Mobile testing – is it similar to application testing?

The answer seems obvious, or does it? After all, the application on a mobile device has the same functionality as the application on a standard desktop computer or laptop. Well, the difference is that mobile apps have to be tested for their non-functional aspects (such as usability) on mobile devices and not just primarily focused on functional testing.

There are a number of challenges that are a direct result of the unique features of mobile devices and wireless networks:

Mobile context – interaction between the users, applications and the surrounding environment that may distract user’s attention

Connectivity – slow and unreliable wireless network connection with

low bandwidth is a common hindrance for mobile applications

Screen size – physical constraints of mobile devices, especially small

screen sizes

Display resolution – display capability of mobile devices supports

much less display resolution (usually 640×480 pixels or lower)

compared to PCs

Processing capability – computational power and memory capacity of

mobile devices lag far behind PCs

Data input – providing input to small devices is difficult and limits users

effectiveness in entering data

Most challenges listed above are contextual in nature and they need to be factored in properly while performing mobile testing. Most likely, testing has to be done in real-time environment and not in a laboratory environment towards minimizing the potential effects of usability in the field.

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