Recent statistics show that mobile usage has massively surpassed desktop usage. So, it has become massively important for app-developing companies to provide a smooth usage experience on mobile devices for any website or app. A mobile site tester has a massive role in implementing a smooth, glitch-free experience across multiple devices and platforms.
However, with the variations of mobile devices and operating systems, testing modern websites has become very complex. So, with this article, we will discuss some of the most advanced approaches, tools, and methodologies for reliably executing mobile site testing.
Importance Of Mobile Site Testing
Various reasons justify the importance of executing mobile site testing. To simplify this knowledge for the new developers and testers, we have mentioned some of the most important additions to this list:
- User Experience
Modern mobile users expect fast loading times. A survey shows that more than 90% of mobile users expect there are mobile websites to load within 2 seconds. They also want an intuitive navigation system along with a responsive design. So, any glitches or inconsistencies can result in poor user experience and drive users away.
- SEO Performance
Since modern search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly websites while ranking them on search results, it is important to customize the applications accordingly. This process will also help ensure that the mobile application functions flawlessly in SEO to drive more traffic.
- Revenue and Conversion Rates
It is needless to say a smooth mobile experience will have a direct impact on conversion rates and revenue generation rates. This is because users are more likely to make purchases or engage with content if they have a positive experience on the mobile website.
Testers must provide a smooth experience on mobile apps. This will have a great impact on performance metrics like user retention rates, user bounce rates, and returns on investment.
Challenges in Mobile Site Testing
Now that we have discussed the major reasons to justify using mobile site testing let us go through some of the major challenges that the developers and testers will face while implementing mobile website testing:
- Device Fragmentation
If we survey the modern mobile market, we will see that there are multiple devices with various variations in terms of screen sizes, operating systems, and other hardware and software configurations. Due to this fragmentation, it almost becomes impossible for the developers to adopt a generalized approach while verifying the performance of their application on mobile devices.
- Network Variability
Since mobile users are present in various segments of the world, it is needless to say that the developers must expect various network fluctuations on these devices. So, it becomes very complex for the application developers to guarantee the proper performance of their apps on low bandwidth and high latency.
- Touchscreen Interactions
Since most modern mobile devices rely on touch screen interfaces for user interactions, it introduces additional variables, including gestures and multi-touch interactions. So, the application developers have to customize the testing parameters accordingly to integrate all these changes.
Solutions For Mobile Site Testing
To address all the challenges discussed above, the testers can adopt various advanced approaches and methodologies. To simplify this knowledge, we have mentioned some of the most important additions to this list:
- Executing Responsive Design Testing
Testers must use responsive design as it ensures that the web app can adjust itself depending on the device size or the display resolution. So, by combining responsive design with mobile apps, the testers can confirm that the mobile app is visible on multiple unique devices.
While implementing responsive design, the developers can also use various tools that simulate devices and screen sizes for comprehensive testing. These tools are easily available in the market and do not require a complex setup process. It also helps to test the impact of the device orientation on the app’s functioning.
- Using Mobile Emulators and Simulators
Using emulators and simulators, the application testers can replicate the behavior of mobile devices on desktop computers. This approach allows the testers to simulate various device configurations and test the application functioning under different network situations.
Popular emulators include Android Studio emulator, Apple Studio, and Genymotion. These tools not only help understand the application’s functioning but also provide a cost-effective way of testing the application on multiple devices with different physical configurations.
However, the testers must remember that emulators and simulators cannot replicate the physical parameters of a device. So, with this software, the app developers cannot understand the performance fluctuations due to a broken display, user interaction errors, or other physical situations.
- Implementing Cloud-Based Testing
As an alternative solution, the application developers can integrate cloud-based testing to access real devices through remote servers to execute the test instances. These platforms not only provide access to outdated devices but can also be accessed from anywhere around the globe. Cloud platforms are crucial in saving time and resource efficiency in mobile projects.
For example, LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that provides access to over 3000 unique combinations of real devices, operating systems, and browsers.
Other than these, this platform also has advanced features like comprehensive test logging to improve test debugging and provide features like test reporting.
