3 Key Components of the Mobile App Testing Cycle
September 11, 2013

Eran Kinsbruner
Perfecto by Perforce

Start with Eran Kinsbruner's blog: Are Your Mobile Apps Ready for the Real World?

An integrated and iterative mobile application testing cycle should include the following key components:

1. Test Automation

For flow control and repetitive testing, automation allows developers to test a function many times without having to manually test a program. This automatic function can give full reports of each execution with helpful statistics and insights, as well as save time and money on problem reproduction.

In a highly fragmented mobile market, the use of device-agnostic scripting lets you build test cases that can be easily maintained, reused and ported to multiple mobile platforms.

2. Performance Testing

Performance testing in real-world conditions is a prerequisite for ensuring the best possible user experience. Simulating mobile load against specific network conditions, and during specific times of day, is very helpful in predicting performance bottlenecks. Application developers/testers must take into account the fact that the number of users for specific applications at peak hour and seasons can be significantly greater than average use.

Testing for performance against pre-OS versions of Android, iOS, etc. enables the detection of OS-specific network issues on specific devices. In this context, it is important to download available beta releases of iOS and Android and test your app against these versions on leading devices (smartphones and tablets) under different network conditions. This lets you identify and fix potential issues before the general OS version release. A good example of this was the avoidable iOS 6.1 network bug, which resulted in 3G network performance issues on 3G networks for iPhone 4S users.

3. Production Monitoring

To enable achievement of your business goals, the mobile quality lifecycle must also include performance monitoring of applications in production. Enterprises cannot afford to launch an app and wait for a problem to occur. By monitoring the application 24/7 on real devices, your operations team can obtain metrics and detailed reports on application behavior and understand exactly what end users are experiencing. Real-time mobile monitoring allows you to isolate, analyze, classify and reproduce issues for fast resolution.

In a dynamic and unpredictable mobile market, a continuous and iterative testing cycle, comprising automated functional testing, performance testing and production monitoring are crucial for meeting users' expectations and maintaining brand loyalty. Mobile APM solutions that address these needs allow enterprises to benchmark success over time and constantly improve the quality of their applications – to the delight of their end users.

Related Links:

www.perfectomobile.com(link is external)

Are Your Mobile Apps Ready for the Real World?

Eran Kinsbruner is Chief Evangelist of Test Automation at Perfecto by Perforce
Share this

Industry News

March 27, 2025

webAI and MacStadium(link is external) announced a strategic partnership that will revolutionize the deployment of large-scale artificial intelligence models using Apple's cutting-edge silicon technology.

March 27, 2025

Development work on the Linux kernel — the core software that underpins the open source Linux operating system — has a new infrastructure partner in Akamai. The company's cloud computing service and content delivery network (CDN) will support kernel.org, the main distribution system for Linux kernel source code and the primary coordination vehicle for its global developer network.

March 27, 2025

Komodor announced a new approach to full-cycle drift management for Kubernetes, with new capabilities to automate the detection, investigation, and remediation of configuration drift—the gradual divergence of Kubernetes clusters from their intended state—helping organizations enforce consistency across large-scale, multi-cluster environments.

March 26, 2025

Red Hat announced the latest updates to Red Hat AI, its portfolio of products and services designed to help accelerate the development and deployment of AI solutions across the hybrid cloud.

March 26, 2025

CloudCasa by Catalogic announced the availability of the latest version of its CloudCasa software.

March 26, 2025

BrowserStack announced the launch of Private Devices, expanding its enterprise portfolio to address the specialized testing needs of organizations with stringent security requirements.

March 25, 2025

Chainguard announced Chainguard Libraries, a catalog of guarded language libraries for Java built securely from source on SLSA L2 infrastructure.

March 25, 2025

Cloudelligent attained Amazon Web Services (AWS) DevOps Competency status.

March 25, 2025

Platform9 formally launched the Platform9 Partner Program.

March 24, 2025

Cosmonic announced the launch of Cosmonic Control, a control plane for managing distributed applications across any cloud, any Kubernetes, any edge, or on premise and self-hosted deployment.

March 20, 2025

Oracle announced the general availability of Oracle Exadata Database Service on Exascale Infrastructure on Oracle Database@Azure(link sends e-mail).

March 20, 2025

Perforce Software announced its acquisition of Snowtrack.

March 19, 2025

Mirantis and Gcore announced an agreement to facilitate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.

March 19, 2025

Amplitude announced the rollout of Session Replay Everywhere.

March 18, 2025

Oracle announced the availability of Java 24, the latest version of the programming language and development platform. Java 24 (Oracle JDK 24) delivers thousands of improvements to help developers maximize productivity and drive innovation. In addition, enhancements to the platform's performance, stability, and security help organizations accelerate their business growth ...