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 kinds 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 makes 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 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.
Performance, User Experience & Security
The larger the audience is for a web app, the more we need to consider the usability of that 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 in testing a Mobile 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 e-commerce 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 in different tabs of same browser. 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 and different versions of the browsers.
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. For ex: In browser we have different tabs and user chooses different tabs while accessing the application. There is a possibility where user can close the tab/kills the complete mobile browser itself in the background apps in middle of some transaction where they may a chance of losing data.
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. Quality of the mobile web app can be primarily ensured by testing the application. And it is also the last chance to ensure the safety of the data.
About the Author:
Preethi Kandukuri | QA Engineer
Myself Preethi Kandukuri… Like many I am also working for QA from 7years. It’s been a long journey. Interesting fact about being a QA is we can read people’s mindset more than anyone else in this whole world and I believe why we all have this quality is because we have to think like so many people whom we call as our END USERS 😊. It’s not a boring job its like a game where you will be in centre capturing everything. Anyone can do a mistake but being a QA, we can’t do a mistake that gives us the perfection and beauty to our job 😊 We hunt for QUALITY like no one else 😊
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