In this post, we will discuss ten critical checks that are required to achieve the right degree of quality for your mobile application, as well as how we implement these concepts in our products.
- What exactly is mobile app testing?
- The Essential Steps for Successful Mobile App Testing
- Checklist for testing mobile applications
1) Rotation of mobile devices (UI/UX testing)
Some applications support not just portrait but also landscape orientations.
As a result, it is critical that developers provide interface adaptation for each orientation, as well as correct behavior when the device orientation changes: when the device orientation changes, interface elements should not be lost, disappear, overlap, or block other elements, but should remain accessible and user-friendly.
2) Large/small text sizes in the app (UI/UX Testing)
Users can modify the text size in the system, which is frequently utilized by visually impaired people. Many developers do not take this into consideration, and huge fonts ruin the UI.
To circumvent this issue, either adjust the design to accommodate larger fonts or disallow changing the font size within the application (system dialog boxes will remain unchanged in any case).
3) Mobile OS access and limitations (Functional Testing)
Any mobile application makes use of many system components (storage, camera, geolocation, etc.). This feature is not always adequately implemented in the code - system accesses are automatically granted / refused, and the program lacks the functionality to interact with them, forcing the user to explicitly setup the application.
To implement system access qualitatively, it is important to request the appropriate access from the user and then work in line with the option provided by the user. If access is prohibited, dialog windows containing information about this and possible next steps appear.
4) Localization of mobile apps (Localization Testing)
The features of different languages add up to the features of the mobile application's overall localization (for example, the German language has a large number of very long words).
To ensure the quality of mobile application localization, it is necessary to pay attention to word length, special characters of each language, take into account when delimiting fields, setting element sizes, hyphenation, and so on. It is also necessary to devote sufficient time to testing on devices with small screens, where such problems may occur.
5) Internet access (Interrupt Testing)
If the developers do not consider this moment and do not create the appropriate dialog boxes / other informational messages on the screens, the user is left wondering what is going on with the application (whether the request was sent, whether the button worked) when the Internet connection is interrupted for whatever reason.
As a result, this behavior must be implemented on every screen/function that relies on an Internet connection.
6) Input text field restrictions and validation (Functional Testing)
Many issues happen when developers do not limit or validate text fields / forms. The greatest strategy to limit is simply to not enable people to provide unnecessary information. Limiting the fields by the number of characters typed is also required, because too many lines might break the UI, severely influence the user experience, and also function with the database.
7) Proper use of the hardware back button (Android only) (User Interface/UX Testing)
Android users actively utilize this button to close everything possible, but developers do not always provide this option for all application elements - dialog boxes, undo operations. This button frequently simply closes the application.
This button is only used to close a high-quality mobile application from the main screen (unless otherwise specified). In other circumstances, this button should be used to close windows and return to the application's navigation.
8) Protection against multiple button clicks/clickable interface elements (Functional Testing)
These situations frequently result in errors, erroneous program behavior, and calls to many windows, functions, and screens. They appear for users as a result of the device freezing and actively pushing the button(s) at that time.
It is recommended that you take the following actions to avoid difficulties with numerous clicks:
- For the length of the request/operation, block the UI.
- Set a delay between pushing a button and pressing another.
- Set the triggering of only the first pressed element if two items are pushed at the same time.
9) Handling of push notifications correctly (Functional Testing)
Push notifications provide an easy way for a user to interact with a mobile application. It enables you to rapidly obtain the information you require from it as well as go directly to individual modules, which speeds up the user's work in the application.
However, the implementation of Push notifications is complicated and fraught with issues: clicking on the notice does not launch the application, the application crashes, the data in the notification is shown inaccurately, and so on.
As a result, developers must anticipate potential scenarios for transitioning from a notification to an application, test the behavior of interacting with multiple notifications from an application concurrently, and manage potential issues while contacting notifications and application modules.
10) Interruptions from mobile apps (Interrupt Testing)
When multiple apps are operating at the same time, users frequently experience system disturbances.
Interrupts frequently prevent a user from completing a script that has been interrupted by another application/system activity. It can also cause the application to crash, slow down, and produce other unexpected issues. The following are the most common interruptions: minimizing the application to the background, maximizing from the background, connecting / disconnecting the charger, and losing / recovering the network connection.
To avoid the unintended implications of this element, extensively test the application's operation under system interrupt conditions and plan for the handling of various failures connected with interruptions.
Last but not least
Thus, ensuring the quality of a mobile application is a complex, multi-level, and multifaceted process, and undoubtedly one of the most important both during the development stage and during the maintenance stage, allowing the application to be convenient and functional for the user while competing in the market among many other similar solutions.Please contact us if you want to learn more about how our technical knowledge in quality assurance can help you take your business to the next level.