Mobile app downloads grew from 59.9 billion to 76.8 billion – that’s a 28% increase in just four years. Thus, we can say that mobile app reliance will still be the trend for the upcoming years.
With the ever-competitive market of mobile apps, app designers worry about how they can assure their users that they receive the best quality of their app. Fret not since this article will provide you with QA solutions for mobile applications. Here are some tips from QA experts to elevate the quality of your mobile app:
Tip #1: Establish a Clear and Comprehensive Testing Strategy
Mobile app quality can only improve if you continue to test its usability, functionality, performance, security, and compatibility. But before testing, it is essential to establish a clear and comprehensive testing strategy.
The testing strategy should involve understanding the app’s primary objectives, target users, and the platforms where the app will be available. Moreover, you need to define the scope of testing, the types of tests to perform, and the testing environments to use.
Furthermore, to determine a clear testing strategy, you may start by identifying your app’s primary features, functions, and unique qualities that require comprehensive testing. This may include app navigation, data synchronization, and user authentication. It is best to pay attention closely to the users’ journeys and prioritize testing based on users’ interactions.
Tip #2: Maximize Automated Testing
With the continuous development of efficient systems, automation has become a popular tool in testing mobile applications. Using automated testing tools helps achieve faster development cycles, especially in the highly competitive app development process.
Moreover, using automated testing tools, you can minimize human errors as they are code- and script-based. Other main benefits of automated testing include:
- Minimizes the time needed for the feedback cycle for application development
- Allows to perform countless test cases on multiple platforms
- Provides a major advantage of reusability of test scripts
- Evaluates the application’s functionalities, which involves numerous data sets through data-driven testing
- Available 24/7 for testing
- Reduces overall operational cost through effective resource utilization
Tip #3: Conduct Real Device Testing
Although it is already evident that you should conduct real device testing, it is important to emphasize its importance in elevating the mobile quality app. Emulators and simulators may be useful for the initial testing, but these cannot completely capture the nuances in real-world device behavior.
With the many devices available for app users today, you must consider the wide range of devices with varying screen sizes, resolutions, and hardware capabilities in developing your app.
To ensure the app works without any issues, you can create a device matrix that includes popular smartphones and tablets running in various operating systems and versions. Then, you should test your app to determine and solve any device-specific problems, such as layout issues, performance barriers, and compatibility challenges.
Tip #4: Seize User-Centric Testing
One of the greatest indicators of your app’s success is user satisfaction. So, to meet the expectations of the app users, you need to seize the user-centric testing approach. It involves usability testing, beta testing, and gathering user feedback after release.
Usability testing. This is a crucial factor in the user-centric testing approach as it involves testing various factors, such as interface experience, performance quality, functionality, navigation, and more, simulating how actual users will use the app.
Beta testing. Through this test, you can receive feedback from actual users on a pre-release version of the app. That way, you can still make little adjustments and fix any issues before the app is released to the general public.
Post-release user feedback. After the product’s release, it is vital to have channels where users can provide feedback and report bugs. Moreover, you should encourage users to leave reviews and properly engage with them to address concerns. This process not only improves app quality but also enhances user loyalty and retention.
Final Thoughts
With countless mobile applications available on the market today, one can only expect great competition for downloads and users. As a mobile app designer, one way to have an advantage in the competitive market is to elevate your mobile app quality.
Hopefully, this article has successfully guided you on how to improve your mobile app’s quality. The tips presented are from quality assurance experts, so you can ensure these are the best tips to follow.