Often forgotten or looked down on, Quality Assurance Testers (QA Testers) actually represent a profession that should be given huge credit to in a well-developed mobile application. In fact, their work is so important, that without a team of experienced QA Testers, a whole app project can face serious problems or even fail.
Our experience shows, however, that people generally don’t know what exactly QA Testers do or why their role in a software house is so crucial. That’s why we prepared a short guide to depict what are Testers responsible for in a mobile development process.
WHAT IS QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTING?
No product manufactured by a team of coworkers is entirely free of bugs or needs no improvements from the very beginning. Especially, as complex as software development, where code can be written in many different ways, and it is important to ensure that all team members are on the same page all the time.
That’s why, quality of services can only be assured by a constant process of defining standards, checking whether the product meets them and suggesting improvement. This process is called Quality Assurance and takes place simultaneously with app coding process.
The most important part of Quality Assurance process is, of course, testing an app. QA Testers test all aspects of a developed app, both manually and by applying testing tools, to ensure that the ready product is polished up.
WHAT DO QA TESTERS DO?
What first comes to mind when you think of QA Testers’ responsibilities is, of course, preparing and conducting tests on the developed software. They go through the whole app in a systematic way, checking whether a potential end-user can easily make use of all its functionalities and whether the product is intuitive and user-friendly.
Testers’ role doesn’t end here, however. Apart from scientific mind and paying close attention to details, a good candidate for this job should also possess excellent communication skills. They should be able to accurately address problematic issues and suggest possible solutions, all in a tactful and precise manner.
WHAT ARE SOFTWARE TESTING TYPES?
Software tests can take several different forms, depending on the requirements of the project. Here’s a short list of them.
- Compatibility Testing – here Testers check whether an app is compatible with the OS or its other versions, for instance – a website.
- Smoke Testing – means basic check-up of software functionalities.
- Alpha and Beta Testing – includes verifying if a certain solution works for a user in an internal (alpha) and external (beta) form.
- Destructive Testing – the goal is to cause software failure to check where its limits are.
- Usability Testing – checking whether user interface is easy to use.
WHAT IS TESTERS’ ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS?
Although often forgotten, Testers’ role in mobile development process is extremely important and can’t be omitted. QA Testers check an app for bugs in the software, from complete crashes to minor glitches. They are app’s first audience, reporting on its usability and suggesting improvements.
What’s more, Testers are responsible for assuring quality of an app in every aspect – from functionalities and smooth working to spelling mistakes, localization problems, graphical or audio glitches.
WHY ARE QA TESTERS SO IMPORTANT?
Testers are inevitable in producing a mobile app because users are getting more and more intolerant for apps that don’t work perfectly from the very beginning. One in four of them will give an app only one chance so good first impressions is absolutely crucial.
What’s more, even the best team of developers always face different problems while working on an app. If you are focused on a project for some time, it is getting more and more difficult to look at it from a different perspective. That’s why going through it by a Tester, especially one that has not yet checked this app, always gives a new perspective.
Apart from checking an app manually, QA Testers are often programmers themselves and their role is to use specific tools that will automatically test the app for certain bugs, which cannot be easily addressed by a human. Their experience is here inevitable, as they need to possess knowledge of what can go wrong as well as skills and logical thinking to design a software that will find all potential bugs.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Quality Assurance Testers are definitely some of the most important employees of each software house. By preventing bugs and lags, they also prevent potential problems that may occur while a ready product is used. And with the high rates of app abandonment caused by lags and problems with usability, Testers’ role of checking whether everything is alright before app is released is getting even bigger.
That’s why if you are willing to develop a great mobile application, don’t forget about tests. Save an adequate amount of your funds on this inevitable step of development process, and you can be sure to get a product of the highest quality.
What does the whole mobile app development process look like? Check our quick guide.
