Mobile Applications Functional Testing – Best Practices

By Author: Michael Wade
Total Articles: 67
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Functional Testing tests basic user interactions with the app such as launching the app, logging in, checking accounts, and other workflows. A reliable, functional testing solution needs tohandle the increasing complexity of mobile applications. It must also support different types of objects, such as Native, Web and Hybrid mobile apps. Functional Testing is fundamental for mobile applications, asit verifies that the software application works as defined.
There are certain best practices in mobile app testing that can be followed for a robust and more efficient functional testing.
- Requirement verification: Without being clear on the requirements, there can be no test plans. However, it is not a good practice to follow the requirements from scratch. The development team has a good understanding of the user commands, integrations, processes and interfaces that are most critical. Through collaboration with the developers a good test plan can be worked out.
- Creation of test plans and prioritizing tests: The best test plan needs to incorporate the objectives, the scope of testing, the resources for testing ...
... and more importantly, the schedule. Test cases need to be prioritized, as not all test cases are equally important.
- Test Automation: Test automation is done in order to improve the software quality while reducing the time to market. However, test cases need to be automated sensibly. Not all test cases can or need to be automated. Test cases which can be easily carried out manually do not require automation. An efficient test plan is a sensible mix and match of manual and automated test cases.
- Executing test cases: An issue tracking system can be implemented initially. This helps to centralize the test repository. Further, it helps assigning the tasks and providing a simple one to one relationship with an issue and its test case.
- Reporting: Management of results is as important as development and testing. The reporting elements need to communicate both the status and progress of testing in such a way that can be well perceived by both the development and the management team. A good reporting system paves the way for a good analysis.
- Analyzing test metrics: Analyzing the test cases depends on the sophistication or the scope of the project. The analysis needs to highlight problems and opportunities in both the development and testing process. This applies as a source of constant improvements and enhancements in order to make the software application much better over time.
Conclusion
Mobile Application Users do not wait for bug fixes, performance improvements and better usability. Instead, they delete/uninstall the apps and find a replacement on the app stores. With emerging technology, implementation of mobile applications pose a number of unique challenges. A well thought out functional test plan can help in verifying and improving the mobile application.