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Best Tips for Manual Testing of Mobile Applications in 2024 | Hapy Guide

Written By Aisha Ahmed – Last Modified On March 22, 2024

Manual testing of mobile applications is a hard job. But it helps to know about the manual testing process, what to test, and where to look before jumping into a mobile app and searching for bugs. Here we’ll introduce you to the basic concepts of testing, which can be applied in automation and for manual testing of mobile apps.

How to Test Mobile Applications Manually?

There are two ways to test mobile applications manually. They are:

  • Real Device Cloud
  • Simulators and Emulators

Let us walk you through the basics of these testing environments.

1) Real Device Cloud

Real Device Cloud is a testing environment for mobile apps that includes a sizable number of actual mobile devices that you may utilize for cloud-based testing.

You can manually test mobile applications using a real device cloud to find errors relating to connectivity, battery life, and other issues.

2) Simulators and Emulators

The usage of emulators and simulators has been the most traditional method of manual testing mobile applications. They simulate the device and offer a general idea of how the app will operate after it has been released on devices. Using emulators and simulators, you can choose the device model and execute it on your computer screen. Due to their popularity, you might also be able to get them included in the development framework you use, such as Android Studio.

The most affordable choices for manual testing of mobile applications are emulators and simulators. Both free and premium versions are available.

The Manual Application Testing Process

1) Unit Trial

A unit is the most minor software component that can be tested. A simple unit test case might be clicking a button on any website to see if it runs the requested action. Verifying individual components or pieces of source code is known as unit testing.

  • It focuses on evaluating the operation of specific application components.
  • The early stages of the development cycle are frequently used by developers to find flaws.

2) Integration Assess

Unit testing is followed by integration testing. For a combined test, several components are integrated. As an illustration, check a number of websites in a specific order to ensure interoperability.

This approach helps:

  • Assessing how various application components interact to produce the desired outcome.
  • Allows developers to find bugs more quickly by doing integration testing concurrently with development.

3) System Examine

The term “system examine” refers to testing the software’s integrated modules all at once.

  • It aids in determining whether the system satisfies the required specifications.
  • It comprises numerous tests that validate output depending on a particular input and examine user experience.

Depending on the time and resources available, teams execute various system testing techniques, including regression testing, stress testing, functional testing, and more.

4) UI Evaluation

GUI Testing, another name for UI Evaluation, examines and validates numerous elements of any program that a consumer might engage with while using it.

  • UI testing includes a wide range of graphic-based icons and visual indicators.
  • It guarantees that UI features operate without hiccups and precisely as they should.

Typically, this entails testing visual components to ensure they meet performance and functionality standards. Any UI testing strategy must include cross-browser testing as a core component.

UI testing must take into account different browsers, browser versions, and devices in addition to testing UI elements. People use a broad variety of browser-device-OS pairs to connect to the internet. Thus, the UI should display and work flawlessly on each of them.

5) Acceptance Testing

The purpose of acceptance testing is to ascertain whether or not the software system satisfies the required specifications.

  • Determines whether the system is appropriate for usage in the actual world.
  • Teams can assess how well the product meets user expectations using this method.
  • Additionally, it finds flaws in the final stages before a product is made available.

Both internal and external testing is done as part of acceptance testing.

Types of Mobile Application Manual Testing

There are three types of mobile application testing. They are:

  • Grey Box Testing
  • White Box Testing
  • Black Box Testing

1) White Box Testing

A kind of testing in which the quality assurance is acquainted with the inside code or structure of the program is known as white box testing, often referred to as glass box or transparent testing.

It is generally utilized for and also covers specific methods like:

  • Path testing
  • Decision coverage
  • Data flow testing
  • Unit testing, etc.

2) Black Box Testing

Black-box testing aids in finding several bugs that are frequently missed in the preliminary stages of manual testing of mobile applications.

Black-box testing is a testing methodology where the QA is blind to the application’s source code or architecture. To evaluate the software application’s functional and non-functional behavior, the QA engages with it much as an end user would.

3) Grey Box Testing

This method’s primary goal is to find any faults that may be present due to improper usage or structural defects in the manual testing of mobile applications. The grey-box test strategy combines the white-box and black-box testing methodologies.

Is Manual Testing of Mobile Applications Always Successful?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the success of manual test cases for mobile application testing. The success of manual testing of mobile applications depends on a combination of factors, including:

  • What you are testing
  • How much time do you have to test it
  • Who is doing the testing
  • How well do they understand what they’re looking for

Manual testing of mobile applications is not always successful. There are several reasons for this, such as:

1) Familiarity With the Concepts

Manual testers are not familiar with the ins and outs of mobile devices in manual testing of mobile applications. They can’t understand how users interact with their applications fully, so they don’t know what to look for in terms of bugs or usability issues.

2) Automated Testers Have the Upper Hand

The other problem is that manual testers usually don’t have access to the same resources (as automated testers do). They can’t run a series of tests on different devices or operating systems, for example, because each device has particularities and quirks that might affect how it runs an application.

3) Expensive & Time Consuming

Manual testing of mobile applications requires much more time than automated testing because you have to test manually instead of running through a set list of commands and tasks automatically. This means that manual testing can be expensive and time-consuming if it isn’t done right.

What to Do?

If you’re testing an app that has been built using a standard UI framework and doesn’t require much customization, then you may be able to get through it quickly and efficiently. However, if your app has been built from scratch or is based on a custom framework, the process will take longer and require more effort. You’ll need to invest in training and education to ensure that your team members know how to look for what they’re looking for.

Challenges of Mobile Application Testing

Manual testing of mobile applications is one of the most challenging aspects of software development. Mobile applications often run on various devices and operating systems, making it difficult to test all possible scenarios. In addition, mobile apps are often built for quick interactions, which means they are particularly sensitive to performance issues and bugs.

