Web and Mobile Application Testing

Application testing is an important part of the software development life cycle. In an increasingly competitive market, the performance and reliability of a new application have a significant impact on its popularity and sales. This is why development teams focus on running through web and mobile application tests on their digital products before their final deployment. A well-tested and approved application saves developers time and resources, while also guaranteeing a better user experience for customers.

Application testing consists of a wide range of protocols and testing frameworks meant to verify the functionality of a developing software application. It employs a combination of manual as well as automated testing processes to identify and correct faults within an application during its early-stage development. This article explains the fundamentals of web and mobile application testing which can be used to guide your software testing endeavors.

What is Application Testing?

Application testing is the process of evaluating the functional proficiency of software applications to ensure that they deliver on their performance metrics. A wide range of testing tools, scripts, and frameworks are utilized to test different aspects of a developing application. Application testing checks whether a given software can perform reliably under real-world conditions before it is released to the wider market. 

Identification of errors or performance issues in the early stages of application development helps companies correct these issues before the final stage of software production. This helps development teams build more robust and high-quality software applications, leading to improved customer satisfaction and trust. 

Application Testing Methodologies

Application testing can be a complex and highly differentiated process where each feature of developing software is tested to check its performance. Here are some common methodologies applied during an application testing cycle:

Black Box Testing

Black box testing is an application testing method that assesses the functional performance of an application without checking its internal structure or coding. Testers focus solely on the behavior of a given software by examining how it interacts with user inputs. The internal framework and programming of the application are set aside as a “black box”, and its utility is evaluated from an end-user perspective. Some popular black box testing methods include boundary value analysis, equivalence partitioning, and use case testing.

White Box Testing

White box testing focuses on examining the internal structure or programming of a software application. Also called clear box or structural testing, this method is used to analyze the coding, development architecture, and framework design of developing software. White box tests try to verify the individual components of an application while checking for consistency in logic structures, and associated coding scripts. Some popular white box testing techniques include statement coverage, path coverage, and branch coverage. These techniques aim to offer insights into the internal code quality and reliability of an application.

Grey Box Testing

Grey box testing combines elements of both black box and white box testing to create unique techniques for application testing. Oftentimes, testers can only access a limited understanding of the internal structure of developing software, and customized tests need to be created to get further insights. Grey box tests are designed to test specific features of an application that require an integrated understanding of their internal coding as well as outward performance. This application testing method is used to assess the software’s overall functionality by applying blended testing methodologies. 

Test Plan for Application Testing

Every application has a unique combination of features that meet specific user requirements. Application testing aims to ensure that a developing application performs correctly in the real world by fulfilling its functional mandates. A typical test plan for application testing has the following constituents:

• Defining Test Objectives

The first step of a test planning process is to define the purpose, scope, and key objectives of a particular test. This step is crucial for guiding the development and further execution of a test strategy.

• Framing a Test Strategy

A combination of testing methodologies is used to develop a unique testing framework to measure pre-defined performance indicators. This involves detailing the approach, tools, and environments that will be used in executing a testing cycle.

• Determining Test Phases

A single application testing cycle is made up of multiple phases which check different levels of software performance. Developers need to define the infrastructural and skill requirements of each test phase before embarking on executing them. The main phases of an application test cycle include functional testing, performance testing, usability testing, security testing, and regression testing.

• Test Execution

In this stage, testing scripts and algorithms are functionalized to run a complete application testing cycle. Test cases are executed according to a predefined schedule, and their results are recorded in a systematic manner. This step is key to validate the quality, and reliability of an application before it is deployed in the real world.

• Analysis, Approval, and Feedback

The results obtained in the test execution stage are analyzed and studied to understand the performance of a given application. The parts and features that work well are approved by testers, while those that show faulty performance are examined and rebuilt. Feedback is collected about the overall utility of a test cycle, and suggested improvements are used to fuel future testing scenarios.

Application Testing Tools

Application testing is a complex process that requires different types of software tools, coded scripts, and automated algorithms. Besides these, the skills and testing capabilities of development teams are also important for creating successful application tests. Here are some popular application testing tools available in the market:

• Avo Assure

AvoAssure is an automation testing platform that offers a range of futuristic application testing tools that can test a variety of software. This platform boasts a completely scriptless test automation toolbox, letting testers use a selection of pre-built algorithms to test their applications. AvoAssure focuses on enabling quality checks for every element of an application with reduced manual effort and costs.

• Selenium

Selenium is an open-source automation testing platform that focuses on browser-based web application tests. It consists of a variety of pre-framed testing toolkits such as the Selenium Web driver for creating regression testing suites, the Selenium IDE for bug detection and exploratory testing, and the Selenium Grid for scaling by running tests on multiple machines.

• TestSigma

Test Sigma is a powerful cloud-based platform that lets you execute high quality automation tests for web, mobile, desktop apps, and APIs in minutes. With an integrated toolbox that lets you automate tests in plain english, and generate test scripts with the Testsigma recorder, this platform can 5X your testing speed. It also allows for seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines for running continuous testing cycles. 

• Sauce Labs

Sauce Labs is an application testing platform that allows users to develop, test, and deliver high-quality web and mobile apps. This platform focuses on providing a streamlined end-to-end testing process that covers all of your application testing requirements post-deployment.

• Appium

Appium is an open-source ecosystem of softwares designed to facilitate UI automation of mobile, web,TV,  and desktop apps. The Appium documentation is unique for making platform-specific automation capabilities available under a cross-platform, standard API. It allows easy access to its API from any programming language, and supports community development of new Appium extensions.

Use Avo Assure for a Smooth Application Testing Experience

The process of application testing requires a combination of tools, frameworks, and skills to be fruitful. It is difficult to find a complete application testing toolkit on a single software testing platform. Considering developer’s budgets, time constraints, and learning abilities puts further limits on their choice of testing platforms. In such a scenario, Avo Assure offers an integrated application testing environment with in-built tools and features. This allows development teams to meet most of their application testing needs at a single spot which also supports cross-platform integrations.

If you are a developer who is looking for a high-quality solution for application testing, contact Avo Assure!