Oct 26, 2023
MTES 2023 Recap: A Day of Mobile Testing Excellence
Cara Suarez
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Frontend development is the most popular type of web and app development that takes place today. This is no surprise as it’s more accessible and visually appealing to watch changes reflect in real-time.
For many developers and users alike, the frontend acts as a make-or-break in terms of usability. Beyond the interface’s appearance, how an app displays responsiveness and useful information will help with its longevity in a user’s mind.
In order to secure a solid frontend for a software application, it’s essential to think outside the box and create something that appeals to users. That’s where frontend testing comes in. Rather than building something that solely aligns with the team’s vision of a good frontend, frontend testing focuses on what works best for users.
Frontend Explained
The frontend performance of a mobile application is integral to the success of every feature the app has to offer. Frontend encompasses an app’s entire Graphical User Interface (GUI), including menus, forms, buttons, gestures, and other ways of navigating an application. It also involves the unseen aspects of a user experience, such as load speeds.
With a good frontend design, users will feel compelled to return to an app. When everything is factored into account, frontend is what shapes a user’s overall experience.
What You Should Know About Frontend Testing
As the name implies, frontend testing is a quality assurance (QA) method used to ensure that a software application has a solid GUI. It covers every aspect of the frontend experience, down to the technical details. Loading speeds are confirmed to be within acceptable parameters, and navigation is accessible and simple.
For example, users can use one-handed gestures to access every part of the interface; the icons communicate what each page leads to and a host of other essential details.
Frontend testing is a process that ensures all functionalities of software feel seamless once it’s in the hands of an end user. There’s also the existence of bugs to worry about. With efficient frontend testing methodologies, these glitches and errors should not show up easily for users.
In the grand scheme of things, the testing process will always exist throughout the development cycle of your software. For every new update, new tests must be run to ensure that no aspect of the user experience is ruined.
How Frontend Testing Helps with Development
Today, apps are designed to work on multiple devices with various specifications. The ever-growing list of browsers, screen resolutions, connection types, and other unique details might feel quite tedious. However, that’s why a solid testing solution can be a true lifesaver.
With frontend performance as a priority, it’s more convenient than ever for development teams to verify how their software will work on specific devices.
- Cross-browser testing
Cross-browser testing has emerged as a way to save a lot of time when dealing with frontend development. With a suitable testing method, it’s easy to run simulations of an app across multiple versions of a browser, checking all the features and recording the responsiveness over different scenarios. Once the results are in, a development team can view important details, determine where changes need to be made, and brainstorm on how to optimize even further.
Successfully completing this stage of testing takes time. On the plus side, services like Kobiton make life easier by helping development teams run these sorts of tests in the most hassle-free ways.
To put things in perspective, over 60,000 possible platform and browser combinations can exist today. Combine that with version control, and there’s too much to keep track of. Kobiton’s automated tests can put those worries to rest while providing solid feedback that your team can implement quickly.
- Highlights performance issues
Performance problems during frontend testing have always existed. It’s no surprise that there are moments when web and mobile applications are not up to standard. For mobile apps, in particular, multiple layers contribute to a program’s coherence.
The security layer ensures an app can safely store a user’s data and protect their information from malicious attacks. This is typically done using encryption, authentication, and authorization protection mechanisms.
Other layers include quality assurance, backend, data, application, and presentation. The combination of these individual parts will need to be analyzed thoroughly to secure an app’s design. With frontend testing, you will detect any problems that can negatively affect a client’s performance.
Frontend Testing Tactics to Apply with Mobile App Development
Frontend testing is critical, and some effective tactics will help your mobile app gain more attention from users. Here are a few to keep in mind:
- Unit testing entails testing individual components or modules of an application in isolation to ensure that they function correctly. It usually includes testing functions, methods, and classes to ensure they produce the desired results.
- Integration testing covers how different components of an application interact with one another to ensure that they function properly. It can assist in identifying any problems with data transfer or communication between modules of an app.
- Acceptance testing focuses on the application from the end-perspective user to ensure that it meets their requirements and provides an optimal user experience. This can include manual testing by users as well as automated testing with tools such as Kobiton.
- Regression testing entails testing the application after changes have been made to ensure that the existing functionality continues to function as expected. It can assist in identifying any unintended consequences of new features or codebase changes.
- Performance testing centers around testing the application’s response times, load times, and other performance metrics to ensure that it performs optimally under various conditions. It can aid in identifying bottlenecks and areas for improvement to improve the overall user experience.
- Usability testing involves evaluating an application’s usability and user experience to ensure that it meets the needs of end users. It can help identify issues with the application’s layout, design, or navigation and provide valuable feedback for improving the overall user experience.
Why Kobiton can Enhance Frontend Performance in Your Organization
Creating the appropriate environment for frontend testing is critical to ensuring that the testing is accurate and reliable and provides valuable feedback to improve the application’s quality. Here are some essential steps to take when setting up a frontend testing environment:
Install and configure the necessary tools and frameworks: Depending on the type of frontend testing you intend to perform, you will need to install and configure the necessary tools and frameworks. For example, if you want to do unit testing, you’ll need to install a testing framework.
Create a test environment that closely resembles the production environment: The test environment should be as close to the production environment as possible. This includes replicating hardware and software configurations, network settings, and other pertinent parameters. Kobiton makes this possible thanks to a dedicated environment for tests during your frontend app development.
Final Thoughts
Over the last two decades, there have been huge advancements to traditional web applications. This has led to a complete change in frontend and backend technologies. However, it’s only recently that frontend performance has become a significant focus for organizations developing mobile apps.
This shift in priorities is due to several reasons—but the bottom line is that frontend performance is critical to mobile excellence. By understanding what’s involved in frontend testing and how it helps with app development, you can keep up with the competition.
If you’d like to know more, or you’re looking for help with your app development, contact Kobiton today, and our team will be happy to help.
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