How do you integrate mobile UI testing with other aspects of your software development lifecycle?

1 Define your mobile UI testing strategy

Before you start writing any code or tests, you need to define your mobile UI testing strategy. This means identifying your target audience, devices, platforms, and scenarios, as well as your testing objectives, scope, and criteria. You also need to decide which tools and frameworks you will use for mobile UI testing, such as Appium, Espresso, XCUITest, or Selenium. Having a clear and documented mobile UI testing strategy will help you align your testing efforts with your business goals and user expectations.

2 Automate your mobile UI testing process

One of the best ways to integrate mobile UI testing with your software development lifecycle is to automate it as much as possible. Automation can help you save time, reduce errors, and increase coverage and consistency. You can use tools like Jenkins, GitLab, or Azure DevOps to create continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines that trigger mobile UI tests whenever you make changes to your code or deploy new versions of your app. You can also use tools like Firebase Test Lab, BrowserStack, or Sauce Labs to run your tests on real or simulated devices in the cloud.

3 Follow the test pyramid principle

Another best practice for integrating mobile UI testing with your software development lifecycle is to follow the test pyramid principle. This means that you should have more unit tests than integration tests, and more integration tests than UI tests. Unit tests are the fastest and cheapest to run, and they verify the functionality of individual components or modules of your code. Integration tests are slower and more expensive, and they verify the interactions between different components or modules of your code. UI tests are the slowest and most expensive, and they verify the user interface and user experience of your app.

4 Use a test-driven development approach

A test-driven development (TDD) approach can help you integrate mobile UI testing with your software development lifecycle by making you write tests before you write code. This way, you can ensure that your code meets the requirements and specifications of your app, and that it is easy to test and maintain. TDD can also help you improve the design and quality of your code, as well as reduce bugs and rework. To use a TDD approach, you need to follow three steps: write a failing test, write the minimum code to make the test pass, and refactor the code to improve it.

5 Perform exploratory testing and user feedback

Even if you automate and follow the best practices for mobile UI testing, you still need to perform some manual and exploratory testing to catch any issues that your automated tests might miss. Exploratory testing is a technique that involves testing your app without a predefined script or plan, but rather based on your intuition, curiosity, and creativity. It can help you discover new scenarios, edge cases, and usability problems that you might not have anticipated. You should also collect and analyze user feedback from various sources, such as app reviews, ratings, surveys, or analytics, to identify any issues or improvements that your users might suggest.

6 Monitor and update your mobile UI tests

Finally, you need to monitor and update your mobile UI tests regularly to ensure that they are relevant and reliable. Mobile UI testing is not a one-time activity, but rather an ongoing process that requires constant attention and maintenance. You need to check the results and performance of your mobile UI tests, and fix any failures or errors that might occur. You also need to update your mobile UI tests whenever you make changes to your app, such as adding new features, fixing bugs, or updating the design or layout. You should also review your mobile UI testing strategy periodically, and adjust it according to any changes in your business goals, user expectations, or market trends.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?