There are countless mobile applications and devices available in the market. According to the DCI study, about 62% of surveyed mobile users delete an application on encountering any defect. Additionally, the total count of downloaded mobile application crosses 218 billion in 2020 from 204 billion in 2019.
Considering the ever-increasing competition in the market, companies strengthen their business strategies with software quality assurance to take the lead while performing different types of testing, including compatibility testing. This type of testing, when joining the mission-critical quality assurance activities, helps avoid poor user experience (UX).
Here, we discuss the significance of compatibility testing and effective tips to help you ensure the great quality of software against different devices and platforms. Let’s have a look.
Compatibility Testing – The Ultimate Hero
How do you define the success of a software application? It is the overall efficiency, ability to withstand heavy load, strongly protect the sensitive data, and much more. Once companies offer all this, they are more likely to increase their customer base and improve the brand image.
Considering the estimate that the number of gadgets will increase and reach 18.22 billion by 2025, the risks of defects on different devices and configurations are too high. Progressive companies perform compatibility testing to mitigate the risks while preventing issues that impact the functionality and performance of their applications.
Effective Tips for Compatibility Testing
For compatibility testing, several checks are there to perform. However, you may not be able to verify every possible combination. So, it is ideal for performing a detailed analysis of the target audience, users, popular devices, markets, product specifications, and business objectives. Performing this analysis before starting the testing activities may help you set priorities and save time and money.
Here is something useful to learn if you want to take your software quality to another level.
Operating Systems
While Android and iOS are the most popular operating systems, they are not the only ones available. Operating systems are updated every now and then, requiring the latest test cases and continuous monitoring of the most popular versions used by customers.
Web Browsers
It is no picnic to find the exact number of existing web browsers and determine which one is the most popular among users. Even though you can perform a thorough analysis, checking the software performance against all web browsers and their available versions is impractical. So, the best approach would be to conduct testing on both the most popular and less commonly-used web browsers.
Hardware
Many tablets and smartphones are available in the market, having different shapes, sizes, hardware components, specifications, etc. Due to this, every device has a different software functioning. For example, Jack and Co are currently developing a mobile application with built-in biometrics. Since all users may not have a gadget with fingerprint sensors, it would be better to adopt the feature to devices without that or ensure that the application runs fine on such devices.
Screen Resolutions
Of all the screen resolutions of smartphones and tablets, the most common is 360 x 640, used by 10.04% of people worldwide. However, your target audience will move to other resolutions and leverage different devices, which will need great attention to compatibility testing.
Configurations
Software testing under varied configurations involves different users’ settings, including security permissions, system language, network connection, and so much more. When these combinations are made, they increase the number of tests and make the compatibility matrix a major part of the QA process.
With thorough compatibility testing, users get stable applications working against chosen devices and settings. It also allows companies to increase return on investment (ROI), control business risks, decrease QA costs, and enhance software delivery speed.
Emulators vs. Simulators vs. Real Device Testing
When it comes to testing, no one-size-fits-all solution exists since all projects are different from each other in terms of requirements, budgets, and timelines. All these factors depend on your choice of testing against real devices or using a simulator or an emulator.
What’s best about real devices is that you can verify real-life scenarios like system settings, UI, display, financial payments, etc. With these devices, you can test every feature in its current state and within end-user conditions, as well as identify any limitations that users may experience.
On the contrary, though simulators/emulators mimic real devices, they are not so robust. They are cost-effective but fail to reshow hardware characteristics. This, as a result, increases the risk of missing the defects. Make sure to have the checks for real gadgets and select checks that are acceptable to simulators/emulators.
In closing, the option you select depends on various factors. In some cases, you can use both options to get the most out of compatibility testing.
The Bottom Line
The growing number of mobile applications and gadgets has increased the competition in the market. Now, like other essential tests, including cybersecurity, performance, and usability, compatibility testing has also become necessary. Companies can now perform thorough testing and check software compatibility with hardware, browsers, operating systems, and more and reap numerous benefits. For support on compatibility testing, you
Kate Savelova