Category: Manual Functional Testing

Designing Microinteractions with Sound: the underrated UX tool

Posted on by Anushka Pandey

Microinteractions – those tiny, often overlooked details in digital products, can make or break user experience. Whether it’s a subtle confirmation click or a haptic buzz, these interactions guide users, provide feedback, and create emotional connections. But one aspect remains underutilized: sound.

While visuals dominate UX design, auditory feedback has a unique power. Our brain processes sound faster than visuals. It takes only 8-10 milliseconds for auditory stimuli to reach the brain, whereas visual stimuli take 20-40 milliseconds. Additionally, our reaction time to sound (140-160 milliseconds) is quicker than to visuals (180-200 milliseconds).

This evolutionary advantage makes sound an effective tool in microinteraction design. Let’s explore how integrating auditory feedback can enhance digital experiences and how to do it right.

Why Sound Matters in Microinteractions

  1. Faster response time

Humans process and react to sound quicker than visuals, making it perfect for urgent notifications or alerts. Think of:

  • A warning beep in a car when you forget to fasten your seatbelt.
  • An error sound in a payment gateway that instantly signals an issue.

  1. Intuitive navigation

Sound can act as a reinforcement tool for interactions. For example:

  • The familiar ‘sent’ sound in messaging apps confirms an action without needing to check visually.
  • A soft click sound when toggling settings mimics real-world interactions, making it feel natural.

  1. Emotional engagement

Sound has the power to create emotional connections. A well-designed chime in a meditation app can induce relaxation, while a playful success jingle in a game app can create a sense of accomplishment.

The Psychology Behind Sound in Microinteractions

1. Threat detection & attention capture

From an evolutionary perspective, sound was a survival tool. We react instantly to alarming sounds (e.g., a predator’s growl, a baby’s cry). This makes sound a powerful tool for drawing attention.

  • Use Case: Urgent alerts should use distinct, sharp sounds (e.g., emergency notifications, error beeps).

Avoid Overuse: Too many alert sounds can overwhelm users and cause them to ignore important notifications (alert fatigue).

2. The Exposure effect: familiarity breeds comfort

People tend to prefer things they’ve been exposed to repeatedly. This effect can be leveraged in digital experiences:

  • Use Case: The more users hear a pleasant, recognizable sound, the more they associate it with a positive experience (e.g., Netflix’s ‘Tudum’ sound).
  • Avoid Repetition Fatigue: If a sound is overused without variation, it can become annoying (e.g., constant notification dings).

3. The Recency effect: what’s last stays in mind

In auditory experiences, the most recent sound influences perception the most.

  • Use Case: End a process with a memorable sound (e.g., a confirmation chime when an order is placed).
  • Avoid Abrupt Endings: A process should feel complete with a well-designed ending cue.

Best Practices for Integrating Sound in Microinteractions

Keep it subtle & contextual

  • Use soft, natural sounds that don’t disrupt the user’s focus.
  • Example: The gentle swish sound when sending an email.

Ensure sound matches brand personality

Playful brands (e.g., Duolingo) may use cheerful tones, while serious brands (e.g., banking apps) should opt for subtle and professional audio cues.

Give users control

  • Allow users to mute or adjust sound feedback.
  • Example: A toggle for keyboard click sounds in phone settings.

Differentiate positive & negative feedback

  • Success: Pleasant chimes, soft confirmations.
  • Errors: Short, sharp sounds signaling urgency.
  • Example: A success tone for a completed transaction vs. a buzz for failed authentication.

Test across different environments

  • Ensure sounds are clear in noisy settings and not too intrusive in quiet environments.
  • Use real-user feedback to refine audio cues.

Conclusion: Enhancing UX with thoughtful sound design

Sound is an underutilized but highly effective tool in microinteractions. It enhances usability, improves response times, and creates a deeper emotional connection with users.

By applying psychological principles, sound can be strategically designed to improve digital experiences without overwhelming users.

When used right, sound transforms interactions from functional to delightful. So next time you’re designing a digital product, don’t just think visually—listen to what your product is saying.

Guide to mastering Mobile Application testing: types, tools, strategies

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

Mobile application testing involves evaluating an app developed for mobile devices to ensure its functionality, usability, and consistency.

In 2015, Myntra, one of India’s leading fashion e-commerce platforms, made a bold move by transitioning to a completely app-based shopping experience, discontinuing its website.

This decision aimed to provide a more streamlined, mobile-first experience for its tech-savvy customer base. However, just a few months later, Myntra reversed its course, reintroducing the website, acknowledging that not all users were ready to embrace app-only shopping.

This shift highlights the challenges faced by businesses in balancing innovation with user preferences. The advent of mobile testing automation has further added to the overall sophistication.

It involves two major areas: Device Testing and Application Testing. Both focus on ensuring that mobile devices and applications perform optimally but differ in their approach and objectives.

Device Testing

Device testing ensures the mobile device’s hardware and software quality. It includes various checks to confirm that the device itself functions properly. This covers:

  • Hardware Testing: Checking components like the screen, battery, and sensors.
  • Software Testing: Verifying the operating system and internal software functionality.
  • Network Testing: Ensuring proper signal reception and network connectivity.
  • Factory Testing: An automatic sanity check to ensure the device is defect-free after manufacturing.

Application Testing

Application testing focuses on ensuring that a mobile app works as intended across different devices and operating systems. It evaluates the app’s functionality, usability,and performance, including:

  • Functional Testing: Validates that all app features work as expected.
  • Performance Testing: Assesses how the app performs under different conditions.
  • Security Testing: Ensures that the app is secure from vulnerabilities.
  • Memory Leakage Testing: Identifies and resolves memory-related issues in the app.

