The time has arrived for you to select an app testing tool for your business, and naturally, you want to embark on a path that leads to success, much like the yellow brick road. Choosing a mobile app testing platform is akin to preparing a stadium before a major game. Efficiency and thoroughness are essential. You need to cover the entire playing field meticulously, leaving no room for errors or oversights. Your objective is to provide the audience with an exceptional experience. However, achieving this requires investing time and effort — there are no shortcuts through automation.
It is imperative to approach your mobile application testing platform with the same level of dedication. Entrust it to capable app testing tools. It’s worth emphasizing that real individuals performing mobile testing on actual devices yield the best results. After all, your aim is to detect any flaws before your customers do. Automated tools lack the same level of contextual awareness.
Emulated devices may fall short in terms of accuracy compared to mobile testing on real devices. Automated testing tools often fail to identify faults that only real devices can readily catch. To acquire the best app testing software, it is crucial to employ real people who interact with your app on actual devices. Only then can you obtain honest and reliable results.
Numerous types of mobile application testing tools exist to facilitate the testing process. However, it is essential to consider a set of criteria to make the right choice.
Tips to choose the right mobile app testing tools
- Ease of Learning and Use
Having the best mobile testing tools won’t be beneficial if they are difficult to learn and use. Considering that multiple team leaders and members will be working with the chosen tool, it’s essential that the learning curve is not overly steep. Simplifying the process is achieved through language-specific libraries, drivers, and JAR files, which contribute to making the best mobile app testing tools user-friendly and accessible.
- Support for Various Programming Languages
When developing mobile applications, you have the flexibility to choose a programming language based on the target audience, business requirements, and budget. However, it is advisable to select a tool that supports the creation of effective test cases in various programming languages. Some widely used options include JavaScript, Python, HTML, CSS, and more. By opting for a tool that accommodates multiple languages, you can ensure greater versatility and compatibility in your mobile app testing process.
- Support for Cross-Platform Testing
In most cases, businesses have a specific platform in mind when developing a mobile application. It is crucial to choose mobile app testing tools that are compatible with that platform, including its various versions and variants. However, it is even more advantageous to select the best mobile app testing tools that support multiple platforms, enabling cross-platform testing. This approach ensures comprehensive testing coverage across different platforms, maximizing the reach and quality of your mobile application.
- Cost
When selecting a mobile app testing tool for testing your mobile application, it is crucial to consider pricing and budget factors as key determinants. It is essential to develop a comprehensive budget for the testing process and thoroughly research the prices of various tools available in the market. Based on this information, you can make an informed decision on the testing tool that aligns with your budgetary requirements.
Considering the cost of the tools helps in justifying the investment and calculating the return on investment (ROI). Businesses should seek tools that have the potential to generate a higher ROI. Additionally, it is advisable to evaluate any additional add-ons, support services, and updates that may come with the testing tool, as these can also impact the overall cost.
By carefully assessing pricing and budget considerations, businesses can make a wise choice in selecting an automation tool that provides value for money and supports their testing requirements effectively.
- Support for Continuous Testing
In the Agile development approach, it is essential for the chosen mobile app testing software to support CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines, specifically focusing on enabling Continuous Testing. Continuous testing plays a vital role within the DevOps framework as an integral part of the continuous integration and deployment process.
In today’s fast-paced world, competing effectively requires the combination of speed and quality, and Continuous Testing is a technique that enables teams to meet customer demands. It involves running tests from the early stages of development and throughout the entire pipeline, ensuring that quality is maintained at each step.
To implement continuous and practical testing, teams need to test on suitable staging environments that replicate the production server. However, manually configuring such staging environments can be time-consuming, costly, and labor-intensive. This is where leveraging a real device cloud, such as the one provided by pCloudy, proves highly beneficial. It simplifies the process and allows teams to access the necessary staging environments efficiently, saving time, money, and effort in the testing process.
- Source Code Requirements and Build Security
When it comes to securing your build distribution, it is crucial to ensure that unauthorized individuals cannot access it. Protecting the security of your build should be a top priority, and simply sending a link via email is not recommended. There are several key considerations to keep in mind.
Firstly, it is advisable to refrain from sharing your build with testers who are no longer part of your team. This is especially important during beta testing, as it can become challenging to manage multiple testers and ensure they are working with the correct build within the designated timeframes.
- Application Refactoring Requirements
It is not advisable to rely solely on automated tools, particularly in this scenario. When it comes to making your application testable, modifications and refactoring are often necessary. It is crucial to have a testing professional carefully review all changes made before and after the application is refactored. Automated processes alone are not recommended, and it is essential to conduct thorough and diligent real testing.
To ensure the desired outcomes are achieved, it is important to select a continuous testing tool that aligns with your specific requirements and can effectively perform the necessary tasks. By choosing the right tool and employing diligent testing practices, you can enhance the quality and reliability of your application.
- Device fragmentation and platform support
Once your app is released in the market, it is important to ensure its compatibility with a wide range of devices, including those with diverse screen sizes, resolutions, operating system versions, and carrier settings. This requires testers and developers to utilize a mobile app testing tool that can efficiently handle these variables during the app testing process. The ability of the testing tool to function across multiple platforms is key for cost optimization and convenience.
It is therefore crucial to identify the platforms on which the tool can run effectively. Additionally, it is beneficial to verify whether the mobile app automation testing tool supports cross-browser testing, which allows you to assess the app’s performance and functionality across different web browsers.
By selecting a tool that is compatible with multiple platforms and offers cross-browser testing capabilities, you can optimize your testing efforts, reduce costs, and ensure a seamless user experience across various devices and browsers.
- Testing different network settings
In today’s diverse device landscape, each device connects to the internet through various frequencies, bandwidths, and mediums. For instance, mobile phones and tablets rely on wireless networks, while desktops and laptops typically utilize wired connections for more stable internet access. However, wireless networks tend to be slower and less reliable compared to wired networks. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct IoT (Internet of Things) tests to assess the performance of an app under consistent and stable connectivity conditions.
IoT testing encompasses various processes that help evaluate different aspects of the app, such as security, analytics, device compatibility, processor performance, network stability, operating system functionality, platform compatibility, and adherence to industry standards. By conducting comprehensive IoT testing, you can ensure that your app performs optimally across a wide range of devices and network environments, providing a seamless user experience regardless of the connectivity medium being used.
Conclusion
The aforementioned criteria provide a general foundation for selecting a testing tool, but it is important to note that a tester, drawing on their experience and employing rational thinking, may consider additional parameters in collaboration with the business team to choose the best testing tool for mobile app testing.
The specific needs and requirements of the project, the team’s expertise and familiarity with certain tools, budget constraints, and the desired testing approach can all influence the selection process. Testers may also consider factors such as the tool’s scalability, integration capabilities with existing systems, ease of collaboration and reporting, availability of support and documentation, and the tool’s reputation in the industry.
By incorporating their expertise and engaging in a collaborative effort with the business team, testers can expand the criteria to tailor the selection process and identify the most suitable continuous testing tool that aligns with the unique requirements of the mobile app project.
