Daily Archives: 19/07/2012

Mobile App Testing – An Overview

Mobile app testing as an entity and a profession is relatively new in the field of Information Technology. Some people perceive mobile app testing as just an extension of traditional software testing, while others see it as an entirely new concept. While, the concept, and for that matter ‘mobile devices’ are new; from purely a testing perspective, there is one statement that rings true, and that is “good software testing principles can be applied to any software, regardless of the platform.”

The experience required to adequately test a mobile app can be significantly reduced if the tester has experience testing other forms of software. Once the tester understands the new processes involved in mobile apps, then they should be able to quickly be in a position to test a mobile app with confidence. For someone new to the field of software testing who wishes to start their career in mobile app testing, then this is not advisable, as key software testing principles can be easily overlooked by the way that the software is presented in a mobile format.

Mobile apps normally fall into two categories, either they are professionally developed for a specific purpose with a clear business goal in mind, or they are developed for fun, often the latter is developed by a single person. Testing of any application is critical and I won’t go into the reasons here, but it is clear that with the vast amount of mobile apps out there and in development, if the quality is poor it will not be a success….fact!

All apps need to be tested, and while a developer may think that they can effectively test their own work, nothing can replace the effectiveness of a professional tester’s expertise. Software companies who have developed their app may choose to test the app themselves (in-house) or choose to pay a professional outsourced mobile app testing company.  Often the decision to outsource the testing is made easier due to compatibility issues. While an iPhone app can be tested on a handful of Apple devices, it is virtually impossible to do the same with Android devices, which is why they predominantly choose to outsource to a testing company that holds a wide selection of Apple and Android devices.

A mobile app tester is considered to be a niche role at this moment in time. As mobile apps are the fastest growing form of software development, the niche will disappear and be replaced by a dedicated industry. While some perceive a split between traditional software testing and mobile app testing, there is no evidence to support this and the two entities will undoubtedly remain tied together, and rightfully so.

The importance of software testing has risen in recent years, and this is now reflected in the world of mobile app testing. These testers effectively hold the key to an app’s success, and ultimately the success of the business or person who developed it.

source: http://www.testing4success.com/t4sblog/mobile-app-testing-an-overview/

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Software Testing 101 Ideas on how to Write Test Cases That Will Find More Defects in Less Time

Every system usually get upgraded sometimes for different causes like change of policy, development or product simply to identify a limited. Requirement ought to be utilized as a baseline for testing to confirm that the existing plus brand-new performance work. Test case is extracted for every prerequisite as a option of proving which the system or changes being used is prepared for day to day company utilize without error and/or negative impact about the existing performance.

Requirement itself changes from time to time plus certain become obsolete and also to be removed review testcase . Although the key activity of being tester is to execute test, retaining prerequisite list is crucial to have the ability to obtain as countless problems as potential inside the shortest time. Associating every case with prerequisite, as a source, is a good option to handle your time effectively. I have seen examples where instances were built without prerequisite can cause hours, days plus days of testing efforts without clear objective.

There is not any difficult plus fast guideline how to obtain the instances however, I find it simpler to begin thinking from test kinds. As an example,

Requirement: User must have a valid login and password to login.

Question to inquire about oneself when developing test case might be:

1 what functional abilities I must test?

2 what non-functional attributes to be included?

3 what security constraint?

4 what negative tests ought to be considered i.e. invalid login and/or account.. etc.

As you can view it is very easy to create at the least 2 instances, one being favorable and something being unfavorable test, from one prerequisite. Note that test type is context specific meaning specific types are far more appropriate for specific application. I would normally finish first round of fixed test with 2 aspects without taking too long plus move to the next prerequisite. As you understand more how certain requirements are connected together situation based test case is developed how to obtain it from situation is away of range inside this topic.

Summary

Test case ought to be based on prerequisite plus if there isnt one you can check whether or not brand-new requirements should be added regardless of whether it is very practical or non-functional. Maintaining prerequisite list is significant to ensure that your testing efforts have clear objectives. Finally, try thinking different types of testing to create different test instances this option you 1 view the situation from different perspective 2 have a superior learning of the system when several requirements are set together.

source:http://3dsmod.net/index.php/2012/07/software-testing-101-ideas-on-how-to-write-test-cases-that-will-find-more-defects-in-less-time/

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Three Software Testing Books I’d like to read Tweet12

have trimmed out a lot of my Software Testing books. And by trimmed, I mean, dumped or traded in on Amazon. I still have a few left, some because I see real value in them, and others because my hoarding instinct overrides my Zen de-cluttering zeal.

Here are 3 books I’d like to read. But they haven’t been written yet.

Apologies to the author’s and artists associated with the books I’ve based these new books on, but my desire for humorous pastiche overrode any concern that the original creative forces might feel insulted.  I picked on you because of your mythic stature in the Software Testing book world, because of the value that I took from you in my early years, and you met my needs.  

So my first 3 are:

  • The Art of Software Jesting by Ben Fold Wired
  • The Complete Guide to Software Besting by Phil Betzels
  • “I Object!”, Re-oriented Software Testing: A heretical Approach by Bell Diesel

 

The Art of Software Jesting

I think we take software testing too seriously. Or rather, we take ourselves too seriously. The danger being that Software Testing becomes a subject pumped up full of its own self importance, filled with pompous pontification.

e.g. "Exploratory testing must not be used as your main process. You must only use it after you have a stable system and have achieved coverage from your scripted tests."
blah de blah de blah, yeah yeah yeah

I don’t see enough evidence that we take ourselves seriously enough to mock ourselves.

Kings and Queens of olden days of yore took themselves pretty seriously, as did everyone else because their life depended on it. And yet they had a Court Jester to keep them balanced and reduce their hyper inflated sense of self importance.

Humour can help effect change, by laughing at yourself for beliefs with small amounts of evidence.

Lighten up.

Projects are a ridiculous place to shouting matches.

I appreciate many people on projects don’t appear to have a sense of humour, and don’t take it kindly when you try and inject one into the project. But as a weapon to disarm and defuse a situation, it helps.

It helps me not take my approach too seriously. It helps me work with people rather than roles.

Evil Tester was born from a requirement to have a sense of humour and expose the ridiculousness in many of the approaches and attitudes that I had adopted in the past, and other people on projects had adopted.

So if you are really serious about testing – take it seriously enough to laugh at it. And start with yourself, and your processes, don’t start with other peoples.

Have you mocked your testing today?

Complete Guide To Software Besting

I think we all know that “Testing is not Besting the Software produced” but if you want a persona to adopt as you test then periodically adopt the “Bester”.

This thinking hat will let you approach testing in a different way than the other hats you wear.

You have to decide your own limits in your software testing approach, so make sure your limits allow you to exceed the the requirements for ‘goodness’, you want to be better than that.

“I Object!”, Re-oriented Software Testing: A Heretical Approach

I think that we have to think heretically. We have to pursue the path that we consider true, treating all dogma as valid grounds for testing and evaluating alternatives.

Testers need to think and act differently, otherwise why would other Software Professionals want you on their project?

We need to make decisions contextually and based on knowledge, not from dogma.

You need to take responsibility for your test approach – and if that choice requires that you fly in the face of fashion and the masses, then I hope you do it.

The more heretics we have, the more we will advance in unexpected ways.

Other Reading Material?


This is based on the Test Bash talk I gave in March 2012. You can read Marcus Gartner’s summary of it here

Perhaps I’d like you to read “Selenium Simplified”, but maybe I’d rather you just bought it… and a few copies for your friends.

But what about you? What testing books would you like to read, that haven’t been written yet?

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source: http://www.eviltester.com/

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