#Apptesting Archives

Test Android App: Role of Android Espresso & AWS Device Farm

Posted on 18/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

AWS Device Farm is a service that allows you to test your Android and iOS-based apps on real devices and not by using any simulators and using AWS Cloud.

A fierce competition exists in the mobile app development market as the competitor companies are trying hard to get recognized by showcasing their products in the App Stores. After developing an app, one key factor that is remembered is that you should never be in a hurry to upload an app in the App Store. This is where lies the importance of the reviews from the various customers. If by any chance, you upload an app that is unstable, there is every chance that the app will be outright rejected by the users. So, the success of an app depends mostly on this review.

There are many reasons on account of which the apps simply crash and these are network problems, bloatware on the device, inadequate error and exception handling as well as memory issues. Herein lies the need for testing the apps, on multiple platforms and devices as well as on different networks.

Testing an Android App: Role Played by Android Espresso and AWS Device Farm This service enables you to provide the solution that you are seeking to test the app in the right way. You can upload your apps in the Cloud and run Fuzz tests for the purpose of simulating random activity or utilizing the built-in app explorer.

AWS Device Farm will crawl your app and helps to capture screenshots as well as performance metrics and logs. The advantage that it offers is easy to use and quick. You can track the issues that will be faced by your Android app if you use Espresso in AWS Device Farm, much before the app is displayed on the App Store.

What is AWS Device Farm?

There is no need to get distracted by the issues that are faced while testing your Android app like constructing automation infrastructure, building expensive device labs, or even gathering different types of devices and above all ensuring that the devices are available in stable conditions, whenever they are required. The importance of AWS Device Farm lies in the fact that it handles everything most efficiently. In a matter of few minutes, you can test the app on a wide range of devices. Moreover, not only does it allow you to choose the devices, but you can also choose the make and model of the chosen Operating System. It is capable of testing various carrier connections as it can simulate the connection type and conditions.

What is Android Espresso?

Android Espresso is the most popular test automation framework for testing Android apps. Testing is often done with the help of running testing scripts by the developers, Google has now come with Espresso Test Recorder, a tool that helps to create Android apps tests, easily and quickly. So, the advantage lies for those people who do not have any background in coding or building test scripts, generating automated user interface tests for their apps to run on AWS Device Farm. So, the efficiency of the app developers is enhanced, and also the quality of the apps.

How are the Developers Utilizing the AWS Device Farms?

Android Espresso actually helps the developers testing the apps locally as well as the Cloud Setup like AWS Device Farm. AWS Device Farm is used by the developers for the purpose of testing iterative changes through the development process. The functionalities are also tested so that they work well on the various targeted devices. That the applications are running well with the backend system is done with automated canaries running periodic tests using API. It also generates test reports that are of immense help to the developers. It offers the best place to produce issues related to mobile analytics.

Finally, Android Espresso and AWS Device Farms help to ward of app issues, so that only the high-quality apps get displayed on the App Store, not the unstable ones which will fetch the best of reviews from the users, a crucial requirement for building a highly successful app.

A new way to test apps? – Testing as a Service (TaaS)

Posted on 05/07/202008/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

There’s a better way to test the software applications powering your latest business services. It’s called Testing as a Service. TaaS helps to improve the quality of your applications in a way that’s faster, more scalable, simpler and cheaper than traditional testing approaches.

The need for a better, faster and more cost-effective way of testing applications is clear. Applications play an increasingly important role in the products and services that businesses deliver in today’s digital economy. However, ensuring that applications are offered effectively, securely and cost-effectively at speed remains a challenge.

Traditional testing models are neither predictable nor cost-effective. Because they often fail to leverage best-in-class processes and tools their quality may be lower than required. What’s more, the cost of traditional testing is based on the number of testing professionals involved, their skill sets and the engagement’s duration. So extra costs can easily accrue for certain skills, equipment, even desk space. Estimating your total cost can be tricky.

A more efficient way

TaaS is far more efficient than traditional testing models, too. Service providers offer an output-based delivery approach with an efficient and flexible consumption-based procurement model.

With TaaS, customers procure testing services from a catalog of standardized deliverables that they can use to assess the functionality, technical quality, performance and even security level of their applications. The deliverables are determined based on the testing outputs needed at different stages of the software development lifecycle. That might be the creation of a test strategy, plan or automated test script or the execution of an automated test.

To make that easy, TaaS supports both modern Agile and DevOps approaches as well as more traditional lifecycles such as Waterfall.

What really differentiates TaaS from traditional testing models is that customers gain tremendous flexibility. They can adjust the type and quantity of deliverables they receive, as well as when they receive them. Customers can quickly and easily tailor their testing to meet their changing project needs, and to scale testing services up or down based on their evolving business demand, avoiding unnecessary costs.

This kind of flexibility is especially important for Agile projects. There, the development teams may prioritize and re-prioritize from sprint to sprint, based on what will deliver the most value to the business.

More scaling, less cost

TaaS is highly scalable. If your testing volumes are lower than expected, the service can be scaled down. Conversely, if demand increases and testing needs to be scaled up, more testers can be quickly rolled in to create the necessary deliverables.

