iPad and iPad 2 App Testing Tips

With a healthy market presence, Apple's iPad has defied critics and continues to grow in popularity. Now able to run the latest iPhone IOS, the iPad has seen a wealth of innovative Apps created specifically for it. Now with the technologically advanced iPad 2 on the store shelves, more Apps are being developed to take advantage of the built-in camera functionality. This article provides tips and information to perform to ensure an App can be released with confidence to the market.

Test on a real device

The most common mistake when testing an App, is to test it on a simulator. While a simulator can give you clues to basic behavior, such as screen layout and high-level functionality, there a several critical areas that will be missed. Firstly, the CPU and memory usage of the App cannot be detected by a simulator. The most infuriating behavior of an App that a user sees is the App terminating without warning, or 'crash' as it is commonly known. If your App is going to do this, testing on a real iPad or iPad 2 should detect it. Secondly, a user interacts with an App via touch-screen. A simulator cannot simulate this, so any defects relating to touches, swipes and dragging can only be detected by a real device.

Use a structured testing technique

While performing exploratory testing on an App has its uses, if the App tester is not experienced, then it can be a pointless exercise. Exploratory testing in the mobile App domain should be used to compliment more formal testing techniques, as when not performed correctly can be of little use. If you don't have experience testing mobile Apps, then use a professional mobile App testing company. A good App testing company should have the knowledge and experience to efficiently work through the App's functionality and report back to you with any defects found. Always ask the App tester, how deep their testing actually goes. You need to make sure that all of the key areas of your App are tested sufficiently in order for it to be a success.

Use the iPad's built-in tools

The iPad and iPad 2 has a couple great built-in tools that can assist with defect recording. If a defect is found, use the screen-shot feature. This can be achieved by reproducing the defect, and when the defect appears on the screen hold down the power button and press the the main round button on top of the iPad or iPad 2. This will take a screen-shot of the defect, and essentially act as a record of it. The second useful tool is the crash log. If an App is designed correctly, when (or if) the App crashes, the crash logs will be stored on the device. These logs provide extremely useful information to the App developer to determine which area of code was responsible for the crash. The next time you connect your iPad or iPad 2 to a computer, you can copy the crash logs and screen-shots from the device and forward them to the App developer.

Usability Testing

An area which is often over-looked is usability testing. This is essentially attempting to put yourself in the mind-set of the end user, and trying to ascertain how they experience your App. A good mobile App tester should be able to perform this and provide useful feedback based on pretending to be an end user. This is typically achieved by using personas, which are essentially made-up profiles of different types of users. For example, one persona may be based around a malicious user who enters invalid information and attempts to break the App. Another persona maybe someone who has little knowledge using an iPad, and so relies on information provided within the App to help them use the features and navigate around the App.

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