Testing Requirements for Mobile Applications

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Testing Requirements for Mobile Applications
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Background

• Explosion of mobile technology
• 60 million Smartphone users in US in 2009
• Expected to grow to 142 million by end of 2011
• iPad, other tablets growing in popularity

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Background

• Android, iOS, Palm WebOS, Windows 7 among mobile
  OSes
• Each has unique properties, including unique
  development environment, programming language
  support, etc.

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Problems

• Testing software on mobile devices has unique
  challenges
• These must be considered early in development

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Key factors

• Mobile Context
• Environment limitations e.g. screen, (lack of)
  keyboard, etc.
• Mobile User
• On-the-go not sitting at a desk
• Mobile Application
• Different aspects of the device that the software
  can interact with network operator, I/O
  interfaces, etc.

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Any test plan needs to consider these factors!
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Testing Requirements

• Development process model must focus on testing
  process
• Incremental process most popular used by 70 of
  professionals surveyed
• Test process should consider mobile context 85
  of professionals not using test process designed
  for mobile.

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Testing Requirements

• Mobile applications must be tested on both
  emulator and real devices

Emulator Mobile Device
Functionality Device variations (keyboard, screen size, etc.)
Usability issues, design Usability issues specific to device
User behavior Performance, resources, real-world problems
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Testing Requirements

• Test reports must document details about the test
  environment (emulator/device, device model, OS
  version, etc.)
• Testers must verify that application does not
  harm any existing applications
• Interruptions (e.g. someones calling you) must
  be handled appropriately

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Testing Requirements

• Applications must be tested according to their
  targeted mobile context limitations
• Memory, CPU, screen size/resolution, power, etc.
• Test process must differentiate between features
  to be tested in controlled environment and
  features to be tested in the field.

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Testing Requirements

• Usability testing specific to mobile applications
  must be included in testing phase
• 56 of professionals perform usability testing,
  only 18 do so in field
• Mobile user must have a clear sense of the state
  of the application.
• What have you already done? What can you do now?
  Can you undo actions?

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Testing Requirements

• Application must support change in device
  orientation
• Portrait/landscape format
• Application must ask for permission before making
  connections
• What if user doesnt have unlimited data? Lawsuit!

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And the Survey Says

• No real consensus on the right way to test
  mobile
• Very limited adoption of automated test tools
  (only 10 of professionals surveyed)

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Testing the Tests

• Researchers applied test requirements to a mobile
  shopping app
• Test requirements were found to be beneficial in
  highlighting areas of concern specific to mobile
  apps

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Conclusion

• Testing for mobile has unique challenges
• Vastly different spread in hardware configs
• Mobility
• Hardware constraints
• Recent proliferation of mobile devices -gt lack of
  consensus regarding development
• Companies are winging it

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