While manual testing is always preferred over automated testing, manual testing of mobile applications presents some unique challenges. Such as:

  • Programming Skills
  • Feature Finding
  • Constantly Changing
  • Requires Creativity
  • Extra Functionality Available

1) Programming Skills

The first challenge is that many manual testers do not have the programming skills to write scripts or automate tests. This means that they must rely on third-party tools that can be expensive and may not provide enough flexibility.

2) Feature Finding

The second challenge is that most mobile applications are designed with user experience in mind, which means that many features are hidden behind menus or buttons. This makes it hard for testers to figure out what happens when they click or tap an area of the screen, which can result in them accidentally clicking on something else instead of what they intended to click on.

3) Constantly Changing

The other challenge with mobile devices is that they’re constantly changing, although that’s part of why people love them so much! If you want to keep up with the latest trends in technology and stay relevant as an employee, then you’ll need to know how your company’s applications will work on the newest devices.

4) Requires Creativity

Mobile application testing requires a lot of creativity because each device has its unique features and limitations. So it takes some creativity on behalf of testers in order to ensure that their applications work well with these new features.

5) Extra Functionality Available

Mobile applications are more complex than their desktop counterparts. The mobile operating systems have a fairly open architecture, which allows developers to customize them and create apps that have access to a lot of functionality on the phone.

This is both a blessing and a curse for the testing team. The blessing is that there’s so much more functionality available, which means testers can test more things. They don’t have to worry about whether or not they’ve tested everything an app could do; they can assume it’s all there. But the curse is that there’s so much more functionality available that it’s harder for testers to know what exactly they should be testing.

Tips to Manually Test Mobile Applications

Manual testing of mobile applications is a particular type of testing that requires the tester to execute the application manually. This is done by tapping on the screen, swiping, scrolling, and other gestures. Manual testing allows you to get a feel for how an application works in real life and how people will use it.

There are a lot of ways to test mobile applications, but these are some of the most common:

  • A/B Testing
  • Functional Testing
  • Performance Testing
  • Security Testing
  • Usability Testing
  • Regression Testing

1) A/B Testing

A/B testing is commonly referred to as split testing. It is a systematic experimental technique in which several groups of website users are presented with two or maybe more variations of a variable (such as a web page, page element, etc.).

In order to identify which version has the greatest impact and influences business metrics, these variables are simultaneously shown to them.

2) Functional Testing

This tests whether an application performs as expected. For example, if you’re writing an app that schedules appointments, functional testing would ensure that users can schedule and edit new appointments.

3) Performance Testing

Performance testing’s primary focus or objective is to evaluate a system’s

  • Speed,
  • Scalability, and
  • Stability.

Performance testing is a method of product testing that involves analyzing software applications’ functionality under a specific strain or at a specific period.

However, using automated test scripts rather than manual test cases increases the reliability and relevance of performance testing results.

4) Security Testing

The software testing that identifies system flaws and establishes whether the system’s data and resources are secure from potential hackers is known as security testing. It ensures that the software program and application remain secure and unaffected by any dangers or vulnerabilities that could result in harm.

5) Usability Testing

This tests whether users can understand how an application works and use it properly. In usability testing, testers will try out different parts of an app, such as the login screen, to see if they can sign in successfully. Suppose testers have trouble signing in or finding what they’re looking for. In that case, usability testing reveals this information so developers can fix it before releasing the app publicly onto app stores like Google Play or Apple’s App Store.

6) Regression Testing

Regression testing is testing specific mobile apps or software components to ensure that recent updates haven’t created new vulnerabilities. Rather than only testing new additions and minor changes, you should also check to see how the upgrades may have various strand parts of the programs.

Manual Testing vs Automation Testing

The need for mobile app testing is growing, and the number of mobile apps released increases daily. But how does one go about testing these apps? Manual or automated? Manual testing and automation testing are two very different approaches to software testing. They both have their place in the process, but manual testing should always come first.

Why Manual Mobile App Testing?

Manual testing is a traditional approach that involves a tester manually interacting with the application, looking for bugs or issues.

Manual testing is necessary because:

  • It allows for human error detection (which is impossible for automation tests to replicate).
  • Testing by hand also helps ensure that all features are tested (even those that might not be as important from a business perspective).
  • Manual testers are also responsible for identifying bugs and reporting them back to developers.

Manual testing of mobile applications is the most basic form of testing. It involves a tester logging into an app and performing a series of tasks to ensure that it functions as intended.

Why Automated Mobile App Testing?

Automation testing involves running a script or program that automatically performs tasks within an application.

  • Automation tests can be very useful because they can repeatedly run without human intervention.
  • It’s a more efficient way of performing tests, but it doesn’t always catch everything.

Automated testing uses computer programs to run through test cases without any human intervention. Still, they generally only test one thing at a time and cannot account for any human errors that may occur during the use of the product.

Bottom Line

Testing mobile applications have opened up several doors of opportunities. It has helped companies to make their software more efficient, user-friendly, and secure. Manual testers now have a lot to do with the success of the software being tested.

Manual testing is the best and ultimate method for testing apps. Various features are included in the application, which facilitates checking issues the app is facing. A manual tester can save hours by manually testing apps. Sometimes, finding issues manually is simple than testing an app via automation.

FAQs

Can Manual Mobile Testing Be Performed?

Yes! You can manually test an app on a mobile device or use automation. There are a lot of ways to test a mobile application manually.

What Is an Example of Manual Testing?

Without using mobile application testing tools or automation scripting, manual testing is a procedure in which faults are found manually. To provide thorough test coverage, a test plan document is created. This document serves as a guide for the testing process.

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