Challenges In Testing Mobile Web Apps

Mobile web app is a website app which runs on all mobile browsers. So any app which runs on all browsers does not need specific memory to use and the mobile phones which are now available in the market have a default browser. Therefore, the audience for a mobile web are more than the users for a native app. Deploying these kind of apps is easy when compared to native apps.

What makes a mobile web app different from a native app?

There are many things which make a mobile web app different from native app. To use a mobile web app, users need not have special memory to install the app because web apps are available in browsers. Web apps are easy to deploy when compared to native apps as we need only to know the URL to use them, and they can be shared easily with a wide range of people via  text messages, WhatsApp, etc.

Mobile web-based applications are increasingly becoming more important, feature rich, and also the most popular means for developing commercial systems. Most of the e-commerce apps like Flipkart, Amazon , Myntra, Snapdeal, Shopclues, Ebay and others are first designed as websites and then the apps came up in native.

Of Performance, User Experience & Security

The more the audience for a web app, the more is the usability for the app. Testing mobile web apps is different because of the many factors affecting the performance and user experience; as these apps are exposed to a wide range of people, there are security constraints which need to be considered.

To make sure that the web app runs reliably under different types of situations, the above points are accounted for testing. As the testing process starts from test plan and test cases writing, they should be written properly – the test cases should be written by covering  network speeds, resolution of the screens and performance test cases along with functional,  and UI test cases.

Challenges for a Web App

Different Paths (Entry and Exit) for a Single App

To access web apps, users will use different types of paths. For example, there is a web app which is an ecommerce app, so different users choose different paths to access it – some may do online shopping without doing registration, some may do so after the registration. Every user chooses a different path i.e., each user may search for different things at the same point of time. So, while testing, all the possible permutations should be covered.

Network Speeds

Depending on the network speeds, the performance of the app will vary. Apps will work fine sometimes in broadband networks, some may work fine in 3G/ 4G network. So, a web app should be tested in all kinds of network types with different sets of speeds.

Different Types of Browsers

Web apps are usually developed by making sure that the apps are not browser dependent. The code written in a browser is independent and every browser is developed using different types of languages including scripting languages like javascript. So if we test the app in just one browser, it may work fine in that browser but it may not work well in other browsers. The web app should, therefore, be tested in all browsers. Even on similar browsers, the app may behave differently based on the screen resolution/ hardware/ software of the device.

Security Constraints

Some web apps will capture secure data from users like credit/debit card information which is needed while doing online payments/transactions. Testing should be done in such a way that users’ data should not get compromised.

To ensure that sufficient test coverage is provided for web applications and to provide a secure, reliable application to the user, the above points need to be considered. Testing is the only way to prove that the web app is a quality product and it is also the last chance to ensure the safety of the data.

(Preethi works as a Software QA Engineer at [x]cubeLABS and is experienced in Mobile , Web Application testing. She has expertise in testing different domains like Social, Gaming and Health care.)