Why you Can’t Afford to Ignore Mobile UI Testing

By 2021, 352.9 billion apps will be downloaded worldwide. That’s 50 times the population of the Earth! But you must be feeling pretty intense mobile app competition already. What do you do to stand out? You deliver. Deliver the perfect mobile application to each of your users. So, before launching your mobile application, make sure it’s flawless.

Every component of a mobile app is important and needs to be tested thoroughly. Especially the user experience (UI). It is the first thing people see when they open your app, meaning that UI often determines whether they delete your app or keep using it. Even if you have the most talented designers and highly qualified developers, you’ll still need professional QAs to test the UI of your mobile app. Let’s have a look at the notion of mobile UI testing and why it’s actually very important to test your mobile app’s UI.

What is Mobile UI Testing?

Mobile user interface testing helps to make sure that the application’s UI corresponds to the mockups or design documents, meets customer requirements and user expectations. Basically, it checks if the functionality of the app meets the specifications.

QAs usually test the application UI before launch but it’s also a good idea to do it early on in the development process to improve quality and reduce risks later. Even as early as the design stage, when you’re creating the first prototype of the product, you might want it tested by potential users. This way you can fix the early flaws or address UI/UX concerns right away and speed up the development.

An appealing and functional user interface of your app is the first step to user adoption. That’s why testers have to make sure that:

All the elements of the UI are consistent in terms of size, position, etc.

Colors of the elements correspond to the design documents.

All icons are of the same style and color scheme.

Text alignment is correct, color and font are readable.

Images are of high quality and properly aligned.

There are progress indicators, error, warning or success messages.

These messages are displayed correctly, timely, are easy to understand and don’t frustrate users.

Required fields are highlighted.

Menus and their items look exactly like in the mockup.

The elements stay in their positions regardless of the screen resolution.

Different elements don’t overlap.

How will the interface behave when users zoom in or out.

And many more.

Why You Need Mobile UI Testing

There are many reasons why your mobile app needs UI testing. We’ve chosen the most popular ones.

Because a Frustrated User is a Lost User

Inconsistent, confusing and bottom line bad UI can cost you users and potential customers. Users can’t see the code; they evaluate an app based on its appearance. And it’s one thing if frustrated users simply delete your buggy app. But if they decide to share their unfortunate experience with the world and/or leave a bad review – that’s real trouble. So, make sure you test the UI early and often.

Your app won’t make it far on good performance alone. If you don’t pay UI testing the attention it requires, negative feedback is more than likely to come your way. No one wants to build a “long-term relationship” with a puzzling app that’s hard to navigate. To have a five-star rating, work on making your app as friendly as possible.

Because Designers are Also People

Regardless of how good your designers are, the implementation of their UI needs testing. Simply because designers are people, and people make mistakes. They can see the design as a work of art, not giving proper attention to workflows and sequences. It’s also common for designers to focus on the positive scenarios while a professional QA knows what negative scenarios look like.

Sometimes designers don’t take into account different situations and user behavior. What if users abandon a cart? Do they need a success or confirmation message? Are there too many sequences? What about edge cases? Do these workflows run in loops? What if they end unexpectedly? What if a user fails to populate a required field? QAs have enough experience to take all these important details into account.

Plus, there is always a temptation to pack your app’s UI with different colors, lots of buttons, pesky pop-ups and menus that are literally wrong on so many levels. But that’s not a great plan because with mobile UI, less is more. To stay on the safe side, make sure you test every design element and interaction with it before the release.

Because There are Just Too Many Devices

It’s estimated that by 2018 there will be more than 12 bln mobile devices. That’s a lot of interfaces. Android device fragmentation has always been a pain for testers. And while Apple is somewhat consistent with its devices, apps for iPhones and iPads of different generations require comprehensive mobile UI testing as well.

Some screens are multi-touch while others are single touch; some devices have a hard button, others – don’t; some have the Return key on the soft keyboard, others place it in the upper left corner. But that’s not your user’s problem. All they want is an app that looks and feels great on their phone with a specific operating system and screen resolution. Mobile UI testing is a way to provide that.

Because a Professional can Spot the Issue

Some businessmen think that investing in mobile UI testing is a waste of money. “Anyone can compare the mockup to the finished UI and see where the inconsistencies are, right?” Wrong. Professional testers have a lot of experience, know industry best practices and where the trickiest of the bugs are hiding. “Well, I have an excellent team of developers and designers who can make no mistakes.” Wrong again. Talented engineers and highly qualified factory workers have assembled your car. But you wouldn’t want to drive it if you knew that no quality assurance specialists have tested it, right? Same thing with software.

Your testers are your first unbiased users. Plus, they have years of QA experience in different industries and types of applications. Testers will make sure that the UI of your mobile app serves its purpose, meets industry standards and pleases your target audience. That means no dull colors for a children’s app and no Comic Sans in a corporate business application. When you test the UI starting from wireframes, testers can give you valuable advice and feedback throughout the entire development life-cycle.

Conclusion

Killer UI is your competitive strength – nail it down with proper mobile UI testing. A great application with an outstanding user interface is what’s going to give you the upper hand over competitors. Professional testers will help you pinpoint UI issues and implement best practices to make your mobile app more appealing and user-friendly. If you’re looking for a qualified team of certified testers who know their way around different types of testing and are very easy to work with, contact Skelia. We’ll be glad to make your app flawless.

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