Tools of the Trade – Mobile Emulators vs Simulators: Choosing the Right Fit

When testing mobile apps, we often use emulators or simulators instead of real devices to save costs and time. For instance, if you’re building a flight booking app, it might be impractical to test it on every device. This is where mobile emulators and simulators come in.

Emulators replicate both the software and hardware of mobile devices, but they tend to be slower and less reliable than actual devices. Simulators, on the other hand, focus on software and are faster. They but may not accurately mimic hardware functions like battery or camera.

While both are useful during development, a final sanity check on real devices ensures accurate results. This is especially crucial for apps like flight booking, where real-time data accuracy is crucial.

Exploring Options – Categories of Mobile App Testing: Covering All the Bases

Below are the key categories of mobile testing:

    1. Functional Testing

      Functional testing ensures that the mobile application works according to the specified requirements. It focuses on verifying whether the application performs its intended functions correctly.

      Example: In a flight booking app, functional testing would verify that:

      • Flight availability is correctly displayed for selected source-destination and date.
      • Past dates do not show up in the flight search results.
      • The app calculates and displays the correct fare.

    2. Compatibility Testing

      This type of testing ensures that the application works across different devices, operating systems, and browsers. Given the vast variety of mobile devices available, compatibility testing helps ensure consistent performance.Example: For a travel booking app like Kayak:

      • Test the app’s ability to search for flights on both Android and iOS devices.
      • Ensure that the app works seamlessly on various screen sizes, like an iPhone 14 vs. an iPad.

    3. Localization Testing

      Localization testing focuses on ensuring that the app functions correctly in different geographical regions. It includes language, cultural norms, and local regulations.

      Duolingo, a popular language-learning app, conducts localization testing to ensure its content is culturally and linguistically accurate across different regions.

      For example, when expanding into the Spanish-speaking market, the app adjusted lessons to account for regional variations in vocabulary and grammar. This ensured a more relevant and engaging experience for users in various Spanish-speaking countries.

    4. Laboratory Testing

      This involves testing the mobile app in a controlled lab environment, typically by network carriers or device manufacturers. It simulates various wireless network conditions to uncover issues that may arise due to network performance.

      Example: In an app like WhatsApp:

      • Simulate network fluctuations or low bandwidth to ensure that voice calls do not drop or degrade when the network is unstable.
      • Test for message delivery in different network conditions (e.g., 3G vs. 4G).

    5. Performance Testing

      Performance testing assesses the speed, responsiveness, and stability of the app, particularly under various levels of load.

      Example: For an app like Instagram:

      • Verify that loading images or videos happens within an acceptable time, even with high user traffic.
      • Test the app’s responsiveness when navigating through the feed or checking notifications.

    6. Stress Testing

      Stress testing evaluates how the app behaves when pushed beyond its normal operational limits, such as handling heavy loads or running for extended periods.

      A notable example of stress testing is during the launch of the Aadhaar digital identity system. As millions of citizens attempted to enroll for Aadhaar simultaneously, the system faced immense traffic.

      Stress testing was crucial in identifying the system’s limits. It could then handle high loads and scale efficiently to accommodate millions of concurrent users without crashing.

    7. Security Testing

      Security testing ensures that the app is resistant to threats and vulnerabilities. It helps in safeguarding sensitive user data and preventing unauthorized access.

      Example: In a banking app like PayPal:

      • Test for vulnerabilities in login systems to ensure data like usernames and passwords are encrypted.
      • Verify that users can’t access accounts from different devices without proper authentication.

    8. Memory Leakage Testing

      Memory leakage testing helps identify issues where an app consumes excessive memory, leading to performance problems or crashes.

      Example: For a game like PUBG Mobile:

      • Monitor memory usage over time to ensure that it does not increase unchecked while playing, leading to app crashes.
      • Test if memory is properly freed after closing the game.

    9. Power Consumption Testing

      Power consumption testing ensures the app does not excessively drain the device’s
      battery, providing a smooth experience even after extended usage.

      When Google Maps first launched with GPS and real-time navigation, it caused significant battery drain due to continuous GPS tracking and high screen brightness.

      After power consumption testing, Google optimized the app by reducing background tasks and introducing a battery saver mode. This improved battery efficiency and set new standards for mobile app power optimization.

    10. Usability Testing

      Usability testing evaluates how user-friendly the app is, ensuring that users can easily navigate and interact with the application.Example: In a food delivery app like Uber Eats:

      • Ensure that the process of browsing menus, adding items to the cart, and completing orders is intuitive and simple.
      • Verify that the design is user-friendly and that users can easily find help or support within the app.

    11. UI Testing

      UI testing checks if the app’s user interface works as intended, focusing on design elements like buttons, icons, fonts, and layout.Example: For an app like Twitter:

      • Test if buttons and menus are properly aligned on different screen sizes.
      • Ensure text displays correctly and is legible, even in different languages or fonts.

The Details – Mobile UI Testing: Creating a User-Friendly Interface

An intuitive and seamless user interface is essential for a positive user experience. Issues like misaligned buttons, truncated text, or cut-off calendar controls can frustrate users and impact app usability. To avoid such scenarios, Mobile UI Testing ensures your application meets design and functionality expectations.

