Life in the Chocolate Factory: Testing Mobile Apps

Testing mobile applications involves unique challenges. Not all platforms are created equal and some are easier to test than others. We take the opportunity to interrupt the busy schedule of MoSync’s QA Manager, Miles Midgley, and lead tester Abi “Ghuman” Waqas, to ask them about the challenges they face in the mobile quality assurance area...

“All platforms have their challenges,” says Miles. “Just getting an app onto a device can be a major task. For the devices we test on every day our transfer processes are well-defined, but for an unusual device we often spend a long time just setting it up. Most users have one phone; we have over a 1000 in secure storage, some of them prehistoric!

“MoSync’s Bluetooth transfer function is a lifesaver for us – but I can't tell you the number of times I have cursed and nearly thrown a phone out the window because of some obscure Bluetooth communications issue.”

Experienced mobile testers are hard to find. How do you cope?

“We’re lucky to have a disciplined, autonomous, dedicated test team who have the patience and ability to cope with a vast range strange and unusual issues. All the time we strive to improve our diagnostic techniques, many of which are unique to the mobile development area, and we take the development of our personnel very seriously.”

“Working as a test engineer at MoSync is like being a chocolate lover in a chocolate factory,” says Ghuman. “With the test equipment we’ve got in-house, and the advanced technology we work on, we get a new supply of chocolates every day! Quality assurance can of course be a little messy and geeky. New and irritating problems crop up all the time…but personally I like irritating problems. We get a chance to work with the latest telephony gadgets: some of the most advanced consumer electronics products in the world.”

Most mobile phones in the world are older devices running older operating systems. Is it possible or even worthwhile to test applications on such devices?

Miles says: “There are vast numbers of devices out there, from useless fashion accessories to cutting edge devices with lots of memory, fast CPUs, and large touchscreens. A big problem with older phones is the amount of memory they have available. Even some of the more recent phones claim 60MB ‘available to users’ but turn out to have only 512K in which you can run applications.”

“Older devices are great,” says Ghuman. “Newer devices that run like clockwork make me cry. I hate them! Why? Because those devices are too forgiving, they just work: they don’t show you the ugly face of your baby. They keep you telling you ‘Hey, it works! You’re a great programmer!’ They make you believe that everything is okay…and you’re not prepared for all the bad stuff that’s going to happen when you release your app to the market."

“Inevitably, the limitations of many older devices make them unsuitable for some apps,” says Miles. “Regrettably, at some point, some operating systems have no further development, and our time can be better used elsewhere. For device testing there is no real substitute for the "hands on" approach, and the more hands the better. This is why we value the feedback from our community so highly.”

What is it like to be a mobile application tester?

“Patience is of the essence,” says Ghuman. “When it comes to testing and verification, it’s the most important thing of all. I have no doubt when I say that you won't be a good tester if you don't have patience. People argue that programmers get satisfaction when they get their product out in the market. Fair enough. I agree. Testers on the other hand make sure that the product is mature enough to survive in the cruel world. Not everyone can be a king, someone has to be a king maker.”

---

MoSync offers a range of mobile testing services, both to our own in-house developers, and to external commercial customers. For more information, contact sales@mosync.com.