Competition in the mobile application market has made it necessary for developers to plan out their sprints prior to launching them into action. An end-to-end beta app testing method typically follows these ten steps.
What is beta testing?
When a product team gives a near-complete product to a group of target users, they are conducting android beta apps testing, which is a form of user acceptability testing.
There is no standard for how to set up a beta test or what a beta test android app should look like. It is important that the actual testing technique is appropriate to your testing objectives. Although there are a few conditions that must be met before a product can be considered for beta testing:
- “Feature complete” status means that the product has been fully developed (it should have all the features that are planned for the release version).
- The product ought to be dependable and long-lasting (test participants should not face unpredictable crashes).
- Participants in the study should be drawn from the intended market.
- Participants in the testing process should perform real-world tasks while using an app, and they should do so in an actual setting (not in lab environments).
What is a Beta Program?
A Beta Program is a series of tests meant to see if a finished product lives up to its promise of value. After a product is produced but before it is released, a Beta Program should be implemented. The Product Manager, Product Marketing Manager, Project Manager/Administrator, and Engineer/Support Person are all essential to the success of a Beta Program.
[Also read: Mobile App Testing Trends]
Learn how to execute performance testing on a mobile application by reading an article.
Step 1. Outlining the process
Prior to deciding which use cases will be evaluated manually or automatically, developers should sketch the list of all scenarios to be tested. Identify all of the use cases you want to test for your mobile application, and then create a test plan that outlines the tests you intend to run and the outcomes you expect during the sprint.
Step 2. Choosing the type of mobile tests to run
The next step in mobile testing is to decide whether a test will be performed manually or automatically. When deciding whether to use automated or manual testing for mobile applications, there are a few methods to go about it.
Automated testing is recommended in the following scenarios:
Running a use case is something you do on a regular basis. Consider automating any tests you perform on a regular basis to ensure that the app’s basic functionality is working properly. When you automate typical processes, you save a great deal of effort in the long term because you eliminate repetition-related mistakes.
If the results of a test can be predicted. Conditional testing, such as “if a user presses the button, then the tab opens,” is a common use case for test automation. When the conclusion of a test can be predicted, developers don’t have to spend as much time monitoring and supervising the testing process.
Automated device fragmentation tests are needed. Many different gadgets and screen sizes are available. Many tests are required to ensure that your programme is compatible with such a wide range of hardware. Writing manual tests for different operating systems or screen sizes is preferable to conducting this much testing manually.
Automating smaller tests makes the process simpler and more effective. To save time, you can do automated unit testing, but it’s still preferable to conduct manual back-to-back testing.
Step 3. Preparing test cases for different functionalities
Writing test cases is the next stage in mobile application testing. To get to this point, you can go one of two ways:
- certain app functionalities are tested using requirements-based testing;
- The system is evaluated from a business perspective via scenario-based testing.
In order to perform a test on a mobile application, you must first determine what type of test you want to run. Functional and non-functional tests are the two primary categories of application tests.
What is included in functional testing?
- unit-testing;
- Integration testing;
- System testing;
- Interface testing;
- Regression analysis
- Beta/Acceptance testing.
- Non-functional testing includes:
- Security testing;
- Stress testing;
- Volume testing;
- Testing for performance;
- Load-testing
- Reliability testing;
- Usability testing;
- Compliance testing;
- Localization testing.
It’s time to move on to the testing phase once you’ve decided on the type of test you want to perform.
Step 4: Manual testing
In the Agile testing framework, it is encouraged to employ a blend of human and automated tests rather than relying solely on one or the other.
When a mobile app developer begins a testing sprint, exploratory manual testing is a good place to begin. Another incentive to begin manual testing early is that it does not necessitate any initial investments.
It is critical that you keep a log in Word or Excel of all the testing sessions. Consider doing manual testing sessions in parallel with automated testing to save time in the later phases.
Step 5. Automated testing
Consider automating the most basic or predictable tests after you’ve performed a few manual ones and discovered trends in the results and the frequency with which they need to be executed.
When it comes to performance testing, such as stress and load testing, or spike testing, this is a regular approach.
Choosing the correct automation testing instrument is critical. If you’re having trouble narrowing down your search due to the abundance of options available, consider the following considerations.
The tool you choose for testing should be able to run on a variety of operating systems.
It’s possible that you’ll need to test your app on iOS and Android, as well as.NET and C#, among other development languages. You should have a wide variety of testing platforms available, even if you don’t currently require all of them, because they can be a big barrier to the entire testing process.
It should have a wide variety of options.