Key Areas to Test

  1. Visual Consistency:
    • Verify the color scheme, themes, and icon styles align with device guidelines.
    • Ensure progress indicators display correctly during page loading.
  2. Screen Orientation and Resolution:
    • Test the app across various resolutions to confirm elements adapt smoothly.
    • Check layout responsiveness for both portrait and landscape modes.
  3. Touchscreen Interactions:
    • Validate multi-touch (e.g., pinch-to-zoom) and single-touch functionalities.
    • Test long touches for context menus versus short touches for default actions.
  4. Button Design:
    • Ensure buttons are adequately sized and positioned for easy access.
  5. Keyboard Functionality:
    • Confirm soft keyboards appear when needed and include relevant shortcuts (e.g., “@”, “.com”).
    • Test soft and hard keyboard interchangeability if applicable.
  6. Device Hard Keys:
    • Validate functionality of keys like Start, Home, Menu, and Back, ensuring consistent behavior with native apps.
  7. Alternative Navigation:
    • For devices without touchscreens, verify smooth navigation via trackballs, wheels, or touchpads.

Comprehensive UI testing ensures your application delivers an engaging, accessible, and frustration-free user experience.

Planning Ahead – Strategies and Tools for Effective Mobile Automation Testing

Testing mobile devices like phones, tablets, and eReaders demands specialized tools and methods, as traditional screen-capture software fails to record touch interactions effectively. Usability practitioners rely on innovative setups, including strategically placed cameras, to capture test interactions.

Key Considerations for Mobile Testing

  • Timeframe and Budget: Determine processes and tools based on your resources.
  • Setup and Equipment: Choose between simple setups or advanced tools like specialized cameras or eye-tracking software.
  • Audience and Devices: Analyze web data to identify your target audience’s devices and platforms for focused testing.

Device Management Tools

Managing mobile testing in large organizations requires robust Mobile Device Management (MDM) software. MDM ensures data security, monitors devices, and integrates with Mobile Application Management for a complete Enterprise Mobility Management solution. A variety of tools are available to meet these needs.

Frameworks Unpacked – Testing Frameworks for Automation: What Works Best

Testing frameworks are essential for ensuring the quality and functionality of mobile applications. Here’s a comparison of popular frameworks for Android and iOS testing, highlighting their features and usage.

Platform Framework Description
Android Robotium Open-source framework for functional, system, and acceptance testing.
UIAutomator Google’s framework for advanced UI testing of native Android apps and games.
Appium Open-source automation for native, hybrid, and mobile web apps using a server.
Calabash User-friendly framework for cross-platform functional testing.
Selendroid Ideal for functional testing, leveraging Selenium-like knowledge.
iOS Appium Cross-platform automation for native, hybrid, and mobile web apps.
Calabash Simple framework for functional testing on iOS and Android.
Zucchini Visual functional testing based on Apple UIAutomation.
UI Automation Apple’s official tool for functional and black-box testing.
FRANK BDD framework using Cucumber for end-to-end and acceptance testing.

Wrapping Up

Mobile testing is challenging due to device fragmentation, making the right tools and  frameworks essential. Ask the right questions—such as how to test a mobile app on a desktop or perform unit testing—before creating a plan.

Emulators and simulators are useful for early testing, but real device testing is necessary to ensure an app performs well under real-world conditions. Beta testing is also crucial to understand user reception and fix potential issues.

Involve QA teams early in the process, alongside business and product teams, to ensure comprehensive testing and a smooth user experience

Comprehensive Guide to Non-Functional Testing Cases for Mobile Apps

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

Mobile applications have become an integral part of our daily lives, serving various purposes from communication to entertainment and productivity. As the demand for mobile apps continues to rise, ensuring their optimal performance becomes paramount. Non-functional testing plays a crucial role in assessing aspects beyond functionality, including performance, usability, reliability, and security.

In this blog, we will delve into a comprehensive exploration of non-functional testing cases for mobile apps to guarantee a seamless user experience.

1. Performance Testing:

a. Load Testing:

  • Assess the app’s response under normal and peak loads.
  • Simulate concurrent user activities to determine the breaking point.
  • Analyze server and network performance to ensure scalability.

b. Stress Testing:

  • Evaluate the app’s behavior under extreme conditions.
  • Identify system vulnerabilities and potential failure points.
  • Gauge the app’s ability to recover gracefully after stress events.

c. Scalability Testing:

  • Examine the app’s performance as user numbers increase.
  • Verify that the app can scale horizontally or vertically.
  • Assess resource allocation and usage efficiency.

2. Usability Testing:

a. User Interface (UI) Testing:

  • Evaluate the app’s visual appeal and consistency.
  • Verify that UI elements are responsive and aligned properly.
  • Ensure compatibility with various device resolutions and screen sizes.

b. User Experience (UX) Testing:

  • Assess the overall flow and intuitiveness of the app.
  • Validate navigation and accessibility features.
  • Gather user feedback on the app’s ease of use.

c. Accessibility Testing:

  • Confirm compliance with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).
  • Evaluate the app’s usability for users with disabilities.
  • Ensure compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies.

3. Reliability Testing:

a. Stability Testing:

  • Evaluate the app’s ability to remain stable over extended periods.
  • Identify memory leaks, crashes, and unexpected shutdowns.
  • Test the app’s resilience to intermittent network connectivity.

b. Recovery Testing:

  • Simulate unexpected interruptions (e.g., phone calls, low battery).
  • Assess the app’s recovery time and data integrity after interruptions.
  • Validate that the app can resume normal functionality seamlessly.

c. Error Handling Testing:

  • Verify the app’s response to user input errors.
  • Test error messages for clarity and user guidance.
  • Ensure the app gracefully handles unexpected errors without crashing.

4. Security Testing:

a. Data Encryption Testing:

  • Confirm that sensitive data is encrypted during transmission.
  • Verify secure storage practices for user credentials and personal information.
  • Assess the app’s resistance to data breaches and unauthorized access.

b. Penetration Testing:

  • Identify and rectify vulnerabilities by simulating real-world cyber-attacks.
  • Test for potential exploits in the app’s code and infrastructure.
  • Validate the effectiveness of security mechanisms in place.

c. Authentication and Authorization Testing:

  • Verify the robustness of user authentication processes.
  • Assess the accuracy of user role-based access controls.
  • Ensure secure session management and token handling.

