Here are the 7 Factors to Consider While Developing Mobile Apps

1. 7 Factors to Consider While
Developing Mobile Apps

2. Introduction: Mobile Apps
Whether you love it or hate, you can’t ignore the growing presence of mobile
Apps. By 2017, the total number of App users is expected to cross 4.4 billion.
With everyone from kids to grown-ups, getting hooked to Apps, it is no
surprise that today, a majority of enterprises have begun investing in creating
business Apps not just for their consumers but also for their employees.
When the competition is so high, the benchmark in terms of user expectation
for the App quality is super high as well. One glitch, and you lose the user’s
interest. To ensure zero glitches, it is wise to invest in App testing at every
stage of development. Unlike testing traditional desktop Apps, mobile App
testing is pretty complex and challenging.

3. 1. The winning User-interface
7 Factors To Consider While Developing Mobile Apps
The first impression, an App leaves is the visible user interface it presents
to its users. The general objective is to tailor the UI to the target audience
needs. It is always good to keep the UI, simple and easy to use.
One of the best ways to understand user response is to go for
user-interface crowd testing. This will not only help you understand the
initial response and feedback from real users in real world conditions but
also give you the flexibility to test your App with users from different
locations as well.

4. 2. Functionality and usability factors
A Mobile App is highly user centric, and the quality of your App’s user
experience will determine its success. Ensure that your App does the
expected with functionality and usability testing.
As both functionality and usability testing is driven by user interface, human
or manual testing works best in getting the real insights.

5. 3. Compatibility Challenge
The same App may have different outcomes on devices of different screen
sizes, on different platforms and browsers. You have to recreate test scenarios
with real users, in real time, on real devices, using real platforms to understand
what works best and fix the things that do not work. The objective is to ensure
that the App works well on different devices, operating on different platforms
like Android and IOS the same way as expected out of it.
In the case of devices, developers need to factor in the impact on battery life,
the RAM used, and the CPU processing power of different devices. Using
traditional testing mechanisms to cover these aspects is not only expensive but
also difficult. Testing on real devices can never be replicated by emulators. The
simplest and most cost effective solution to combat the issue of compatibility
is to invest in crowd-sourced App testing. Getting real insights on the way your
App works will enable you to make smarter decisions to improve your App
performance across devices, browsers and platforms.

6. 4. Internet bandwidth and other external Factors
You need to understand the impact of internet bandwidth on your App’s
quality. Based on how good or bad the internet connection is, application
behavior will be different for different users. You could lose your sales by 1%
for every 100 milliseconds of load time. Most users won’t wait for longer than
3 seconds for a page to load.
Additionally, a mobile App in real world conditions is prone to interruptions like
lack of coverage and incoming calls. It is difficult to reproduce the fluctuating
conditions due to network and location in a lab. The simplest way to forecast
and fix these issues is through crowd-sourced performance and interrupt
testing that will enable you to understand the impact of interruptions like
incoming calls and network fluctuations.

7. 5. Scalability issues
As apps become more popular, the number of users and data will
increase exponentially. The last thing you want is for a total break down
on a big day when your App is getting all the attention. In the initial
developmental stages itself, developers need to incorporate a design
that will support a scalable system to handle the load of many users.

8. 6. Provision for updates for mobile Apps
Change is constant. Users will expect new features and upgrades. If you
don’t want your App to be left behind, it is worthwhile to invest in
upgrading your App and also in additional testing for each upgrade.
You also need to ensure that the updates you release work well in different
OS versions. While ensuring the releases happen in time, you also have to
make sure that they are easy to upgrade or install. Your testing strategy
should cover installation, updates and un-installation of the App to
uncover any errors in the process.

9. 7. Security challenges
A security testing can help uncover vulnerabilities of data leakage during the
transmission and working of the App. Your App must meet the authorization
policies and other security standards set, to ensure that the user data is
protected. You also need to include certificate testing in your strategy to meet
the mandatory certificates set for compliance for devices and apps.
Based on these considerations and your App quality goals, you can create and
implement a winning testing strategy to combat all the challenges. Considering
the phenomenal amount of effort put in developing Apps, it is only worthwhile to
invest in good Mobile Application testing to ensure that your App works great.
With the right testing strategy, you can make your App not just good but
incredibly delightful.

10. About 99tests
99tests is an online crowd testing platform that helps enterprises meet their
App quality goals. Our crowd testing platform provides economical, and
effective crowd-sourced testing solutions that enable individuals and
businesses to pursue excellence in software technology.
Learn more about the App testing services provided by 99tests. Visit
www.99tests.com . For more information, contact: contact@99tests.com