Two emerging trends in the world of computing are the ever-surging number of mobile netizens and the ever-increasing acceptance of cloud computing. The two often go hand-in-hand and mobile apps are fast becoming the de facto way to access resources from the cloud. And mobile application testing is a critical function that ensures the utility and effectiveness of such apps.
Mobility application testers, however, face many critical challenges compared to conventional software testing.
1. The lead-time for rolling out mobile apps is diametrically shorter compared to the lead-time for launching conventional software. Apps serve a specific purpose and in today’s fast paced and fluid dynamic environment, purposes keep on changing day by day. Mobile apps have a very short shelf life and any delay in launching the app would make it obsolete even before its birth. In short, developers cannot afford to devote considerable time for app testing.
2. Unlike the interface of conventional software which has limited options, mobile apps offer unlimited possibilities. The success of an app depends on its delivering a superior user experience. And what an app developer does is to strive to reconcile cross-platform complexities, optimize hardware features such as touch-sensitive screens and leverage emerging technologies such as GPS, near field communication, voice recognition and much more. All these add layers of complexity to the app, making its testing a very difficult and complex task.
3. Conventional software testing focuses on performance, stability and design. Mobile app testing assumes extra dimensions of carriers, network speeds, network types, screen size, handset compatibility, vendor interaction and several other features. However, the key focus has to remain on performance, functionality, automation, security and upgrades as mobility app testers might get too carried away with enhancing the user experience through attractive interfaces and versatility to the extent of ignoring the basics. It is such basics that lay the bedrock of a good user experience in the first place.
In the wake of such challenges, mobile application testing has now become a separate function in its own right done by multiple teams, each responsible for specific aspects. This raises a fresh challenge to ensure smooth integration of such different testing modules.