Non-functional software testing is indispensable for delivering a mobile app that not only meets functional requirements but also excels in terms of performance, usability, reliability, and security. By incorporating the aforementioned testing cases into the development lifecycle, developers can build robust, user-friendly, and secure mobile applications that stand up to the demands of today’s dynamic digital landscape. As mobile technology continues to advance, the importance of comprehensive non-functional testing cannot be overstated, ensuring a positive user experience and maintaining the credibility of mobile apps in an ever-evolving market.

Comprehensive Guide to Cost-Effective Mobile App Testing for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

In today’s digital age, mobile applications have become indispensable tools for businesses of all sizes. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), developing a mobile app can be a game-changer in reaching a wider audience and enhancing customer engagement. However, ensuring the functionality and reliability of a mobile app is crucial for its success. This brings us to the significance of mobile app testing, a process often perceived as expensive and resource-intensive.

In this blog, we will explore practical tips for SMEs to conduct effective mobile app testing services without breaking the bank.

1. Define Clear Testing Objectives

Before embarking on the testing journey, SMEs should clearly define their testing objectives. Identify the critical functionalities that need testing, prioritize user experience elements, and establish performance benchmarks. This targeted approach will streamline the testing process, preventing unnecessary expenses on testing areas that may not significantly impact the app’s success.

2. Leverage Open Source Testing Tools

One cost-effective strategy for mobile app testing is to utilize open-source testing tools. Tools like Appium, Selenium, and JUnit can provide robust testing capabilities without the burden of licensing fees. Open-source tools not only save costs but also benefit from a vast community of developers who contribute to their improvement and provide support.

3. Adopt a Test Automation Strategy

Automating repetitive and time-consuming testing processes can significantly reduce costs and improve efficiency. While it may require an initial investment in automation tools and training, the long-term benefits are substantial. Automated testing allows SMEs to conduct more extensive and rapid testing cycles, ensuring thorough coverage without exhausting resources.

4. Prioritize Devices and Platforms

Testing on every possible device and platform can be both expensive and impractical for SMEs. To optimize resources, identify the most crucial devices and platforms based on your target audience. Utilize market research and analytics to determine the devices and operating systems most commonly used by your users. Focusing on these key areas will ensure broader coverage without inflating testing costs.

5. Implement Crowd Testing

Crowd testing is a cost-effective solution that leverages a diverse group of testers from around the world. By outsourcing testing to a crowd, SMEs can access a wide range of devices, operating systems, and user scenarios without the need for an in-house testing team. Platforms like Applause and Testlio offer crowd testing services, allowing businesses to benefit from real-world testing scenarios at a fraction of the cost.

6. Conduct Usability Testing Early in the Development Cycle

Usability issues can significantly impact the success of mobile app testing services. To avoid costly redesigns later in the development cycle, conduct usability testing early and frequently. Gather feedback from potential users to identify navigation challenges, user interface issues, and overall user satisfaction. Early detection of usability issues can save both time and money in the long run.

7. Implement Continuous Integration and Continuous Testing

Embrace a continuous testing approach by integrating testing into the development pipeline. Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Testing (CT) enable automated testing to occur seamlessly throughout the development process. This proactive approach ensures that issues are identified and addressed promptly, reducing the likelihood of costly fixes later in the development cycle.

8. Establish a Comprehensive Bug Tracking System

Efficient bug tracking is crucial for managing issues identified during testing. Implementing a robust bug-tracking system allows development and testing teams to communicate effectively and prioritize bug fixes. Open-source bug-tracking tools like Bugzilla and Mantis can be cost-effective solutions for SMEs.

Conclusion

Mobile app testing is a critical aspect of ensuring a positive user experience and the success of an application. For small and medium-sized enterprises, it’s essential to adopt cost-effective testing strategies without compromising on quality. By defining clear objectives, leveraging open-source tools, automating testing processes, prioritizing devices and platforms, embracing crowd testing, conducting early usability testing, implementing continuous testing, and establishing a comprehensive bug-tracking system, SMEs can conduct effective mobile app testing within budget constraints. Investing in a strategic mobile testing services company and efficient testing process will not only save costs but also contribute to the development of a reliable and successful mobile application.

Ethical dilemmas that software testers may face, such as dealing with potentially harmful or biased software

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

Testers in the software industry often encounter a range of ethical dilemmas, especially when dealing with potentially harmful or biased software. These dilemmas can be challenging to navigate and require careful consideration of both professional and moral responsibilities. Here are some of the ethical dilemmas testers may face:

Harmful Software: Testers may come across software that has the potential to cause harm to users, either through security vulnerabilities, data breaches, or unintended consequences. The ethical dilemma lies in whether to report these issues promptly or to remain silent, possibly putting users at risk.

Biased Software: Testers may encounter software that exhibits bias, such as machine learning algorithms that discriminate against certain demographic groups. The ethical dilemma here is whether to report the bias and advocate for fairness in the system or to turn a blind eye and allow the bias to persist.

Privacy Concerns: Testers often have access to sensitive user data during testing. Ethical questions arise about how this data is handled, whether it’s adequately protected, and whether testers should voice concerns if they suspect that privacy is not being adequately safeguarded.

Conflict of Interest: Testers sometimes work for organizations with conflicting interests. They may be pressured to ignore or downplay issues to meet tight deadlines or protect the company’s reputation. This dilemma involves choosing between loyalty to the employer and the duty to ensure software quality and user safety.