Having a tool that allows for the recording and playback of tests is extremely useful for developers. It’s important to remember that manual testing is sometimes the only way to gain a precise picture of the app’s functionality.
Tests can be reused and are resistant to changes.
Reusable, easy-to-maintain tests can save a lot of time when testing new projects thanks to tools that allow developers to construct them.
Step 6: Beta app testing and usability evaluations
A widespread belief is that beta app testing may be used to replace usability testing because they both identify the same problems. This is not true. However, based on our experience, it’s beneficial to perform them both.
A usability test is a good way to kick off a sprint.
Getting feedback from actual consumers is a huge asset when creating a new product. A usability test provides developers with an opportunity to demonstrate prospective features and to focus on those that were well-received by the target audience.
A better fit for beta-testing, however, is when a product is ready and feedback on the complete system is desired before launch. Beta app testing is similar to usability testing in that it helps developers learn what features consumers want so they can better plan the app’s future.
In the end, it is worthwhile to conduct both usability and beta app testing tests. But there is a distinction between usability testing and beta app testing: usability testing focuses on determining how well a feature works, whereas beta app testing gives developers a better idea of how frequently users will use a given application feature.
[Also read: Agile Testing Methodology and its Principles]
Step 7. Performance testing
Following the feature-by-feature testing of your applications, it’s time to look at the overall performance of the system. Mobile performance testing comes into play in this situation. As a result, the app may be evaluated for its performance, scalability, and stability under heavy traffic conditions.
It’s important to figure out what your app can do, as well as how it will be used and how it will operate under ideal settings before you begin performance testing it.
It’s a good idea to start doing performance tests as soon as possible, even if they aren’t done as part of the main testing process until much later.
Be sure to create realistic benchmarks in order to evaluate the effectiveness of performance testing. You may be tempted, though, to look at an app as if you were a user rather than a developer.
Step 8. Security and compliance testing
It’s important for mobile apps to adhere to a wide range of data security standards. Your app’s functions necessitate different levels of data protection. In terms of security, these are some of the most widely accepted guidelines:
Apps that accept payments must adhere to the PCI Data Security Standard.
Mobile healthcare applications that collect, store, or process medical data must comply with HIPAA, the federal privacy law.
Guidelines issued by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) require banks and financial institutions to safeguard sensitive financial data.
To ensure a successful security audit, it’s critical to follow industry norms and put them into action. In addition, a security tester must be prepared to deal with exceptions and unexpected events. In the event that a controlling body needs to assess a security procedure, it must be documented properly.
Step 9. Final version release
All that’s left is to do the last testing sprint to make sure that everything is working properly on the back end and server level before the application can be submitted. If there are no severe issues, the app is released to the app stores. The end-to-end testing sprint is repeated if there are any difficulties with the app.
Step 10. How can Mobcoder specialists help with mobile testing?
We are a software testing company that helps startups and small businesses with mobile testing. In addition to retail, banking, education, entertainment, healthcare, and other industries, we also provide quality assurance services.
The following are some of the mobile app testing services that Mobcoder may provide:
Manual testing
By running tests under human supervision, the staff at Mobcoder is capable of giving customers deeper insights that would often be overlooked during automated tests.
Usability testing
Individual testing sessions are conducted with each participant and findings are analyzed once the focus group is gathered. It is possible for organizations to boost the efficiency of workflows and user happiness by using Mobcoder’s usability testing services.
Load back-end testing
Its goal is to expose system flaws and inconsistencies by increasing the system’s traffic load. For load testing, we use common protocols, support systems’ custom protocols, systems with complicated encrypted protocols or asynchronous calls, as well as web services and service buses… Clients receive both an analysis of a load testing sprint and recommendations on how to fix any issues that were discovered.
Security testing
Testers can find the system’s weak points and devise the best method for enhancing data security by simulating targeted assaults on the system. In order to get to know the system, we first do extensive study. After the pentest is complete, the vulnerabilities found in the system are thoroughly examined. There are scripts and exploits that can be used by our experts. The results of the test, as well as the team’s recommendations, are compiled into a report for the product’s development team.
Conclusion
The entire application lifecycle would be incomplete without the inclusion of mobile application testing. To provide a smooth and comfortable experience for the entire system and to meet security criteria, testing must be successful.
Mobcoder is the place to go if you want to put a mobile app to the test. To keep up with the latest trends and practices in the software industry, we’ve tested hundreds of projects from different industries. Check out our services to see which one is ideal for you. Do you want to talk to us about your project? Contact the Mobcoder team and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
