failed login should trigger the alert mechanisms. Old password should not be allowed to process login.
Access permissions- There should be access permissions set to edit the software specific data stored. This will prevent unintentional security threats or data loss. The “view source code” option should be disabled.
Session management- Ensure randomly generated session IDs only are used for all authentications and there is proper session expiration.
Data transmission security- Verify whether sensitive data such as passwords, account numbers etc. are transferred under proper security protocols that promises maximum security. Ensure that the personal data as well as password of the customer is collected in the encrypted format by default.
Malicious command injection- Check for malicious SQL and XSS injection vulnerabilities and rectify them.

Recommended Read: Why Is Independent Testing Necessary?

Compatibility Testing: It is used to determine whether your windows application is compatible with the hardware, software and other elements that it should function with.

Hardware/software compatibility- You should manually test your application in various windows devices to ensure that it doesn’t showcase any compatibility problem. Ensure that all graphics, designs and functions work well.

Regression Testing: This test confirms that a recent change or modification in an existing program or code has not adversely affected any of its features. For regression testing, automation is better, since manual testing can be expensive and time-consuming.

Windows App Testing or for that matter any other mobile app testing is a daunting task as there are billions of mobile devices worldwide, featuring distinct screen sizes, network operators etc. Methodical and careful evaluation is the key to successful Windows App Testing.

How Usability Testing Benefits the End User

Posted on November 27, 2015 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

With automated testing and other latest technologies coming up, one may start considering usability testing to be remote and old school. Well, this is a thought that needs to be changed.

Mobile applications are on the rise, and now e-commerce companies are all shifting their focus on increasing sales from mobile applications and websites. This is due to the fact that the purchasing and browsing behaviour of the users are constantly changing. It has become very important to have a mobile optimised, mobile friendly, or a responsive design website, or even better – a mobile application, to attract the prospective customers.
Thorough Mobile Testing is a Must
Your product needs to be tested with the intended users throughout the lifecycle of the product for effective usability. This is where the concept of Usability Testing originates.
The main agenda behind usability testing for Mobile Application Testing is to test the ease with which the different user interfaces in the application can be used. It lets you know if the product or software under test is user-friendly or not. This form of testing is a black box testing technique or specification based technique. It gives you an idea about how the users would feel about your app, if they would be comfortable with the flow, layout, navigation, content, and speed in your application or website. It tests how effective the features are in providing a good user experience.

Read Also: 8 Ways to Make Usability Testing Simple

Usability testing for Mobile Testing basically tests the following features in your app:

How easy your software is in terms of usage
How easy it is to learn your mobile app
How convenient the users will find your mobile app

The following five are the major components in usability testing:

Learnability

It defines how easy it is for your users to perform the basic tasks the first time they open your app, and how easily they can grasp and learn it based on the current design.

Errors

This parameter lets you decide how many errors the users could make, how severe these errors could be, and how easy will it be for them to recover from these errors and get back on track.

Memorability

Suppose the users do not use your app for a long period and come back to it after some time. In such a situation, will the user be able to use the design seamlessly and feel acquainted with it? Will he remember your app well enough to use it effectively no matter how long he stays away from it, or will he have to start all over again to settle down and learn your app?

Efficiency

This describes how fast an experienced user could accomplish the various tasks in your app. It rates their efficiency.

Satisfaction

This factor describes the user satisfaction after using your app. You get to know how happy the users will be and how much they like your app and its design.
In short, Mobile Testing Services and usability testing could be said to have the following benefits for the end users or your customers:

A software that is easier to use
The learning curve is shortened considerably for new users
The software becomes much easier to use
The software quality is increased multifold

Mobile Testing Services always insist on usability testing for effective user experience. This is because of the following advantages it has over all other forms of testing:

It is possible to modify usability test and incorporate all other forms of testing like smoke testing, unit testing, functional testing, system integration testing, and so on.
If you plan properly, usability testing can turn out to be really economical, highly effective, and totally beneficial in all aspects.
Usability testing proves out to be really effective in discovering potential bugs and loopholes in the complete software system. These may generally not be visible to the developers, and could even escape testing. But, usability testing can find them all.
If one uses proper resources, which are experienced and creative testers, then all the problems that the user may face before the final release of the system could be easily fixed. As such, you never have to release a system with errors and issues. This helps in a far better performance and also maintains a standard system.

If you are still wondering why you need to incorporate usability testing for all kinds of Mobile Testing Services, Mobile Application Testing, and even for a Game Tester, then here are 5 reasons that will surely convince you as to why you should never ignore usability testing before releasing your mobile app or game:

In the Wild Testing

Testing the mobile apps in the lab test them in the most unnatural conditions. The users are all sitting upright holding the devices stiffly in their hands and browsing the app with no distractions. Above all, the internet connectivity, acoustics, and ambience are all set up for the perfect experience. Well, does anyone actually use an app this way? No, right?
Researchers have proven that 73% of the users use their mobiles in the evening, curled up on a couch or their bed. While 69% use it during office hours, 51% use it on weekends, and 42% use them while travelling. Lab based experiments and testing cannot give you proper insights for all these conditions. Testing with actual people gives you feedback in the most effective context of use.
Participants are invited to take a usability test in their own context of use for remote task based usability testing. This way, one can get feedback for real world situations and see the outcome of using a specific application or website.

User Feedback is Distributed and Representative

Feedback from the intended audience is the most effective and most important part of all kinds of testing. If the participants represent the target users, then you could ensure that the usability findings are absolutely valid without any bias whatsoever. Remote unmoderated usability testing you can get representation for user segments from all across the world.
It is not tough to get responses from a sample of 10 to a few hundred representative users that could fit in to a wide range of different socio-economic and demographic segments from across the world. This would prove to be really effective for the success of your mobile app.

