Are they testing their mobile APP?
Mobile app testing prior to the release is one of the most important tasks on the product launch checklist. Investing the appropriate time and efforts in a profound testing process can either make or break the future success of the app.
In my many meetings with mobile development companies around the world, I can indicate the 4 different types of companies and how they pertain to their beta testing process.
- The “indie” developer – normally 1-4 team members, friends who came up with the idea of a great app and decided to do it themselves. They will probably work from home or establish a small garage operation. When it comes to testing, they will not perform any formal beta testing, but rather will test it themselves and send the app to friends and family prior to launching it, hoping it will be enough.
- The “small” company – normally 5-15 people who have been working together for 1-2 years and are already leasing office space. They have roles hierarchy, and are thinking about ways to monetize their app. They have 1-2 internal testers and either one of them or the co-founder who is responsible for the R&D and will act as the QA manager. The small company understands the importance of a proper beta testing and uses the services of outsourced testers to reinforce the testing process in the week prior to the app launch.
- The “firm” – Usually 15-35 employees, established the business 2-5 years ago, already launched several apps of their own and found ways to make money from it. They have an internal team of 3-4 testers and a QA manager that is part of the app development process. The “firm” realizes that the testing process is an inseparable part of the development cycle and does not launch the app before it goes through a massive testing process until it is titled “bug-free”.
- The “Enterprise” – a large company with dozens of employees and a branded app such as “Waze”, “Pulse” or “Run Keeper”, or a large enterprise such as Facebook or Dropbox that has a mobile app development division to handle its mobile activity. The “Enterprise” takes its mobile app testing seriously and invests heavily in resources to make sure the lunched app is truly flawless. It either has a specific QA division within the organization that has people specializing in the mobile environment, or it hires a large testing outsourced company. The “Enterprise” has plenty of in-house mobile devices to cover at least 80% of the devices out there.
No matter what type of organization you have, mobile beta testing is an essential part of the development process and the only way you can ensure you launch a bug-free app. It ensures a happy user who will not delete the app soon after it is downloaded.
The main obstacle these organization types are facing is the lack of a true mobile beta testing platform that handles a new build distribution, a bug submission tool and ways to control, manage and monitor the total process. Free tools such as Ubertesters platform which offers much more than the “crash reporters” out there, allow anyone who is in the mobile app development business to have a true comprehensive tool to achieve the launching of the ultimate, flawless, bug-free app.
Happy testing…
The writer, Ran Rachlin, is the co-founder and CEO of Ubertesters.
