Hands-On Mobile App Testing
A Guide for Mobile Testers and Anyone Involved in the Mobile App Business
Published on 4. June 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-13-419171-3 (ISBN)
Description
The First Complete Guide to Mobile App Testing and Quality Assurance: Start-to-Finish Testing Solutions for Both Android and iOS
Today, mobile apps must meet rigorous standards of reliability, usability, security, and performance. However, many mobile developers have limited testing experience, and mobile platforms raise new challenges even for long-time testers. Now, Hands-On Mobile App Testing provides the solution: an end-to-end blueprint for thoroughly testing any iOS or Android mobile app.
Reflecting his extensive real-life experience, Daniel Knott offers practical guidance on everything from mobile test planning to automation. He provides expert insights on mobile-centric issues, such as testing sensor inputs, battery usage, and hybrid apps, as well as advice on coping with device and platform fragmentation, and more.
If you want top-quality apps as much as your users do, this guide will help you deliver them. You'll find it invaluable-whether you're part of a large development team or you are the team.
Learn how to
Establish your optimal mobile test and launch strategy
Create tests that reflect your customers, data networks, devices, and business models
Choose and implement the best Android and iOS testing tools
Automate testing while ensuring comprehensive coverage
Master both functional and nonfunctional approaches to testing
Address mobile's rapid release cycles
Test on emulators, simulators, and actual devices
Test native, hybrid, and Web mobile apps
Gain value from crowd and cloud testing (and understand their limitations)
Test database access and local storage
Drive value from testing throughout your app lifecycle
Start testing wearables, connected homes/cars, and Internet of Things devices
Today, mobile apps must meet rigorous standards of reliability, usability, security, and performance. However, many mobile developers have limited testing experience, and mobile platforms raise new challenges even for long-time testers. Now, Hands-On Mobile App Testing provides the solution: an end-to-end blueprint for thoroughly testing any iOS or Android mobile app.
Reflecting his extensive real-life experience, Daniel Knott offers practical guidance on everything from mobile test planning to automation. He provides expert insights on mobile-centric issues, such as testing sensor inputs, battery usage, and hybrid apps, as well as advice on coping with device and platform fragmentation, and more.
If you want top-quality apps as much as your users do, this guide will help you deliver them. You'll find it invaluable-whether you're part of a large development team or you are the team.
Learn how to
Establish your optimal mobile test and launch strategy
Create tests that reflect your customers, data networks, devices, and business models
Choose and implement the best Android and iOS testing tools
Automate testing while ensuring comprehensive coverage
Master both functional and nonfunctional approaches to testing
Address mobile's rapid release cycles
Test on emulators, simulators, and actual devices
Test native, hybrid, and Web mobile apps
Gain value from crowd and cloud testing (and understand their limitations)
Test database access and local storage
Drive value from testing throughout your app lifecycle
Start testing wearables, connected homes/cars, and Internet of Things devices
More details
Person
Daniel Knott has worked in software development and testing since 2003. After launching his career as a trainee at IBM, he studied computer science at the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, Germany, where he quickly developed a passion for testing. He has worked at companies in diverse industries, with responsibility for testing Web, desktop, and mobile applications. He has also developed fully automated testing frameworks for Android, iOS, and Web applications. Knott is a well-known mobile expert, a speaker at conferences throughout Europe, and founder/organizer of two local software testing user groups. He blogs on software quality at adventuresinqa.com.
Content
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
About the Author xix
Chapter 1: What's Special about Mobile Testing? 1
User Expectations 2
Mobility and Data Networks 3
Mobile Devices 4
Mobile Release Cycles 6
Mobile Testing Is Software Testing 8
Summary 9
Chapter 2: Introduction to Mobile Devices and Apps 11
Overview of Mobile Networks 11
Mobile Devices and the Year 2007 14
The Big Two 16
What Types of Apps Exist? 19
Business Models of Mobile Apps 23
App Stores 25
Summary 27
Chapter 3: Challenges in Mobile Testing 29
The Customer 29
Mobile Platforms and Fragmentation 32
Sensors and Interfaces 37
System Apps 44
Internationalization (I18n) and Localization (L10n) 45
Mobile Browsers 47
Summary 48
Chapter 4: How to Test Mobile Apps 51
Emulator, Simulator, or Real Device? 51
Manual Testing versus Automated Testing 52
"Traditional" Testing 53
Mobile-Specific Testing 56
Checklists, Mnemonics, and Mind Maps 84
How to File Mobile Bugs 93
App Quality Alliance 103
Summary 103
Chapter 5: Mobile Test Automation and Tools 105
The Flipped Testing Pyramid 105
Different Types of Test Automation Tools 109
What Should Be Automated? 113
Emulator, Simulator, or Real Device? 115
How to Select the Right Mobile Test Automation Tool 118
Current State of Tools 120
Continuous Integration System 136
Beta Distribution Tools 138
Summary 139
Chapter 6: Additional Mobile Testing Methods 141
Crowd Testing 141
Mobile Cloud Testing 147
Cloud-Based Test Automation 152
Summary 152
Chapter 7: Mobile Test and Launch Strategies 155
Mobile Test Strategy 155
Mobile Launch Strategy 172
Summary 177
Chapter 8: Important Skills for Mobile Testers 179
Skill Set of a Mobile Tester 179
How to Improve Your Mobile Testing Skills 185
Summary 198
Chapter 9: What's Next? And Final Thoughts 199
Internet of Things 199
Wearables 203
Health Apps 205
Final Thoughts 207
Summary 209
Index 211
Acknowledgments xvii
About the Author xix
Chapter 1: What's Special about Mobile Testing? 1
User Expectations 2
Mobility and Data Networks 3
Mobile Devices 4
Mobile Release Cycles 6
Mobile Testing Is Software Testing 8
Summary 9
Chapter 2: Introduction to Mobile Devices and Apps 11
Overview of Mobile Networks 11
Mobile Devices and the Year 2007 14
The Big Two 16
What Types of Apps Exist? 19
Business Models of Mobile Apps 23
App Stores 25
Summary 27
Chapter 3: Challenges in Mobile Testing 29
The Customer 29
Mobile Platforms and Fragmentation 32
Sensors and Interfaces 37
System Apps 44
Internationalization (I18n) and Localization (L10n) 45
Mobile Browsers 47
Summary 48
Chapter 4: How to Test Mobile Apps 51
Emulator, Simulator, or Real Device? 51
Manual Testing versus Automated Testing 52
"Traditional" Testing 53
Mobile-Specific Testing 56
Checklists, Mnemonics, and Mind Maps 84
How to File Mobile Bugs 93
App Quality Alliance 103
Summary 103
Chapter 5: Mobile Test Automation and Tools 105
The Flipped Testing Pyramid 105
Different Types of Test Automation Tools 109
What Should Be Automated? 113
Emulator, Simulator, or Real Device? 115
How to Select the Right Mobile Test Automation Tool 118
Current State of Tools 120
Continuous Integration System 136
Beta Distribution Tools 138
Summary 139
Chapter 6: Additional Mobile Testing Methods 141
Crowd Testing 141
Mobile Cloud Testing 147
Cloud-Based Test Automation 152
Summary 152
Chapter 7: Mobile Test and Launch Strategies 155
Mobile Test Strategy 155
Mobile Launch Strategy 172
Summary 177
Chapter 8: Important Skills for Mobile Testers 179
Skill Set of a Mobile Tester 179
How to Improve Your Mobile Testing Skills 185
Summary 198
Chapter 9: What's Next? And Final Thoughts 199
Internet of Things 199
Wearables 203
Health Apps 205
Final Thoughts 207
Summary 209
Index 211