Also, since TaaS is based on output, the service provider is responsible for managing the staffing and availability of tools. This lets the customer focus on higher-value items. Because the service provider manages the day-to-day activities and resources of the testing team, adjusting capacities as needed to meet demand, there’s less complexity and hassle for customers. Costs are less, too, since the customer pays only for what they consume. Because consumption prices are fixed, estimating total costs is easy and accurate.

While TaaS tests are conducted via a public or private cloud, TaaS is not a cloud-only service. It can be used with both your cloud and on-premises systems. Test management software, if required, can also be included as part of the service. The license cost is included in the service, so you won’t have to invest in long-term licenses. That said, if you’ve already made those investments, TaaS can be easily configured to use your existing test-management products.

TaaS is also a lot more than Software as a Service. SaaS includes only the tools. But with TaaS, you also get test cases, test automation, execution and sophisticated tools.

Adopt TaaS and your benefits can include:

Testing services with higher quality, faster speed and lower costs
Greater flexibility and scalability to adjust testing to meet your evolving business needs
Increased testing coverage and efficiency
Freedom from up-front investments and maintenance fees

Here’s a real-world example of attaining lower costs: One of our customers wanted to merge the back-end systems of several companies it had recently acquired. This was to be a multi-year project that would include systems for manufacturing, packaging and shipping. The first phase needed to cover more than 300 requirements and 600 test-case executions. The company would also need to test more than 45 third-party application interfaces. With TaaS and our help, the company successfully completed this project phase at a cost of nearly 40 percent lower than originally forecast.

MVP App Guide- Mobile App Development for Startups

Posted on 09/03/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

Mobile applications are, undoubtedly, the buzz in the entire business world. Today, every business is getting on mobile. But, is it wise to develop a mobile application? Is it a profitable deal, especially when you are a startup struggling to establish itself in the market? The answer to this question is quite difficult to say. You can’t deny the importance of having your own mobile app, as well as can not invest an exorbitant amount of money in a single idea itself. And this situation becomes more complicated when there is a risk of app failure even after pouring all your money and efforts into mobile app development. Remember, there are endless mobile applications in the market- you can’t expect the users to get entice with your app idea & choose it over others. Then what to do? The simplest way to tackle this situation, as per our experts, is to go for MVP – a concept that is bringing down the cost of mobile app development to a great extent.

MVP (Minimal Viable Product) App

An MVP (Minimal Viable Product) is the product (or we can say app) with the least, vital features that target a particular problem using the minimum resources. It enables the start-ups to engage the first users, understand the audience’s needs, and make their application better using the feedbacks gained.

In other words, it is the smallest, quickest yet functional version of your app idea that can be taken into consideration to understand the viability of your app idea.

Talk about Uber, Airbnb, or Foursquare- almost every top-grossing app that is ruling the market today has undergone this phase. In fact, we recommend all of our clients to have a thought on developing an MVP, particularly in case of a complex app idea. Wondering, why? Check out the following points.

Benefits of MVP for Startups

MVP application is the ultimate investment for start-ups, due to the following reasons:

1.Testing the Main Idea at the Earliest

There’s no denying the fact that we all find our ideas good enough to set the market on fire. But, are they really so? Will the users really find them fantastic? The best way to analyze this is to launch an MVP app in the market. Develop an application with just the sufficient features that define your main purpose and launch it in the market. If it offers impressive outcomes, take it to the next step. In the flip side, gather user feedbacks, do market research, and improve your applications so as to launch it in the future. This way, an MVP application can help you to understand the market validity of your idea and can save a lot of money on developing a ‘less-effective’ app.

2.Reaching Investors

It is always better to visit investors with a functional model than a diagrammatical representation or an idea in your head. When you present an MVP to the investor with your future plan, the investor can more likely link to your idea and get interested in it. He need not visualize the main idea- he can see the demand for your app in the market, and hence, can easily agree to your request and contribute to further app development process.

3.Making an Impact on the Market

When talking about mobile application development, you hit the market at once. You have to make extra efforts to immediately attract users. However, in the case of MVP, you can keep on attracting a group of people throughout. With the introduction of every new feature, you can attract more users, as well as entice the existing users. This way, you continue to make an impact on the market.

4.Minimum Development Cost

We all know that the more features & functionalities you include in your app, the more you have to pay for it. If you build a complete mobile application, it might cost you enough to make a hole in your pocket. But, here in MVP, you can test your idea in less than half of the mobile app development cost. Moreover, you need not make a one-time investment; you can invest in different sessions related to the integration of different features into the app.

5.Prevents Losing Interest

It usually happens that the development process takes so much time that you completely feel detached to the idea. In such a scenario, an MVP app is a great investment. It gets developed in lesser time, reaches the market, and keeps you interested in updating it with what the users want.

6.Saves Efforts Time

MVP development not just saves the cost, but also the effort and time. It allows you to determine if your efforts are getting a required response or not. Wherever you find that the efforts are not bringing fruitful results, you can put it on end. This way, it allows the startups to use their potential in the right way!

Wrapping Up!

MVP, as you might have learnt by now, is a crucial element to consider for both startups and established brands. It can help you develop a mobile app successfully. But in case, you are looking forward for understanding various other elements that should be considered for launching an app successfully, have a look at this mobile app development guide.