In Tips
The devil is in the details. Part 1
In today's post, we will talk about the stages that each developer or tester of a mobile application has to go through. We'll also try to give some useful tips.
Any project always includes several stages.
Even a corporate party consists of certain stages. First, you carefully plan it, and then make a menu and entertainment program. Move to the next stage, and here you are, having pleasant conversations with colleagues and drinking champagne. Then you suddenly find yourself at the bar counter, dancing Irish dances in the style of Amy Farrah Fowler from the Big Bang Theory. Skip at least one stage – and your corporate party will not be called successful.
This is also true for mobile testing. Skip at least one stage, and you may fail. Developing is fun, testing is easy, but the devil is always hiding among the details.
This is also true for mobile testing. Skip at least one stage, and you may fail. Developing is fun, testing is easy, but the devil is always hiding among the details.
Any project always includes several stages.
Even a corporate party consists of certain stages. First, you carefully plan it, and then make a menu and entertainment program. Move to the next stage, and here you are, having pleasant conversations with colleagues and drinking champagne. Then you suddenly find yourself at the bar counter, dancing Irish dances in the style of Amy Farrah Fowler from the Big Bang Theory. Skip at least one stage – and your corporate party will not be called successful.
This is also true for mobile testing. Skip at least one stage, and you may fail. Developing is fun, testing is easy, but the devil is always hiding among the details.
This is also true for mobile testing. Skip at least one stage, and you may fail. Developing is fun, testing is easy, but the devil is always hiding among the details.
1. Documentation Testing
(aka "you never know")
(aka "you never know")
Testing of the documentation is a necessary preparatory stage.
For example, this is exactly what the participants of large-scale projects do. Testing on such a project begins before the software development starts. At this stage, requirements (specification, PRD), test plan, test cases, traceability matrix, etc. are created and analyzed. Thus, the contradictions in the requirements are identified and resolved before the start of development, which significantly reduces the hell of forces expended on testing.
Prior to development, you can also conduct a small preliminary analysis of your future creation.
All this will help you to customize your work in a more productive way.
For example, this is exactly what the participants of large-scale projects do. Testing on such a project begins before the software development starts. At this stage, requirements (specification, PRD), test plan, test cases, traceability matrix, etc. are created and analyzed. Thus, the contradictions in the requirements are identified and resolved before the start of development, which significantly reduces the hell of forces expended on testing.
Prior to development, you can also conduct a small preliminary analysis of your future creation.
- Set which category your application will belong to (social networks, banking, education, food ordering and delivery, tickets, game industry, etc.).
- From the category, your target audience will become clear (adolescents, young mommies, women in their 40s, busy businessmen, schoolchildren, etc.).
- Identify the distribution channels of your application (Google Play, App Store, etc.)
All this will help you to customize your work in a more productive way.
1. Documentation Testing
(aka "you never know")
(aka "you never know")
Testing of the documentation is a necessary preparatory stage.
For example, this is exactly what the participants of large-scale projects do. Testing on such a project begins before the software development starts. At this stage, requirements (specification, PRD), test plan, test cases, traceability matrix, etc. are created and analyzed. Thus, the contradictions in the requirements are identified and resolved before the start of development, which significantly reduces the hell of forces expended on testing.
Prior to development, you can also conduct a small preliminary analysis of your future creation.
All this will help you to customize your work in a more productive way.
For example, this is exactly what the participants of large-scale projects do. Testing on such a project begins before the software development starts. At this stage, requirements (specification, PRD), test plan, test cases, traceability matrix, etc. are created and analyzed. Thus, the contradictions in the requirements are identified and resolved before the start of development, which significantly reduces the hell of forces expended on testing.
Prior to development, you can also conduct a small preliminary analysis of your future creation.
- Set which category your application will belong to (social networks, banking, education, food ordering and delivery, tickets, game industry, etc.).
- From the category, your target audience will become clear (adolescents, young mommies, women in their 40s, busy businessmen, schoolchildren, etc.).
- Identify the distribution channels of your application (Google Play, App Store, etc.)
All this will help you to customize your work in a more productive way.
Our tip:
Think about the future. Write documentation and test before you develop. You never know how much time and money these actions can save.
Our tip:
Think about the future. Write documentation and test before you develop. You never know how much time and money these actions can save.
2. Functional Testing
(aka "just do it")
(aka "just do it")
Functional testing is the stage that accompanies almost any of our business. Even if you bought your nephew a new drone, you just have to first test it yourself, forcing it, for example, to take a sightseeing tour of your office. Not to mention testing the new Lego Mindstorms, which appears to be so cool that it can "accidentally" never get into the hands of your nephew and stay with you forever.
Functional testing is the definition of how the functionality of the application meets our expectations, and also whether it corresponds to its description in the specification (if any). Let's look at the basic checks that need to be carried out to determine the functionality of mobile applications.
Functional testing is the definition of how the functionality of the application meets our expectations, and also whether it corresponds to its description in the specification (if any). Let's look at the basic checks that need to be carried out to determine the functionality of mobile applications.
