Going One Step Further Mobile apps have become a vital component of modern life: we use them for entertainment, for banking, for waking up…
Going one step further
Mobile applications have become a vital component of modern life: we use them for entertainment, for banking, to wake up in the morning, to go to the doctor, to schedule our lives. Because of this widespread trust, creating high-quality, functional apps has become one of the most profitable businesses for developers today. But, in the 2018 scenario, everything has to be fast. We expect our Internet and applications to work at lightning speed. Additionally, we also expect the release of new or updated applications to occur at a similar speed.
Creating apps is not a simple process, requiring a lot of testing before public release. And if an app skimps on the testing period in an attempt to beat competitors to the finish line, the end result is often problematic and non-functional. The invention of test automation programs has led to a faster and more effective creation process. But what can be done to further accelerate the speed of automated application testing? What actions can you take to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible, allowing your business to outperform competitors?
1. Choose the right tests to automate
While automation is a remarkable testing tool, it cannot work alone. It's important for developers to decide which test cases to automate and which ones work best when tested manually by team members.
When deciding which tests to automate, it's best to turn to Mike Cohn's Testing Pyramid, which presents three main areas where automation is most effective. They are: unit, service and user interface testing. Each of these vital areas is improved by automation. For example, unit test automation can identify bugs that exist in an application's code, informing team members where it can be found. Without automation, human eyes would have to examine line after line of code. This tedious work tires the brain, allowing simple mistakes to turn a quick process into a time-consuming ordeal.
Many tests need to be run repeatedly, which can become tedious when performed manually. Tired or bored team members make mistakes that an automated system would never make. Assign automation to test cases that run frequently and require large amounts of data, all performing the same action. Human minds get tired; machines don't.
2. Start testing early
Testing does not occur at the end of a development cycle. Instead, it should be a process carried out throughout the creation of the application. Testing early in an application's lifecycle allows the development team more opportunities to detect potentially harmful bugs. Some tests can be implemented on the first day of development and create a solid foundation for building the automated system.
Some tests that may be performed during the development phase include:
- Performance and Stress Testing – Designed to evaluate the functionality of your application over long periods of time.
- Functional testing – Uses data to determine application inputs, expected results, and compares those expectations to actual results.
- Regression testing – Tests for unwanted changes in application performance as a result of code changes.
Remember that it is much more cost-effective to fix bugs discovered early than to fix bugs after the application has already been released. Testing upfront saves your team time and money.
3. Create adaptive tests
Your application will undergo several changes throughout the development process. Among them are user requirements or user interface. This can change with each new build, and if you are not prepared, your testing system may need to be recreated from scratch.
By ensuring that your tests can adapt to changes in processes, such as control labels and their locations, you ensure that automated tests can continue to fulfill their purpose without ever needing to make changes.
4. Have the right team in place
Your quality assessment team has a strong effect on the various tests your automation program will need to perform. The knowledge and experience of your team members must be taken into consideration before beginning the process of dividing efforts. Understand which team members are most proficient in certain areas, such as writing and understanding scripting languages, and assign them the role in which they will be most effective.
Remember that testing is much more effective when carried out as a team. More eyes mean more potential to detect blunt defects. Having the right team will help the automation process run more smoothly and produce a better product in the end.
