According to Statista, the share of global mobile web traffic was more than 50 percent. The strong and steady growth of smartphone users across the world has contributed to the continuous rise of mobile web traffic. Easy access to affordable devices and high-speed cheaper data is also fuelling the astronomical growth of mobile phone users. On top of that, modern smartphones come with robust processing power, larger memory, and good battery life. Hence, enhancing the overall user experience.
The exponential growth of smartphone users has also built a strong mobile app ecosystem globally. In 2018, 365 billion USD of revenue was generated only from mobile applications and these numbers are expected to grow to 935 billion USD by 2023.
From ordering food to booking a cab to banking, gaming and dating among others; smartphone apps are literally running businesses all over the globe. And in the times of COVID-19, smartphone users are now dependent on mobile apps more than ever to avoid social contact. Amid challenging market conditions, it has become imperative for businesses to launch robust and flawless mobile apps to gain and maintain market space. Mobile app development services rendering flawed user experience and security loopholes can dent your business reputation and affect your bottom line significantly.
To cater to the increasing demand for quality mobile apps, the trends in mobile app testing and development are also continuously evolving. Agile and DevOps have transformed mobile testing methodology completely.
#1 Performance Engineering
Delivering great customer experience has become one of the top priorities of businesses. This is why enterprises are investing heavily to enhance their User Experience (UX) and stay ahead of the market.
To get faster and better results, it is essential to shift the focus from performance testing to Performance Engineering. It enables test engineers to easily automate processes through greater flexibility and easier access to data.
For faster SDLC, Performance Engineering has become an integral part of DevOps and Agile methodology. Performance Engineering is embedded in the SDLC to focus on the architecture, design and implementation of mobile apps and helps in the early detection of application defects to reduce time and cost of change for performance tuning.
#2 Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
ML and AI are all set to revolutionize the mobile testing domain by transforming workflows and processes of the testing cycle. In the near future, test engineers will become more equipped to leverage AI and ML for better optimization of the suite to identify the inessential and unique tests. It will assist significantly in the predictive analysis of the test cases. ML can also be used to identify test cases that can be executed automatically through log analytics.
AI will help in enhancing the accuracy while lowering down the cost of the QA process. Henceforth, it will help in improving competitive positioning and overall customer experience. With its ability to identify bugs quicker and faster while constantly updating the algorithm, testers can now stop worrying about missing out major bugs and start focusing on writing down better policies.
It will also help in identifying vulnerable areas of the mobile app to prioritize regression testing. An ever-increasing demand for delivering quality at speed will also increase the demand for AI-enabled bot tests for running deep exploratory tests efficiently.
#3 Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things has become an integral part of every industry. Apart from various industry verticals, now IoT has even entered normal homes through smart devices and appliances. With more devices getting connected to the internet, IoT testing has become more critical. IoT testing would be used on devices including wearable tech for compatibility and usability testing of the IoT system. It is also used for data validation integrity, sensors’ simulation, data privacy and user’s authentication.
The rapidly increasing number of IoT applications are continuously expanding the Internet of Things ecosystem. With continual advancements in the field of IoT, it has become essential for enterprises to release thoroughly tested and flawless IoT devices.
This is why the role of QA has become business-critical for IoT based organizations. Test engineers face the challenge of testing both software and hardware along with reliable connectivity to ensure heaps of data intelligence is transmitted seamlessly.
#4 Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Testing
Unlike automation, where software is required for seamless implementation, RPA’s application is possible to anything which is present in a structured form. Robotic Process Automation can be leveraged for extremely complex processes that we can automate with the help of AI.
In simple terms, in this kind of automation, a machine or computer mimics the actions of humans and assists in executing rule-based tasks efficiently. RPA has got a massive potential to change the way the workplace functions by automating the majority of redundant and basic tasks of the office.
#5 Big Data Testing
Big Data is a massive amount of data that is generated on a regular basis at high speeds. To leverage actionable insights from big data, it is imperative to properly segment and optimize big data. Big testing is helping large corporations to implement complex and robust processes to understand customers and come up with effective marketing strategies.
The main motive of big data testing is to analyze the functionality and performance of applications leveraging big data. Test engineers are required to test whether heaps of data is processing as per the expectation or not.
In Summary
With COVID-19 disrupting the status quo of businesses, more and more organizations are embracing the reality of digital transformation. Mobile apps have become the faces of businesses trying to operate in the world of social distancing and contactless delivery. However, it is not possible to release a mobile app without robust testing. From gauging the customer experience to thoroughly testing every aspect of cybersecurity, QA has become an integral part of mobile app development services .
As businesses become more connected with customers and clients through digital mediums, the more mobile app testing trends will evolve to cater to different and unique requirements of organizations.