Unrealistic Expectations: Stakeholders, including management, may have unrealistic expectations about what can be achieved in a given time frame. Testers may face the dilemma of whether to push back against these expectations, risking conflict, or comply with them and potentially compromise software quality.

Whistleblowing: When testers discover unethical practices, security breaches, or other issues within their organization, they may face the difficult decision of whether to blow the whistle on their employer. This can have personal and professional consequences, including potential retaliation.

Unclear Boundaries: Ethical dilemmas can also arise when there are ambiguous boundaries between the roles and responsibilities of testers and developers. Testers may be asked to engage in activities that could be seen as compromising their objectivity, such as assisting in code cover-ups or failing to report issues to meet project goals.

Access to Vulnerabilities: Testers often uncover vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious actors. They must decide how to responsibly disclose these vulnerabilities to minimize harm and protect users, which can involve a fine balance between public disclosure and responsible disclosure to the software provider.

Bias in Testing: Testers themselves can introduce bias into testing, intentionally or unintentionally. For instance, they might focus testing efforts more on certain functionalities, neglecting others. This could lead to biased results that don’t accurately represent the software’s overall quality.

To address these ethical dilemmas, testers can consider the following principles:

User Safety First: Prioritize the safety and well-being of users over organizational interests.

Transparency: Advocate for transparency in the testing process, and openly communicate any concerns or issues discovered.

Whistleblowing Protections: Be aware of whistleblower protection laws and internal reporting mechanisms, if available.

Ethical Guidelines: Adhere to industry-standard codes of ethics and best practices, such as those provided by professional organizations like the ACM or IEEE.

Continuous Learning: Stay informed about ethical issues in software testing and continually develop ethical decision-making skills.

Seek Guidance: Consult with colleagues, mentors, or ethical experts when facing complex ethical dilemmas.

Balancing professional responsibilities with ethical concerns is an ongoing challenge for testers, but it is essential for ensuring the integrity and safety of the software they test.

You may also like our blog on “A Day in the Life of a Software Tester”

Who should test your application? A developer or a tester?

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

Who should test the application? The deciding battle whether to hire a tester or a developer is never-ending. The objective is to verify and validate the application while finding the defects before its release and ensuring its quality.  

While developers aim at creating and developing the application to its best, testers aim at ensuring the application design is of good quality.  

One of the most important factors differentiating a developer and a tester is that the developer stops testing when the application works once while the tester starts testing when the application works. Also, it depends on the mindset that reflects their attitude toward the development of the application.  

Hence, if you are struggling with who can test your application better, then you need to understand how they work. We’re sure at the end of this write-up, you will know the answer.  

How does a tester test? 

A tester… 

1) Tries out both the beaten path and the “odd ways” of testing an application 

  • Testing may sound like a common process. A tester is a person who is responsible for trying out all the necessary usage scenarios for the best working of an application.  
  • Testers follow both the regular testing process and their unconventional ways to ensure that the application works as expected.  
  • A tester is more focused on addressing defects and resolving them before the application can be deployed to users.  
  • Hence, a tester follows both the beaten path and odd ways to try out several different approaches to do the same thing. The agenda is to determine whether a specific combination of steps may lead to application failure or unexpected results.  

2) Tests the same thing over and over again until gets 100% of the expected results 

  • Tester idealizes the process of continuous testing. A tester starts the testing the moment it becomes available.  
  • This type of application testing can also rely on test automation that is integrated with the deployment process.  
  • Though automated testing enables the application to be validated in realistic test environments. However, an ideal tester urges to test the application over and over again.  
  • A result-oriented tester is focused on improving the application design and reducing risks.    

3) Doesn’t limit to the usual process of what needs to be tested and how it needs to be tested 

  • A tester is involved in assessing many stages. Ideally, organizations maintain test assets to track what an application builds to test.  
  • However, a tester is not limited to what needs to be tested. A tester gains access to assets such as requirements, codes, models, test scripts, design documents, and test results.  
  • A tester is completely aware of the parameters of what needs to be tested and how it needs to be tested.  
  • An ideal tester focuses on user authentication and audit trails to help companies meet compliance requirements with minimal administrative effort.  

4) Don’t assume that it will work every time and everywhere 

  • A tester is determined to offer perfection when it comes to testing results. Hence, a tester analyzes the success of testing based on reports and analytics. It eventually helps other team members to share status, goals, and results.  
  • A tester never assumes that the same process will work every time and everywhere. Thus, a tester incorporates advanced tools to integrate project metrics and present results in a dashboard.  
  • This particular practice makes the tester super confident and lets the teams quickly see the overall health of the project. 
  • A tester tests to establish the parameter that defines the development of the application while monitoring relationships between development, test, and other significant elements.  

5) Never satisfied even if it works in the most ways, needs the application to work in every way 

  • A tester knows that testing can be time-consuming. Still, the tester is never satisfied with regular procedures even if it works in most ways.  
  • Several automated software testing tools are used to complete the testing process. However, a tester feels incomplete with automation and runs manual testing or ad-hoc testing to be 100% sure.  
  • The tester is more focused on making sure that the application works in every way irrespective of any circumstances.  
  • A tester is not ready to accept that automated testing helps implement different scenarios and test differentiators. The tester never feels satisfied until the application works in every bit possible way.  

How does a developer test? 

A developer… 

1) Follows the obvious way like how an application is meant to be used 

  • A developer is quite practical in the process and works on the application the way it is meant to be used. Once the features of the application have been nailed down, the developer is supposed to convert them into an actual application. 
  • The developer uses a variety of tools that include programming language, integrated development environments, data structures, staging serves, and more to get the application started.   
  • Once the primary development of the application is completed, a developer tests the application in a regular, necessary way to make sure the application runs the way it should.  

