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Today, our daily tasks are often done through our smartphones. These devices have become our number one priority, with 3 to 4 hours spent every day on smart devices. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, our shopping, financial transactions, meetings, classes, conferences, and numerous other engagements are increasingly dependent on technology. With such high user demand, it is important to deliver flawless user experiences.

To meet mobile customers' expectations, it is necessary to be innovative in testing approaches. It is in testers' interest to apply the right methods and approaches for testing out of vast number of tools available in the market.

Software testers follow three main strategies for mobile app testing:

1. The 5-W strategy

Before even planning for testing, testers need to answer the five ‘W' questions Who, What, Where, When, and Why.

• Who: Who is involved? Who has the roles? Who are the end users?
• What: What should the app do? What objectives does the company want to achieve? What technology should be implemented?
• Where: Where does testing need to be done? Where is the server and environments?
• When: When is testing planned? When are releases scheduled?
• Why: Why are tests being done?

These will give a clear idea for ‘How' testing should be done.

2. Mind Maps

Testing can be approached in multiple ways, much like solving a puzzle. We can complete puzzles with few pieces using any arbitrary approach. However with more pieces, we need strategy to solve the puzzle in a timely manner. The same logic applies to testing, where having a visual layout helps the ideal approach so that testing can be complete and satisfied.

Mind maps will save time because they are easy to use and help delegate resources more effectively. They greatly help track progress of testing to make the best decision for release schedules. In addition, employee turnover will decrease due to better communication among workers and quicker learning rates.

3. User Scenarios

Testers identify all possible scenarios from their target user's perspective. This helps developers prioritize the end user, identify what needs to be tested manually, determine what should be automated, and come up with possible data to test

Some example scenarios:

• As a user, I should be able to log in and view the inbox.
• As a user, I should be able to add a product into the cart, check out, and be notified on placing an order.
• As a patient, I should be able to securely log into the portal and access my health records.
• As a provider, I should be able to search for other providers in a network and refer a patient.

All the above approaches direct testers to complete app testing successfully by making them more organized, methodical, and efficient. It is the tester's responsibility to identify the right tools needed to simplify the tasks and get results.

Providing a flawless user experience with applications is one of the primary objectives of testers. A seamless user experience enhances our productivity as we work, live, and are entertained through our devices, which is why such testing is essential.

For additional information, please view the following presentation on mobile app testing: https://www.facebook.com/PalmBeachTech/videos/970824256706508