Pros and Cons of Mobile App Testing Methods

Computers and laptop computers, which were the most well-liked equipment for personalized and professional processing alike, have since given solution to mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and other hardware. The mobile revolution is effectively underway and has changed how organizations operate forever. Today development groups must produce agile development functions that meet consumer standards and components requirements, but that is easier in theory.

Mobile devices present a concern unlike any components that emerged before them. There are a variety of helps make and types from companies, each with cool features, capabilities and OS’s. While the skill of creating for the unit is certainly challenging, mobile software testing can be a feat in and of itself. There are a variety of mobile software testing forms that groups can leverage, and each includes its own benefits and drawbacks.

1. Performance Testing

Application performance testing gauges an app's capability to withstand the strain and site visitors that consumers exert frequently. For instance, if way too many users happen to be on simultaneously, it could decelerate an app's reply moment and negatively effect its performance.

The effectiveness of this testing kind is definitely that it requires several evaluations to make sure that the system offers optimal behaviour under hefty workloads and that the app can reply swiftly to any rapid site visitors spikes. These elements will be necessary to verify since it could imply the distinction between preserving and losing consumers.

However, there are also some weaknesses to this testing approach, namely that it needs tools and dedicated efforts for support. In a piece for IBM's The Mobile Enterprise blog, contributor Patrick Fan noted that performance testing tools can easily recognize hardware bottlenecks, but some organizations may need multiple solutions to cover the front-end and back-end of performance.

Organizations also can't rely on one test to gauge app performance; they must execute multiple tests and take the average to get the full picture of how the software is performing. This takes a lot of time and effort, but it's worth it to ensure that the program performs well across mobile platforms.

2. Functional Testing

With this testing type, quality assurance teams analyze how well the system is delivering functional requirements. QA runs these tests by feeding input and comparing actual versus expected outputs. This approach is a significant factor in helping teams determine if they are measuring up to user demands and how to improve their features. 

Software Testing Fundamentals noted that there are some great benefits to functional testing like simulating system usage and eliminating system structure assumptions. This will be important to reaching a range of devices and providing a consistent experience across platforms.

There are a few downsides to functional testing that teams should know about. The first is that functional testing is time-consuming and intensive when done manually, as there's a high likelihood for redundant testing activities. 

Organizations would likely look to test automation integration to take care of these issues, but this effort can introduce additional challenges. 

Functional testing can also miss a lot of logical errors, which requires extra time and effort to evaluate thoroughly or go back and change issues after release. By involving testers from the very beginning, they will be able to create better functional test cases that adhere to user requirements.

3. Security Testing

Mobile devices are increasingly being targeted by cyberthreats like malware, and this can lead to major breaches of sensitive data. For this reason, security testing is absolutely essential to ensure that an app's data and network security acts according to defined guidelines. The good thing is that this method will help keep information and users safer, and can mitigate defects early on.

 

The bad thing about security testing services is that it's not a perfect science. As soon as protection solutions are introduced, cyberattackers are making better threats to breach the system. There are simply a lot of areas to cover, especially when mobile devices have so many different variables. 

TechTarget contributor Greg Reber suggested using security assessment methodologies, but noted that these tools may only identify a limited range of issues. Organizations would still essentially be blind to some problems until they are fully manifested. Teams must look into new testing tools and gauge the best ways to pump up security to deter threats.