The Internet is making everything faster. Unfortunately, that also means our patience is getting shorter. Customers today expect that a mobile app will deliver a flawless experience for them every time. If it doesn’t live up to those expectations even once, that app and the company behind it are on thin ice. Nearly four out of five people say they would only give an app one or two more chances if it didn’t work on the first try. So for businesses that have a mobile app, the product they push out to their customers’ smartphones and tablets must work perfectly every time.
Ensuring the flawless experience customers today have come to expect from mobile apps means businesses and app designers have to make testing their mobile apps the highest priority. That testing process has to include every possible permutation of situations a user could ever put it through. Because, if there’s one thing mobile app experts will tell you, it’s that no situation can be considered too unlikely to test. You might think that a user can’t try and complete a purchase while streaming video from another app, but if your app crashes or freezes while that happens, the user is far more likely to delete it, no matter how unreasonable that might seem to you.
The following checklist will help you test your mobile app to ensure that it will run properly every time your customers try to use it. Business moves quickly today, and nothing moves past you faster than a lost customer.
Testing Checklist: How to Test a Mobile App
- Install app via computer link (i.e., iTunes) Install app via download Internet link (i.e., web app store)
- Launch application in the target language
- Ensure that the application starts up properly on launch Check that orientation is correct on launch
- Check for application stability
- Launch and close 5-10 times or more
- Install app in a location other than the default
- Download an update
- Check graphics appearing in a) Splash/title/logo/loading screen b) Main menu and all its subsidiary menus c) Help/instructions screen(s) d) About screen e) Application pause menu and all its subsidiary menus (if present)
- Uninstall Install when the disk is full
- The application must be free of spelling errors. A spelling error is defined as a strict misspelling of a word (no grammar or punctuation rules will be applied). Missing diacriticals and accents (e.g., acutes, cedillas, umlauts, etc.) will not be reported as spelling errors.
- The application should never leave the user in a position where the state of the application is unknown or appears to be unresponsive (i.e., may have locked up)
- The text in the application must be clear and readable
- The application must be free of technical text display issues such as a) No text cut off b) No text overlapping
- The application works in the device it was targeted for. It is usable on the device.
- The speed of the application is acceptable to the purpose of the application and must not alter the user experience by being uncontrollable. The application must handle unexpected user behavior – for example, erroneous actions and multiple vital presses, An incoming call/video call while using the app, An incoming SMS while using the app.
- Pause and launch music/movie player Pause and launch camera Pause (or not pause) and launch another app. The low battery when using app Plug or unplug USB when using the app
- Change USB connection when using the app
- Close/lock screen and open when using the app
- Close mobile before quit app
- Minimize the app to the status bar and launch it
- Switch to another app, then launch this app from the status bar again. Disk usage Memory usage
- Run app for a long time and check memory usage Use when the disk is full Save/load process when using
- Synchronize with the computer (if applicable) The application must indicate whether data will be permanently deleted or offer easy reversal of the deletion.
- Ensure updates do not corrupt current save data Use with 3G signal Use with 4G signal Use with LTE signal Use with Wi-Fi signal Verify Bluetooth to transfer and connections (if applicable) Use with intermittent signal Use under weak/no signal (such as in a high-speed car, basement)
- Check GPRS data usage Application that uses network capabilities must be able to handle situations where the network connection is not allowed Application that uses network capabilities must be able to take delays and any loss of connection Application that uses network capabilities must be able to use the connection correctly and correctly close it after using it.
NOTES: TESTING CHECKLIST: HOW TO TEST A MOBILE APP
- USER INTERFACE Check all function keys on mobile for both touch screen and keyboard Check UI consistency From very small to tablet-size screens, check UI for incorrect handling of components When zooming in or out, check UI for incorrect handling of components Check each input method: both touch screen and keyboard Check 4/5 finger gesture scrolling if available Check swiping consistency and awareness Check that GameCenter feature functions if available Check that Facebook feature functions if available Check that Twitter feature functions if available Check that the email functions if available Check that in-app purchases functions and no errors occur before and or after purchase
- COMPATIBILITY Run on different OS Run on other devices Change mobile’s time/time zone/date Check after updating OS/firmware Switch to other languages
- LOGIN/LOGOUT
- WEBSITE
- TEXT ENTRY Find-ability/usability for all items Response time for each critical task (performance) File format support Error prevention and detection The application must be able to handle the cases where the connection to the PIM applications is not allowed When connections are used, encryption is used for sending/receiving sensitive data Log in with correct/wrong password Log out Change password Password display (encryption) Security validation Log out and log in with multiple accounts Launch by different browsers if needed Check the look time and load time Check consistency between the mobile site and regular website Launch different version of browsers Switch input methods Check association for each input method www.xbosoft.com