2) Tests once and gets satisfied if the feature works fine  

  • Mostly, a developer follows a definite testing process where the developer writes down and executes basic test cases.  
  • Ideally, this process helps to determine whether the application is structurally sound and performing properly or not. Once the results are in favor, the developer makes the end call and finalizes it.  
  • The developer would only test once if the results are accurate in one try. The developer feels satisfied if the features of the application work fine and even work in usually used ways.  

3) Doesn’t explore and is limited to what needs to be tested  

  • Ideally, a developer is focused on unit testing that is not similar to the way a tester does. The process is followed by developers to determine any necessary bugs while ensuring the application works as expected.  
  • If everything seems good, a developer won’t make extra effort to explore more possibilities of any glitches while using the application.  
  • Developers are aware of bugs that can’t be identified by them. Their mind-sets are focused to follow the usual testing process and report the functioning of the application.  

Conclusion:  

During the testing process, both the tester and developer work in their best possible ways to give 100% favorable results. However, certain parameters can’t be examined by the developer. And this is where the tester’s role comes in.  

5 Metrics to a clearer view of your Project’s Health and Quality

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

Introduction

Metrics are used to measure various characteristics of a project. They describe an attribute, as a unit. From a software point of view, they can be classified into product quality metrics or project quality metrics. Product metrics are the ones that focus on product quality by describing its attributes and features whereas project metrics focus on improving the project quality. There’s another category of metrics, process metrics which we leave for another post.

Why Quality Metrics?

Quality metrics are measured against quality standards to determine whether the product works to the client’s expectations and if the project is in good health. By good health, it is meant that the development of the software (product) is on track with minimal or negligible problems. Problems that might end up hampering the whole development process, hence resulting in delayed results.

One must understand that metrics aren’t just limited to finding defects, but is about getting insights to optimize the development process.  It also concentrates on qualities like reliability, consistency, and so on. Both products as well as project metrics should be measured and monitored with equal importance.

Generally, you might find a huge number of quality metrics to measure. Let’s focus on the ones which help us analyze a project’s health by providing insights that really matter.

Following are the Metrics

 Let’s look into some project metrics:-

1. Finance

Some people may not consider costing as a quality metric to measure, but in reality, it definitely is. Without laying down the budgeting plans, monitoring the expenditure, and going through the finance books, you cannot deliver something of topmost quality as one might run of resources to maintain the same. This eventually ends up affecting the project’s health. Costing should be looked after with the utmost care to sustain good quality and a healthy project. Some metrics to use are:-

  • Cost Variance: Difference between the actual cost and planned cost.
  • Cost per Problem Fixed: Amount spend on an engineer/developer to get the problem fixed.

2. Defect Quantification

To make the project free of bugs and errors, defects need to be quantized and worked upon(fixed). Lesser the number of defects, better the project’s health. Defects can be dealt with in many ways. All we need to make sure is to make the best out of the defect resolution process and hence increase productivity. Some of the metrics are:-

  • Defect Density = Total Number of Defects / Total Number of Modules
  • Defect  Gap Analysis ( Also called Defect Removal Efficiency)% = (Total number of fixed defects/Total number of valid defects reported)/100
  • Defect Age = Average time taken in finding a defect and resolving it.

3. Scheduling

It helps to analyse the progress made in the completion of a project. Being on the schedule should be of topmost priority, as at the end of the day, you might not want to disappoint your stakeholders with a delayed result. All you need to do is stick to the planned schedule and measure Schedule Variance.

  • Schedule Variance:  Difference between the scheduled completion of a task by the actual completion of the task.ie.
  • SV= Actual Time Taken – Time  Scheduled

Every project is eventually a product made available in the market.  Following are the product metrics that one should always measure:-

4. Performance of the Project

Performance is measured by the performance metrics. Every software is designed to accomplish specific tasks and give results. It is measured if the product can deliver as per the requirement of the client by analysing the time taken and the resources used. One way of measuring performance is to set small goals and work for them. After the accomplishment of such goals, study the process. This approach ends up giving exceptional insights into the project’s health.

  • ROI – Return of Investment: Comparison of earned perks/benefits and the actual cost
  • Resource Utilization: Measures how the individual team member’s time is spent.

5. Usability

A program should always be user-friendly, as eventually, it has to be used by an end-user. One way of measuring this is by analysing the project from a user’s perspective almost after every step in the developing process. This will help to fix errors and bugs on the go, so you don’t have to revise the steps you took weeks ago just to fix a recently discovered bug which might end up being really frustrating. Measuring the usability metric will provide insights to improve effectiveness, bring about efficiency, and thus achieve customer satisfaction. Some metrics to measure are:-

  • Task Completion Rate (used to measure effectiveness) Effectiveness = (Number of Completed Tasks/Number of Task Undertaken)*100
  • Task Completion Time =Task End Time – Task Start Time

Conclusion

Summing up, now is the time to get over the traditional practices, and add this method (of measuring metrics) to your work approach. Find the weak points, prioritize opportunities, and experiment to know what works, or what doesn’t. If you want a powerful and attractive project, which is healthy and guarantees customer satisfaction, measuring quality metrics is the answer you’re looking for.

If you’re looking for more information , please contact us we will be happy to help.

Is your QA practice ‘Future-Ready’?

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

COVID-19 has changed the world. It has changed mine. I no longer have the luxury of breathing in the unfiltered atmospheric air, where I get to smell the delicious aroma of food from wayside vendors. There’s always a mask on my face. COVID-19 has affected the way organisations and businesses and QA practice are being run as well. 