Agile Methodology

Mobile Application Testing in line with Agile Methodology is the best way to make our app way more effective than you expect. Development organizations have started to finally migrate to lightweight or agile software development to develop and ship apps and mobile websites.
Before and after every sprint, you can ensure to execute remote usability studies. It can even be done during the prototype stage, until your mobile app is all set to be released out to the intended users.
The story does not end there. Even after release, it is important for you to maintain the user expectations and user needs. Remote task-based usability tests give you accurate metrics for these purposes. Being lightweight, it is easy to execute. This makes it the perfect part of Agile Methodology. With accurate statistics, you could keep improving and deliver the users what they require. Maintenance is also an important part of every app.

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Quantitative and Qualitative Metrics

You get to obtain feedback all throughout the development cycle of your mobile app or website through remote unmoderated research methodology. Testing various versions gives you qualitative feedback on the early prototypes. It also tells you if the information architecture and content layout are able to convey the value proposition effectively and as desired.
Usability testing provides you easy test findability, effective and efficient metrics with all your prototypes or live apps and websites. Benchmarking performance gives you quantitative and qualitative feedback all through the development cycle and even after that. It also gives you an edge against your competitors.

Resource Effective and Cost Effective

Usability tests on your mobile apps and websites do not consume much time or money. They are effective in terms of cost, resources, and time. The time required is almost half, and the cost is almost a quarter of those required in a usual lab study.

Lab studies could take around 2 weeks for planning and execution, and the cost is also high for incentives and set up.
As for an unmoderated remote usability test, one needs a week for planning, execution, and collecting data for about 30 to 300 responses. Besides being low in cost, designing and execution of usability tests is also effortless. Moreover, you also have the option to reuse already coded usability test plans.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that usability testing is a very wide area of testing. One needs to have a fairly high level of understanding to get in to this field, along with a mind that is creative and innovative. Patience, openness to welcome all kinds of suggestions and ideas, ability to listen to all suggestions, and excellent observation skills to be able to spot and fix issues are some of the most important skills that the people involved in usability testing need to possess.
Mobile applications have become an inevitable part of the human life. The world has become fast paced and consumer focused. As such, it is more important to offer the users a seamless and pleasurable usage experience. By using the unmoderated remote methodology and conducting user research researchers are able to get data right out of the real world for increased accuracy and efficiency. This helps you further in connecting with your users and growing your business.

8 Ways to Make Usability Testing Simple

Posted on October 13, 2015 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

People consider Usability Testing to be a costly, complicated affair that consumes a lot of time. Well, that is not the case. Testing for applications, apps, and interfaces are actually quite simple if you go the right way. It will help you make numerous changes to ensure your users are happy with the end product. You can easily formulate a DIY Mobile App Testing process that is affordable, effective, simple, and fast at the same time.

Usability Performance Testing made Simple
Here are 8 ways by which you can make way for easy DIY Usability Testing:

Keep the situation informal

You can set up a testing area anywhere in your firm. Use a single email to list out the results of the process, use bullet points to point out the issues found, and keep it simple. You are testing a small number of people, so there is no need of collecting the statistics. Do not go for big reports with all kinds of details, both necessary and unnecessary ones.

Early Testing

It is a common mistake to wait until the whole development process is complete to start the testing process. Spending money on testing at the early stages is not considered as an option by many. This makes it too late to be able to fix the relevant issues. If you start testing early, you could find bugs and ensure they are fixed before you go deeper into the development process. These tests are quite short, but help you considerably in the long run.

Read Also: Top 5 Software Testing Trends to Look Out For in 2015

Test a Small Number of People

Do not test too many users at once. The ideal number of people to test an app is considered to be three. It is an optimum number which will help you find more problems than the resources you have to be able to fix the issues immediately. In order to get serious problems, you do not need too many users for testing.

Test Occasionally

Setting up a fixed date for testing every month is a good idea. This ensures that regular testing is done on whatever you are developing, even if much progress had been made or not. Bring in three people on a fixed date and let them test your application. This helps you schedule your tasks, make recruiting easy, and organize the whole process. Since you can already plan things ahead, there will be no interference to the development process due to testing. You can stick to milestones and need not wait for last moment feedback from the Software Tester.

Focus on the Most Important Issues

It is important to categorize the issues found after testing. You are bound to get a huge number of bugs or fixes required. This number may even overtake the number of resources you have to be able to fix them. As such, it is important to select the most important issues from the list and work on fixing them. Some of the issues may not even matter much as far as the functionality is concerned, and you can omit them for the next release.

Have Regular Conversation with your Users

The idea is to keep your users talking, and hear them as they think out loud. It often works like a therapy for the developers to work with the users. It gives them a deep insight about how users think, and their wavelength while using your application. This feedback is literally Software Performance Testing.

Involve Everyone in your Mobile App Testing Process

Limit the number of testers to just three. But, be open to suggestions and feedback from everyone in your organization. Have sessions to make your application open for discussions by all. This can help you get various ideas, which can be highly creative and useful. It is very powerful if a number of minds come together to discuss a particular case. Have informal discussions at the table, and pick up whatever you find useful. Utilize them in the best way possible.

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Stick to Tweaking

Problems should be fixed in the easiest way possible. Always stick to tweaking, and never go for redesigning. Make the simplest change you could do to solve the issue instead of trying your hand at maintaining perfection. Do only the least you could do. Redesigning consumes a lot of time and effort. In turn, tweaking is more cost effective and faster. Large changes take much longer, and could even break things elsewhere. Taking such risks is absolutely not worth the effort.

Mobile App Testing Services help you bring the best out of your App by picking out bugs and making it the best in all possible ways. The main idea is to make your end users happy, and through usability testing, you can know how exactly this can be done.