Mobile and Web Application Development Process - Stage 5b – Quality Assurance
Consider yourself go to a posh, recently established restaurant. Your mouth waters when you choose a meal. When a waiter gives you a platter, you anticipate nirvana when you take the first bite, but it tastes awful. You hardly make an effort to swallow.
Are you going to choose another bite? Are you planning to return to this restaurant?
I predict that the negative initial impression will deter you from coming here for a very long time, if not forever.
Don't let your users down.
No app developer wants their consumers to experience anything similar. Even if your program is updated and enhanced, if people are insulted right away, they will likely remove it and never download it again. The analysis found that crashes and installation issues are the main causes of program deletions after installation. This quantity was around 62%.
Don't let your users down, then. You must be certain that your product will function perfectly. You risk losing them otherwise. How can I do that?
Without a doubt, you must provide quality assurance from the start of the app development process.
Your software has to be tested even if it was created by the most skilled developers. Paying close attention to details determines whether your product will function flawlessly and if consumers will have a satisfying and enjoyable experience.
Naturally, having a bug-free software isn't enough to win over customers. However, a great user experience requires crash-free app performance, which is why we will be concentrating on quality assurance in this post.
What does quality assurance mean in the creation of online and mobile apps?
To assist you grasp what quality assurance, or QA for short, is and what its purpose is in app development, let's provide some facts.
Assurance of Quality
a) Is a means of avoiding errors in programs that are produced and issues when they are delivered to users.
b) Is a step in the app development process that focuses on giving assurance that quality standards will be met (1 ISO 9000:2005, Clause 3.2.11).
c) Is in charge of teaching clients and users, establishing standards, evaluating quality, and choosing tools (cited from Max Summers).
Instruction. The QA team should make sure that training is provided to users who belong to a certain user group and need an introduction to the product. establishing criteria. The app environment, the system version that your app should support, the devices that the app will be tested on, and security risks, such as those in banking applications, may all be suggested by QA.
Writing and running automated tests as well as using human tests to review quality When choosing tools, such as a test management tool or a test automation framework (such as Espresso, XCTest, or Appium), two guidelines should be followed: "Right first time" means that errors should be avoided, and "fit for purpose" means that the product should be appropriate for the intended use (Stebbing, L.
Quality Assurance: The Route to Efficiency and Competitiveness.
e) Is included throughout each developmental stage. It is a step in the process of continuous integration. You may read a fascinating essay on the differences between integrated and linear QA here.
✘ When the app code is completed, quality assurance is not a step in a linear app development process.
✔ QA operates continually and is included throughout all phases of development.
Continuous Integration is an excellent approach that supports Quality Assurance while being employed in the application development process. CI necessitates that developers integrate code into a common repository many times during the day, as ThoughtWorks correctly notes. Automated tests are then used to confirm each check-in, enabling teams to find errors early. Regular integration makes it easy for the development team to find and identify issues.
What is the actual implementation of quality assurance in app development?
How does QA seem in real life? An illustration of how Quality Assurance may be included into the app development process is shown below.
Coding: A QA professional creates automated tests, while a developer produces the code. A pull request is when a developer shares a new section of code with others. Automated test execution: automated tests that verify that newly developed features don't interfere with previously existing ones.
It includes: Static Code Analysis: A code is examined by a specialized software (such as Lint or Sonar) to see whether it satisfies the high standards our development team has established. Putting Unit Tests into Practice: automated tests that verify that every software unit operates as intended. carrying out UI Integration Tests, which are automated tests that verify the proper integration of the app's components.
We employ virtual device testing to identify Android app failures. It mimics an actual user of the program. Code Review: Each piece of code created by a developer is at least reviewed by another developer. Deployment: The client and testers get the most recent alpha/beta release. Manual Tests: the application is tested manually using predetermined use cases. created by QA experts. The feature is finished. Throughout the development phase, the procedure is performed several times.
App owners should be aware of these nine quality assurance best practices. A list of best practices that we advise you to take into account while collaborating with an external development team is provided below.
#1 Quality Assurance is guaranteed by your partner
First, confirm that the quality assurance engineers working for your partner will ensure the best possible product quality throughout the whole development process.
#2 There is a dedicated Quality Assurance professional working on your project
A professional expert who can guarantee QA for your project holistically should be part of the development team. Why? He will mentally plan out the whole project. Pair testing is acceptable for work hygiene, but frequent tester changes run the danger of causing confusion and disorder in the project.
#3 Being a tester is not a waste of your time
Don't spend your time testing your own application. Naturally, you should test the app to provide input and details on how to enhance what has been put in place, but you shouldn't be the one to notice little mistakes or discrepancies between what you have and what is required.
#4 Testers are not developers
Although your partner claims that they lack a quality assurance professional, is it acceptable because the software would be tested by a developer? Not quite, that is.
It is improper for a developer to proofread their own code. An author finds it more difficult to see their own errors. Furthermore, since they comprehend what they have written, developers might see anything as not being a mistake. An additional set of eyes is usually beneficial.
#5 Quality assurance is guaranteed from the start
Don't wait to do quality assurance. The team should handle quality assurance from the start of the development process. Even little mistakes made early on might lead to more complicated issues later on, which will need a lot more time and work to resolve.
The earlier you begin using QA, the less issues you will face later.
#6 You are aware of the results of the tests
Which functionalities have already undergone testing? Which bugs have been discovered? As the owner of the app, you need to be aware of the testing process.
Numerous solutions, such as Testlink, QA Touch, TestRail, or Jira, are available for quickly tracking and monitoring the progress of tests. It is a positive indication of your partner's professional attitude to quality assurance if you see him using this kind of software and providing you with access to the test results. An example of a TestRail screen is shown below.
#7 Various kinds of gadgets should be used to conduct the testing
Because your product should function flawlessly on all smartphone types, it is essential to test your app on various devices.
Smartphone Test Farms (STFs) are an excellent option; find out whether your partner uses STFs or another kind of smartphone farm for testing. An application called STF enables developers to:
execute automated tests using specialized software like Bitrise, which allows testing applications on several devices simultaneously, and remotely monitor and manage real-time testing on numerous devices.
#8 Code review is practiced by developers
Code review is a useful practice if you want your app's code to be written in a clear and transparent manner so that future developers may easily update the app and keep working on the code, but it is not required to create a crash-free app.
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Conclusion
An essential component of developing online and mobile apps is quality assurance. If you want your app to be successful, don't undervalue its importance.