Arguably, Quality Assurance practice however, has been not so heavily affected by the pandemic, apart from, save a few structural and behavioural changes. Of course, there may be unprecedented time-to-market pressure or extreme cost pressure but, by and large, relying on the age-old test efficiency rule book will steer software teams out of harm’s way. 

With regards to COVID-19, there seems to be no end in sight and as such, we must actively seek new ways of dealing with the new normal. This is essential in sustaining the QA practice while maintaining the same level of work efficiency and quality of services. I call this ” The future-ready QA practice”. 

First, we must come to terms with the new normal and remote work. QA teams that used to huddle around in small spaces, writing and executing software test plans may not be able to do so anymore. Employees are increasingly being distributed across space and time zones and QA teams must adapt to the new system without compromising on providing the highest quality of digital experiences for the end user. 

Let’s look at the pro’s of the new setup. 

  • One advantage is that work can be done anywhere, or anytime depending on contractual terms. This helps in easier time management and results in higher productivity.
  • This setup could potentially improve employees’ work-life balance, and spillover into positive attitudes towards work.
  • It eliminates the travelling time and cost, the day to day cost of spending a day at office and hence, helps save some crucial time and money.

All the above being true, this does come with its own challenges. Employees may not have an official setup (office desk, space etc.)  fast internet connection, depending on which part of the globe you’re practicing, which could cause release cycle delays and disruptions. Employers must therefore make provision for the requisite tools needed for a smooth practice at home. This could mean accelerating the adoption of digital cloud computing services; SaaS, or helping employees set up adequate home networks for efficiency sake.

Cloud to the rescue

Accessing the test environment presents another challenge for remote QA practice. The test environment could be accessed remotely, either through an on-premises server or a cloud-based service. This further underscores the need to move towards a cloud-based development and test environment. While at it, automated tests must be meticulously written, they must follow the branch of code they test, be peer-reviewed, and merged into the regression set. There should be proper documentation as well, so team members at different geographical areas can troubleshoot a test as easily as the originator.

New Engagement Models

Organisations must also consider new delivery models on important factors such as data security and privacy, risk, and compliance audits. Though remote work is convenient, it poses an increased risk for internet fraud, data loss, or system compromise. While you work hard to meet your client’s expectations, hackers are equally working hard to find vulnerabilities to exploit. It is essential to obtain original software licenses and keep an inventory of all open source usage across development teams. Maybe you could add a VPN to your network, have stricter password policies and more importantly, create backups. I cannot overemphasize the Backup.

New ways to supervise and communicate

Supervision. Effective supervision is the difference between a good product and a great product. Nancy Kline, founder and President of Time to Think, described supervision as an opportunity to bring someone back to their own minds to show them how good they can be. Every employee, no matter how skilled, needs a mentor, a supervisor or just somebody to run things by. Supervisors must set achievable goals with reasonable timelines. Employees must endeavor to meet those timelines while delivering on quality. It is also important to reward hard work. Honorary mentions can be made on the organization’s internal social media groups when an outstanding achievement is made by an employee. This can motivate them to do better and remind others that they’re still being watched though they’re at home.

Adaptive and Agile Workforce

Continuous Professional Development for employees is required to maintain a competitive practice within the industry. Technology is changing. There is always something new to learn, or another skill to garner. More so, the job market is now open to anyone around the world with the required skills who demonstrates aptitude for the task at hand. Therefore, the need to constantly improve skills is now more important than ever. Digital learning, however, makes it easier to acquire skills without necessarily taking time off the job. Admittedly, it will take some effort on the employees’ part and encouragement on the employer’s part to keep up with lessons, but it is far from impossible. Ultimately, it becomes a win-win situation for both employer ( who has the most skillful testers) and employee ( who has developed himself into a more valuable asset).

Keeping the human element alive

Finally, working from home or remote work gives employees a level of isolation. Everybody loves a happy and healthy work environment surrounded by work buddies who would give you a brief pat on your shoulder for a good work done, or rub your back while you’re battling with major bugs. But remote work takes the human element away. This means that communication must be of good quality, proactive (on the part of employees) brief, (nobody wants a nagging boss on the phone for hours) and frequent. This is where tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meets come in handy. The good old telephone call works fine as well. Weekly check-in calls with all employees, seeking suggestions and opinions on what could be improved is admirable. Again, everybody loves a great party. Who says you cannot organise a bring your own bottle party on Zoom? The downside of this is that, when all’s said and done, employers may have a hard time bringing back employees into the office space. But that is the inevitable future, and the faster the acceptance, the better.

While the uncertainty of living in the  Covid-19 era continues to affect organizations  all around the world, only the most agile, dynamic and resilient teams will come out stronger and unscathed. Is your team future-ready?

In summary, being future-ready in QA practice testing means embracing emerging technologies, methodologies, and trends to ensure high-quality software products that meet the demands of the ever-evolving digital landscape. By staying ahead of the curve, QA teams can contribute significantly to the success of software development initiatives. This will help in delivery quality assurance and testing services.

5 things you should know about Digital Analytics

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

A large portion of the world we now live in, happens online. We wake up in the morning not to an alarm clock, but to our wearable devices connected to smart phones. We research things, watch videos, catch up with friends on social networks. We even get directions and book our vacations online. And everything we do leaves a trail of data behind it.

As a consumer, you might not know this, however, as a marketer, you’re using all this consumer data to make better decisions and thinking about how to spend your marketing dollars and improve your websites and mobile apps to optimize the customer experience. All the above is Digital analytics.

By definition data analytics is the process of analysing digital data from various sources like websites, mobile applications, among others. Digital analytics is a tool used by organizations for collecting, measuring, and analysing the qualitative and quantitative data. This data consists information on what your visitors/users are doing, where they come from, what content they like, and a lot more.

