Six Steps For The Best End-To-End Browser Testing

The unlimited number of hours spent on mobile applications in our challenging lifestyles has boosted the number of mobile users worldwide. Statista reports that this number will potentially cross the 7.26 billion mark by 2023.

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The estimation is likely to hit the mark since the prediction is that by 2022, the number of mobile app downloads may rise to 258 billion. Thus, only a few business ventures can survive without a mobile application. The Transparency Market Research (TMR) says that end-to-end mobile testing will augment due to the growth of mobile applications.

In this post, we’ll discuss how to build a detailed end-to-end mobile testing strategy. First, let’s briefly cover what end-to-end mobile testing is.

What is End-to-End Mobile Testing?

End-to-end mobile testing is a comprehensive technique of verifying software systems from start to finish to ensure the application flow is working as anticipated. It describes the system mandates and confirms all the integrated pieces work together as needed.

The primary aim of end-to-end (E2E) mobile testing is to test from the end-user perspective by:

• Simulating the real user scenario 
• Validating the system and its components for integration and the data integrity

Software systems these days are complex and interconnected with various subsystems. If any of the subsystems crash, the whole software system could fail. To avoid this significant risk, we use end-to-end mobile app test automation.

A properly sketched plan for end-to-end mobile testing will involve stages right from verification to testing. If you fail to test one of the software subsystems properly, there is a risk that the entire software system could collapse, and the software as a whole can fail. Hence, end-to-end mobile testing is critical for testing the functionality of each mobile application.

A well-curated end-to-end mobile testing framework ensures that the tested application functions as it is intended to across various devices with different screen sizes, resolutions, operating systems, hardware, and carrier networks.

Recommended Post: Best Practices to Chose The Right Mobile App Testing Product

How to Build a End-to-End Mobile Testing Strategy

Testing all the aspects of a mobile application can seem daunting, but our six-step plan will make it simple for you.

Step 1: Create The Test Plan

Create a test plan in the initial phase of mobile testing that involves verification, initial mobile application testing, and regression testing to ensure the application works appropriately after making some changes.

In an end-to-end mobile test plan, you create a set of fundamental criteria to be tested and testing strategies to ensure the mobile applications are fulfilling the users’ needs. It would help if you considered some essential criteria, including app features, components, sequence, timing, and data conditions.

Describe the different test cases in the wireframe apart from those criteria. These test cases are then considered in the upcoming steps of quality assurance. 

Step 2: Develop An Automated Testing Framework

Testing frameworks are guidelines, tools, and practices for creating and designing test cases from requirements. They will help if you run manual and automated testing activities in real environments for developing applications.

They offer a standard language for testing and a structure for test applications. In addition, frameworks link tests to requirements and defects so that the testing team can find and fix bugs throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

The main focus of automated testing frameworks is to optimize the automated processes. They separate test data from logic, invoke test reusability, and speed up test creation and maintenance.

It is vital to pick out the framework best suited to the application to test various automated testing frameworks. Choosing the best fit and structured framework can enhance the testing team efficiency, improve test accuracy, maximize test coverage, and reduce costs and maintenance, resulting in a higher return on investment (ROI).

Also read: Calculation of ROI in Mobile App Automation Testing

Step 3: Design a quality assurance strategy for your application

Quality assurance (QA) is the method to ensure that the end-user receives the best possible experience on the device they are operating and getting the suitable speed. Creating a proactive QA strategy handles cross-platform functionality, performance, security, and usability issues.

QA is presumed to be the most vital step of mobile testing. The core idea behind this strategy is to test the peculiarities of a mobile application.

Studies report that people have a low tolerance rate for adverse app experiences; 48% of the time, users delete apps when they crash or have installation errors. With a proper QA strategy in place, you can eliminate factors that can reduce your organic traffic.

Here are some best practices to follow to ensure streamlined end to end mobile testing:

• Setting the criteria for testing.
• Implementing testing integrations.
• Allocating time for each process.
• Prioritize bug fixes based on the features to be used.
• Estimate the budget for QA.
• Regard QA as a continuous process in the mobile application lifecycle.