- Executing Performance Testing
Using performance testing, the testers can understand how a mobile site loads quickly and performs well under various network conditions. The developers can use various tools like WebPageTest, Google PageSpeed Insights, and GTmetrix. These tools will help analyze the website’s performance metrics and provide insights into areas for improvement.
Some of the most important considerations the developers must implement while executing performance testing include image optimization, minification of JavaScript and CSS, and caching strategies.
- Running Usability Testing
Usability testing defines the procedure of collecting usage feedback from real users. This feedback helps the testers understand the intuitiveness and effectiveness of a mobile site’s navigation and design. The testers can conduct remote usability test cases by using tools like UsabilityHub, UserTesting, and Lookback.
This process will also help the testers gather valuable insights about the target users and their preferences. This information helps the application developers and testers to customize various parameters of the app to improve the audience reach.
- Implementing Cross-Browser Testing
As mentioned earlier, the modern mobile device market consists of thousands of devices. However, the developers must also consider that while working on web apps, these devices can have multiple browsers like Chrome, Safari, and the Samsung browser.
So, by conducting cross-browser testing, the developers can understand the app’s stability on different devices, operating systems, and browser configurations. Moreover, by integrating automation testing with cross-browser testing, the application developers can automate these processes so that the system can run the test cases automatically after every significant code change.
Modern cloud platforms like LambdaTest allow developers to execute automated mobile test cases with Appium. Using this process, developers can run the test instances on more than 50 different combinations of devices and operating systems.
- Executing Accessibility Testing
With Accessibility testing, web developers can ensure that the mobile site is usable for people with disabilities. Some of the common disabilities that require proper consideration include visual, motor, auditory, or cognitive impairments.
Testers can implement tools like WAVE, Axe, and Accessibility Insights to identify accessibility issues easily. These tools will also provide recommendations for making the site more accessible. It is also important for developers to remember that various international organizations can permanently ban an application if it does not comply with the accessibility standards.
Best Practices For Mobile Site Testing
Now, let us discuss some of the best practices that can help the developers and testers to improve further the efficiency, productivity, and quality of the mobile site test cases:
- Shortlisting the Devices and Browsers
Since there are thousands of different devices and hundreds of browsers available in the present market, application developers and testers should shortlist the target devices and browsers. For this process, it is critical to understand the preferences of the target audience and create the list accordingly.
During this process, the developer should also integrate outdated versions of the target browsers. This is because a recent survey shows that over 75% of users do not update their browsers after downloading and installing them. In this competitive industry segment, mobile application developers and testers cannot alienate any user segment due to device incompatibility.
- Maintaining the Test Balance
Although we mentioned that automation testing is crucial for improving the application productivity and quality, the developers must understand that it is impossible to automate every testing instance. For instance, exploratory testing is a process that requires the inclusion of an experienced human tester.
So, the developers must create a test plan that maintains the balance between manual testing and human testing to elevate the optimal performance of the application development and testing life cycle. To start with, the developer should only automate those instances that are repetitive and do not require any unique inclusion.
- Review and Document the Test Code
As modern applications continuously evolve with every update, the developers must constantly review the test code to ensure that it is updated and also abides by the changing requirements of the application development industry.
While reviewing the test code, the application developer should also maintain documentation about all the changes, reported bugs, and implemented solutions. This process will help to maintain a bug history so that the developers can avoid previously known errors in future iterations of the app.
The developers can also improve the efficiency of this process by integrating automated regression testing, which will rerun the entire test instance whenever it detects any change in the application source code.
The Final Verdict
Conclusively, effective mobile site testing is essential for delivering a smooth user experience, from maximizing revenue to optimizing SEO performance. By employing tools, methodologies, and advanced approaches, the developers can easily achieve this goal of providing a seamless user experience on multiple devices and operating systems.
Moreover, by embracing all the advanced techniques that we discussed in this article, application-developing companies can stay ahead in the increasingly mobile-centric digital world. This approach will also help them fulfill the evolving expectations of mobile users with the help of custom user experiences. The final goal for this process is to continue expanding the target audience while maintaining a positive brand reputation.
Read more: Exploring Cutting Edge Online Web Browsers for Selenium Testing
