Any mobile application is a complex set of various functions and features for the user. Creating applications requires not only time and effort, but also thorough quality control before release.
If your mobile application is not straightforward, secure, and convenient, it will not be successful and your company risks financial losses. You can prevent creating a low-quality app by including a quality assurance audit in the entire development process.
Below, we will discuss how QA differs from testing and provide you with a completely free and comprehensive testing checklist.
What QA Audit Is and Why It Is Important
The concepts of QA and testing are similar, so people may use them as synonyms. However, there is a great difference between them. Testing is the process of finding defects and identifying problems to eliminate them and improve the quality of the application.
A QA audit is a broader and longer-term approach. It is designed to improve development processes and set quality standards to prevent possible defects. More details about the features of a high-quality QA audit are described here.
The main advantages of including a QA audit in mobile application development are:
- Saving time and money. Early detection of defects speeds up the process of eliminating them and reduces costs compared to if you noticed an error before the product release.
- Improving the productivity of the team’s work. Auditing allows you to identify gaps and improve the necessary areas.
- Standardization of the process. By engaging in an audit for the first time, you can create standards that the team will focus on and reuse them for new projects.
QA auditing involves tracking processes to improve the quality of apps throughout their lifecycle. This increases the likelihood of releasing a user-friendly and secure product.
A Primary Testing Checklist to Follow
You can use different approaches to testing your app. However, you can highlight eight main points that are worth taking into account. Based on them, you can build a checklist that will become an example for future application testing. Together with the audit report, they will serve as the basis for what to pay attention to when testing a mobile application. Here is an exhaustive list to check.
Functions Performance
Functional testing is mandatory. During it, you should make sure that:
- All product data is displayed correctly.
- Functions are active and executed correctly.
- Interactive elements of the application respond to user requests.
Platform Reliability Assessment
You should ensure that the application maintains its performance regardless of various circumstances. You should check:
- How long you can use the application without reducing the performance of its functions.
- How quickly the app recovers from a crash.
- How the application behaves under simultaneous heavy load.
Ease of Navigation and Use
There are many mobile applications, so the competition is very high. App’s future success depends on how simple and understandable it is. Here are some main points to check:
- The application is convenient to use for users of different ages and skills.
- Texts are clear and well visible.
- The application interface does not change depending on the device.
- The user can easily find the desired function.
Performance Indicators
Among other features, the application should open quickly and not burden the phone’s memory. Therefore, when creating your own checklist for testing, include the following indicators to examine:
- The app loading time does not last longer than a few seconds.
- None of its active functions delay its operation.
- The application uses the gadget’s memory and battery sparingly.
Maintainability
Since mobile apps require frequent updates, you should be sure that you can quickly update and fix them in case of failure. Pay attention to:
- The code base is adapted to maintenance.
- The application is easy to update.
Compatibility with Devices and Versions
The model range of mobile devices is constantly updated, so your task is to make the app universal in use. Check that it:
- Works smoothly on different phones and tablets.
- Is compatible with different OSes.
- Does not slow down no matter what settings the user has chosen.
Compliance with Security Standards
Every app should be reliable, so ensure that:
- User data is protected from disclosure.
- There are sufficient requirements for authorization and password strength.
- Potential vulnerabilities are not found.
Legal Compliance
Depending on the specialization of the app, strict legal standards may apply to it. Here is the minimum you should check:
- The application complies with the law on the protection of user data.
- The app asks for users’ consent to process personal or payment information.
No matter what strategy you use when testing a mobile app, a checklist will always be useful. It will help you navigate and ensure you have checked all the key indicators determining its quality level.