7 Mobile App Testing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

7 Mobile App Testing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Making sure you have effective apps for your business requires testing them correctly. Here are mobile app testing mistakes and how to avoid them.

Keyword(s): app testing mistakes

A great idea for an app can be the catalyst for an amazing career, unprecedented growth, and endless opportunities. The concept for Uber was conceived by chance after its founders were unable to catch a cab on a snowy night in Paris. Today, it's valued at over $70 billion.

But to create an app takes more than just a great idea. The software development process is a long and often arduous journey of planning, designing, coding, and, of course, testing. Testing is a crucial part of the app development life cycle, one that is often fraught with app testing mistakes.

If you're in the process of creating an app of your own, or you are part of a software testing team, it's important to be aware of some of the mistakes that are commonly made and obstacles that are often run into—and how to avoid both.

Below are some of the app testing mistakes that are seen time and time again that can get in the way of a stellar app idea coming to fruition. Read on for seven mobile app testing mistakes and what you can do to ensure you're not making them.

1. Not Testing on Enough Systems

The testing process for a mobile app is a lot different than that of a website, for many reasons. One of them being that an app has to be compatible in many more environments than a website does. While a website might need to work well on a few different types of browsers, a mobile app needs to work on different devices with thousands of different options for operating systems.

Android and iOS, for example, will require two completely different configurations. Even if you only choose to release your app on one, there is still a range of different iterations of each. You’ll need to make sure your app works on a number of different operating systems, not just one.

2. Testing on Too Many Systems

On the other side of things, while you do need to make sure your app works across a range of different operating systems, it would be foolish to try to test it on every single one. This would be a time-consuming and almost impossible task that would cause the testing process to lag significantly and delay the release of your app.

Instead of trying to test on every operating system out there, set a more realistic goal for yourself and your team. Think about who your end-user might be and the goal of your app and your company. Then make an educated estimation about which systems might be the most important to test on, to begin with.

3. Not Focusing on UX/UI

It can be easy to prioritize fixing performance issues and looking into things like compatibility and speed. However, it is important not to understate the importance of UX and UI when it comes to mobile apps. Users expect apps that are sleek, easy to use, and well designed and they won’t hesitate to remove ones that aren’t from their devices.

Always take time to consider the UX and UI of an app when testing. Even the fastest and most innovative app will fail to impress if it has an off-putting interface.

4. Focusing Too Much on UX/UI

Again, there are two sides to every coin. You should be careful to not focus exclusively on finding bugs and testing for speed and compatibility. However, you should also be careful to not let the design and interface of the app distract you from improving app performance.

Taking a holistic approach allows you to strike a good balance between the two. Making a checklist of things to look out for ahead of time can be a good way to keep things on the right track.

5. Not Having Actual Users Test It

Of course, software testing is an area of expertise that requires certain skills and knowledge. This is why software testing teams are employed during the app development process. However, along with dedicated professional software testers, it is a good idea to have ordinary people test the app, as well.

Having users test it will give you a fresh perspective about what works and what doesn’t. They may pick up on things that a trained professional wouldn't notice. After all, who better to tell you about UX and UI issues than the very users it was created for?

6. Skipping Network Testing

Mobile devices generally run on a few different types of networks, from WiFi to mobile data. With this being the case, it is important that you test your app while connected to various different types of networks.

Failing to do this could result in your app working well on one type of network but not another, which, of course, is something you don’t want.

7. Saving the Testing for the End of the Process

Yes, you definitely want to test your app when it’s fully finished, but that doesn’t mean that that’s the only time you can test it. In fact, best practice dictates that you should test at multiple different points along the life cycle of the app’s development. This way, you can catch mistakes earlier and more easily.

Saving everything for the end of the process might seem like a good time-saving exercise. But if it causes you to not recognize big performance issues until late in the game, it could actually end up having the opposite effect.

Make Sure to Avoid These App Testing Mistakes

Today, there are millions of different types of apps available to download. With all that competition, there's no room for error. You need to be sure your app has been thoroughly tested and is free from obvious flaws.

By avoiding the above app testing mistakes, you'll be one step closer to creating a truly amazing mobile device application. If you need assistance with developing an app, we'd be happy to help. Get in touch today to see what we can do for you.