Also check: What is End-to-End Testing?

Step 4: Test your application in different environments and browsers

It is essential to perform cross-browser testing, a non-functional type of testing, during development and in-staging to check if your mobile application is working as intended when accessed on different:

• Browser-OS Combinations: Popular browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows operating systems.
• Devices: User devices like Smartphones, desktops, laptops, tablets.
• Modern Tools: Assistive technologies used these days, such as Alexa or any other screen readers.
• Location: Different geolocations from where the end-users are operating

Here’s how you can perform cross-browser testing

1. Create a baseline: At the start, run the design and functionality tests on the browser you are using already to understand how the application looks and behaves.
2. Choose the browser to test: Make a document on what you will test and choose the browser-OS combinations based on popularity and site traffic.
3. Infrastructure: Decide what test infrastructure you will use among emulators, simulators, or virtual machines (VMs) and install browsers on them specifically for testing. You can also use a cloud-based testing infrastructure as a cheaper way for testing.

Once you execute your tests, share the results with other teams to fix issues.

Recommended Post: Cross Browser Testing in 2022: Top Browsers

Step 5: Fix bugs before they are released to production 

When you test the mobile application from every aspect of speed, responsiveness, user-friendliness, etc., you may encounter some bugs in its functionality. It would help if you addressed these bugs before you went live with the application.

Here is how you can handle bugs before the actual production release: 

1. The Support department informs you of the bug. Reproduce the bug and understand its nature and impact on the overall application.
2. After identification, please send it to the respective team that is responsible for fixing that bug.
3. After fixing, retest the bug and see if now the application is working seamlessly.

Also read: Top 5 Data-Driven Reasons to Use Audio Visual AI for End-to-End Testing

Step 6: Ensure that all external dependencies are working correctly

Dependencies are the project integrations such as files, libraries, packages, or plugins implemented for one or multiple tasks. It leverages developers to code and creates a reliance on external project code to work as desired.

In large projects, the dependencies continue to grow, and managing a dependency package that relies on another package or library becomes tedious due to getting locked together.

To ensure the external dependencies are working correctly, you need to:

• Utilize third-party databases and external web services rightly.
• Implement libraries for measuring app adoption.
• Use updated third-party library versions.
• Implement functionalities properly.
• Fix performance issues caused due to bugs hidden in the external code.
• Validate unknown malicious code.
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Conclusion

End-to-end mobile testing allows enterprises to build scalable and accessible applications across multiple platforms. You can test the application software’s consistency, compatibility, functionality, and usability with this process. This testing ultimately enables enterprises to stay competitive amid today’s crowded app space.

HeadSpin’s end-to-end mobile testing solutions cover mobile apps, cross-browser, android testing, iOS testing, and mobile app automation with Appium. Learn more about us here.

FAQs

Q1. What are the two end-to-end testing methods?

A1. 

Horizontal testing takes into account the actions the users go through. It involves verifying each workflow or transaction through each app, from start to finish. It aims to ensure that each process occurs correctly. 

Vertical testing involves testing an entire stack or every single layer of an app, from its UI, API, database, security, and more. It involves testing every single piece of a function and through each sub-system. 

Q2. What are some of the metrics used for end-to-end testing?

A2. 

• Test Progress Tracking: This metric provides regular details of test completion percentage.
• Test Case Preparation Status: This metric helps identify the position of test cases under preparation. 
• Environment Availability: This metric maps the hours scheduled per day for testing and the actual number of operational hours.
• Defects Status and Details: Gives details, based on severity and priority, the weekly percentage of closed and open defects.

Q3. Why is end-to-end testing necessary?

A3.

• End-to-end testing verifies the backend layers and database of an app.
• It verifies the overall functions of apps with complex architectures - whose workflow works through various tiers.
• End-to-end testing ensures that apps can provide a UX that works across different browsers, environments, and platforms.
• It determines if the multiple dependencies of an app work accurately.