Test automation is the practice of executing software tests automatically and using the results to improve the quality of software that developers build. Typically, automation testing is a measure of quality assurance. Test automation assesses various aspects of a program to ensure that the actual outcomes reflect predicted outcomes during the initial planning stages. Testing automation is useful for mobile app development, and executing automated tests can help you create a mobile app that’s engaging, responsive, and easy to use.
Benefits of Mobile Test Automation
There are several benefits of creating mobile apps for your brand, including the ability to personalize your content on the platform to meet your customers’ needs and the ability to create a brand image and incorporate branding in the app design, such as by adding logos, a brand mission, or a company slogan.
When you decide to develop a mobile app for your customers and clients to use, you can benefit from test automation in the beginning stages of app development. Test automation can test your apps instantly, making this method of quality assurance highly effective. Mobile test automation can also improve test reliability and accuracy, reduce human errors and development time, increase test coverage and speed of testing scripts, and reduce costs related to app development.
According to ScienceSoft, 54% of companies experience a reduction in test time throughout multiple testing automation stages, so it is worth pursuing when creating an app. However, there are several rules for mobile test automation that you’ll want to keep in mind.
Choose Tests to Automate
It’s important to first figure out which tests you want to automate. You can start with the user interface (UI) elements that tell you how easily users will be able to interact with your app. When you integrate new coding into the application, you can automate the regression tests that you’ll need to execute for new modifications. Once you know which tests you need to automate, you can choose your framework.
Choose Automation Frameworks
An important rule to follow when automating your mobile app testing is to choose the exact frameworks you’ll be using to automate the test cases. You can choose from many different mobile test automation frameworks that allow you to integrate mobile test automation, depending on the platform you’re creating the app for:
- Appium: Android and iOS
- Selendroid: Android only
- Espresso: Android and iOS for UI testing
- Calabash: Android and iOS
- Ranorex: Android and iOS
Test All Application Elements
Before launching your app, you’ll want to test all elements of the application. Elements like the ease of use (UI functions), coding languages, scripts, and runtime are all important aspects of your application that you need to test for quality control. Once you’ve analyzed the results, you can tweak anything you need before launching your mobile app.
As you develop more mobile apps for your customers, you can implement surveys and user reviews to help you improve each program you release using mobile test automation. With more feedback and tweaking, your mobile apps can give you a significant ROI by bringing in new leads and converting followers to paying customers.