2. Functional Testing
(aka "just do it")
(aka "just do it")
Functional testing is the stage that accompanies almost any of our business. Even if you bought your nephew a new drone, you just have to first test it yourself, forcing it, for example, to take a sightseeing tour of your office. Not to mention testing the new Lego Mindstorms, which appears to be so cool that it can "accidentally" never get into the hands of your nephew and stay with you forever.
Functional testing is the definition of how the functionality of the application meets our expectations, and also whether it corresponds to its description in the specification (if any). Let's look at the basic checks that need to be carried out to determine the functionality of mobile applications.
Functional testing is the definition of how the functionality of the application meets our expectations, and also whether it corresponds to its description in the specification (if any). Let's look at the basic checks that need to be carried out to determine the functionality of mobile applications.
- Application installation should be done without significant errors if the device meets the system requirements.
- Ensure that the operation of the application during the start/exit meets the basic requirements.
- Make sure the application starts correctly in autorun mode
Our tip:
Do not forget about the user manual. Believe us, they will need it.
- Check the correct functioning of the required fields.
- Make sure that the user can perform typical operations: buying, adding goods to the basket, ordering goods, fighting with swords, making a list – check everything.
- Ensure that the application supports payment transactions through payment systems such as Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, etc.
- Check the recovery of user actions regardless of the device, but with reference to the user's account.
Our advice:
Your user should buy the application and make sure that the money was spent for a good reason, or download the application and make sure that the description was no fake.
- Incoming and outgoing calls, SMS and MMS.
- Discharge/removal of the battery.
- Network / Wi-Fi disconnect and connect.
- SD card disconnect and connect.
Our tip:
Do not forget that the user can pull out the charging cord at any time. Check out how your application behaves at this moment.
- Statistics display.
- Corresponding button response when pressed.
- Network access error messages.
- Availability and synchronization of sound, vibration and visual notifications.
- The appearance of a message at the end of the process (game).
Our tip:
Test your application's reaction to a user's attempt to delete important informational messages. Users can do things that you don't even suspect them to do, believe us.
- Make sure the update progress is displayed correctly.
- Make sure all user data is saved after updates.
- Test various ways to install updates (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB).
Do not forget that outdated versions of operating systems must also support your updates.
- Lack of space to install or run the application.
- Memory leak. Pay attention to the application windows with a lot of information and tasks with a long workflow.
- Install/replace the application on the SD card.
- Lack of some features supported by the application (3G, SD card).
- Make sure that the installed application does not interfere with the normal operation of other applications and does not use their memory.
- Test the correctness of connecting/disconnecting players, connecting players through different networks.
- Make sure the error messages are correct and appropriate.
- Check connectivity to analytics tools such as Google Analytics.
- Power consumption testing.
- Check the necessary parameters for proper work with social networks – "Share", "Publish", "Navigation".
- Application installation should be done without significant errors if the device meets the system requirements.
- Ensure that the operation of the application during the start/exit meets the basic requirements.
- Make sure the application starts correctly in autorun mode
Our tip:
Do not forget about the user manual. Believe us, they will need it.
- Check the correct functioning of the required fields.
- Make sure that the user can perform typical operations: buying, adding goods to the basket, ordering goods, fighting with swords, making a list – check everything.
- Ensure that the application supports payment transactions through payment systems such as Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, etc.
- Check the recovery of user actions regardless of the device, but with reference to the user's account.
Our advice:
Your user should buy the application and make sure that the money was spent for a good reason, or download the application and make sure that the description was no fake.
- Incoming and outgoing calls, SMS and MMS.
- Discharge/removal of the battery.
- Network / Wi-Fi disconnect and connect.
- SD card disconnect and connect.
Our tip:
Do not forget that the user can pull out the charging cord at any time. Check out how your application behaves at this moment.
- Statistics display.
- Corresponding button response when pressed.
- Network access error messages.
- Availability and synchronization of sound, vibration and visual notifications.
- The appearance of a message at the end of the process (game).
Our tip:
Test your application's reaction to a user's attempt to delete important informational messages. Users can do things that you don't even suspect them to do, believe us.
- Make sure the update progress is displayed correctly.
- Make sure all user data is saved after updates.
- Test various ways to install updates (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB).
Do not forget that outdated versions of operating systems must also support your updates.
- Lack of space to install or run the application.
- Memory leak. Pay attention to the application windows with a lot of information and tasks with a long workflow.
- Install/replace the application on the SD card.
- Lack of some features supported by the application (3G, SD card).
- Make sure that the installed application does not interfere with the normal operation of other applications and does not use their memory.
- Test the correctness of connecting/disconnecting players, connecting players through different networks.
- Make sure the error messages are correct and appropriate.
- Check connectivity to analytics tools such as Google Analytics.
- Power consumption testing.
- Check the necessary parameters for proper work with social networks – "Share", "Publish", "Navigation".
So the functional testing is something you simply have to do.
Peter-Paul Koch, a mobile application developer and author of "The Mobile Web Handbook", advises anyone who considers their life calm and measured (or simply boring) to try testing something on a mobile device. We think he's damn right. Therefore, in one of the following posts, we will continue to talk about the stages of testing, as well as give some tips that we hope will be useful to both testers and developers of mobile applications.
We love what we do and do it with pleasure. Stay tuned!
QA Camp team
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