Challenges and Risks in Mobile Application Testing

Mobile phones have become a crucial part of our daily life nowadays. Everyone – from teenagers to old men – has a personal cell phone of their own. But the mobile phones we see now didn't look like this earlier, instead they were something totally different, something you wouldn't even think of having around you or using. Improved technology has made a great change in the history of mobile phones, transforming the huge brick-like mobile phones of 1995 to sleek and stylish Smartphone we carry with us now. Let's take a ride back to the past and look at how cell phones developed from the bulky walkie-talkie look to today's swipe-savvy descendants.

Mobile Boom is everywhere these days and this is the latest and advanced way of Interaction with the people. Mobile Apps development process on its peak these days and many companies are Developer mobile apps. As we know about the current scenario of the Smartphone World, we got a new surprise each and every day. Mobile landscape is changing Day by day and we like those changes too. There are many mobile OS presents in the market but few are very popular with the public. In this condition it is necessary to test a Mobile application through all possible ways to remain in the competition.

This colossal use and growth of smart mobile phones have led to the development of various applications testing software. Today Android and IOS are the most successful mobile platforms. Most companies are preparing enterprise applications for various mobile handset manufacturers with various flavor of the operating system on different screen sizes and hardware configuration. The testing of mobile app is more complex and time consuming compared to traditional desktop and web applications. The majority of desktop applications need to be tested on a single dominant platform – Windows. The lack of a similar dominant platform for mobile apps results in many apps being developed for and tested on Android, IOS and sometimes even more platforms.


About Mobile application testing

Mobile application testing is a process by which application software developed for hand held mobile devices is tested for its functionality, usability and consistency. Mobile apps either come per-installed or can be installed from mobile software distribution platforms. Mobile devices have witnessed a phenomenal growth in the past few years. A study conducted by the Yankee Group predicts the generation of $4.2 billion in revenue by 2013 through 7 billion U.S. Smartphone app downloads.

Dimensions of Testing Mobile Apps:

The specific types of testing required for each application depends on various factors such as:

• The type of application (banking, gaming, social, or business)
• Target audience type (consumer, enterprise)
• Distribution channel (e.g. Apple App Store, Google Play, direct distribution)

Mobile Application Testing Strategy:

In mobile apps testing actually there are too many tools and techniques available to meet quality requirement. The factors depicted below can help to minimize the testing requirement:

Types of Mobile Application Testing 


Testing is main part of app development process. There are several types of mobile apps for testing with special functions and characteristics. Following are the points which are tested in particular app before releasing it into market

• Notifications
• Updates
• Guidelines
• Orientation
• Platform related issues
• Location services
• Gesture
• Network
• Functionality

Challenges:

There are some critical factors which make mobile testing a critical factor as compared to web based and desktop application testing. Some of the factors that make it a great challenge are:

1. Device Variation
2. Mobile testing tool availability
3. Industry standards
4. Need for skilled specialists

Conclusion:

The significant challenges and risks involved in mobile testing can impact production of mobile applications. The various tools available in market for mobile apps testing not only help in the mobile testing but also provide a platform to measure security and compatibility compliance. Combining the solutions to mobile specific aspects of application testing with traditional best practices and testing processes can effectively address the challenges of mobile apps testing. Thus, the importance of testing for mobile applications before deployment in a live environment cannot be over emphasized. An application with bugs and other issues can hurt not only the profits but even hinders the reputation of the organization.