Type of data that can be analysed:

Structured data

  • Sales Record
  • Payment or expense details
  • Payroll Details
  • Inventory details
  • Financial details

Unstructured Data:

  • Email and instant message
  • Payment text description
  • Social media activity
  • Corporate document repository
  • News feed.

Business value of digital analytics:

  • Identifying unknown risks.
  • Deeper insight into business to predict customer trends.
  • Act with confidence, based on numbers.
  • Targeted approach based on your actual user base.
  • Deep Analytics and comparisons into different behaviour of your user base.
  • Interactive visualizations of trends
  • Ability to curate projects and then share with non-analysts, making analytics more approachable than ever.

Digital Analytics Use Cases:

Modern analytics framework empowers the ordinary businessmen by bringing advanced analytics tools to their desktop. In Retail it helps to predict sales outcomes for the immediate future and in Healthcare it predicts risk of potential threats to patients’ wellbeing. Financial and risk management uses Big Data, along with predictive analytics, in forecasting demand.  The Consumers and Practitioners of Digital analytics can range from a CXO to a Product Owner.

Stages Involved in Digital Analytics:

  1. Curate: Transforming data in a standard structure to be usable.
  2. Profile: Validating data at a macro level.
  3. Analyse: Examining data to discover essential feature.
  4. Investigate: Observing the data in detail.
  5. Reporting: Documenting and reporting in granular form as per the requirements.

Every organization, regardless of size, requires analytics tools to understand the performance of its website/app, satisfaction of its consumer and gain key context from business rivals. Most Common subset of digital analytics is to analyse the website data that is called web analytics and further let’s know how it is implemented.

Web Analytics Tools:

These tools help us to go way beyond counting hits and page views. It help us to make decisions and find the answers to questions. Different people and different roles in your organization will need different sets of data and different levels of granularity.

For example, a company head will be interested in seeing what the trends of yearly revenues are? A marketing manager might want to drill deeper and understand which marketing channels are driving those revenues? Using the data generated by an e-commerce site, these tools can tell us which products are selling well and which ones aren’t. This can help in inventory management, sales forecasting and even manufacturing or procurement decisions. And we can even deep dive and see which products are selling well in which geographic region.

Following are some trending web analytics tools:

  • Google Analytics
  • Adobe analytics
  • ClickMeter
  • Crazyegg
  • Clicky

Key Concepts of the tools:  

Events: Events are user interactions with content that can be measured independently from a web page or a screen load. Downloads, clicks, Flash elements, and video plays are all examples of actions you might want to measure as Events.

Dimension and Metrics: Every report in Analytics is made up of dimension and metrics. Metrics are the quantitative numbers that are measuring data in counts, ratios, percentages. Whereas dimensions are the qualitative categories that describe the data in segments or breakouts.

Page View: The number of page views refers as a count for every time a visitor loads that page.

Referrers: Indicates where the users came from, and are separated into four main types: Search Engines, Other Websites, Campaigns and Direct Entry.

Visitor: The user who made the visit. We may find the visitors divided in new visitors and returning visitors, which lead us to fidelity indexes. It also may contain a large amount of technical information about their computer, browser, operating system, screen size, plugins, location, etc.

Segmentation: Segmentation isolate your data into subset for deeper analytics and solves your problems, you can always segment your data by following: – Date and time – Device – Marketing channels – Geographic channels – etc. (Dozens of options)

Significance of Web Analytics Testing

The web analytics testing services are important to help you to see how your users are connecting to your sites. For the increment of conversions rate, you should use different testing method including Web analytics A/B testing and WAAT using selenium.

Web analytics A/B testing: This testing help us to compare two or more versions of an application or a web page outcomes. Also it enlightens you regarding the execution of clickable components of your website page. With this you’re pitting two versions of your asset against one another to see which comes out on top. This assists in getting a site with continuous execution development. Web analytics automation testing framework:

WAAT (web analytics Automation framework) is an open source and valuable framework that provides a way to automate the verification of name value pair properties / tags being reported to a Web Analytics System

Typical Business Dashboards for a web application:

  • Top visited pages or journeys that is most valuable from a customer traffic,
  • Revenue (by marketing channel or program)
  • Opportunities and prospects
  • Conversion rates, Geographic data

Culmination: In simple words it is a way of collecting and analysing what’s happening on your application i.e. what your visitors/users are doing, which is great for businesses that you want to develop and evolve without taking huge risks

Agile Testing

Posted on by Yogesh Kumar Gupta

As a CXO, you might have often wondered how you can keep tab on your product quality and Agile testing in real time and be in control of your development schedule. How often have you wanted someone to tell you clearly and with data if the product quality is good enough to take it to market. And we know you do not need senseless reports and dashboards that are high on content but low on value

CXO Quality Dashboards

CresTech’s CXO Quality dashboards precisely solve this problem. Based on years of our experience working with top industry CXO, we have come to know how you want to measure your product quality and what you want to see from your product quality report.

Designed specifically for top management, our CXO quality dashboard give you a precise idea of application quality index in quantifiable terms and helps you answer questions like

  • What is the quality index of my product?
  • What are the most risky areas of my product that need more testing
  • Am I fixing defects fast enough to be on top of my schedule
  • What is the % of code that’s my testing covers
  • How does my testing efficiency rates against the industry standard norms
  • What is the quality risk if I Go-Live now

Drawing data out from your existing ALM and Test management systems, we transform the data into concise actionable indexes that can help you take key business decision like whether to go live or not with the product in an instant.

Read our informative blog on 5 Key Elements of Scaled Agile Framework.