The Secret to a Successful App Launch? Start and End with Mobile Testing Services and QA
If you decide to bypass or limit testing of your new mobile app prior to launch, make no mistake, it will still be tested. Your testers will now be called “customers.” And, if the app doesn’t perform flawlessly, you’ll get more negative, rather than constructive, feedback—and fewer customers.
As eager as you are to get that mobile app to users, systematic and rigorous mobile application testing by a team of QA professionals is essential to catching defects prior to launch. There are three questions to address before launching your app:
1. Did the Developers Properly Interpret the App Requirements?
You give developers the app requirements, and they write code to meet those requirements. But remember, a developer is interpreting those requirements from a developer’s perspective—not from a C-level marketing perspective, not from a QA perspective, not from a user’s perspective.
The best route to releasing good code early is to integrate highly trained QA experts from a leading application testing company into your Agile development process. This QA perspective can introduce operational efficiencies that developers may have overlooked. A team approach is key to reducing bugs and glitches in your initial release.
2. How Much more Costly is it to Fix Bugs After Release Rather than During Development?
When bugs go undetected during the development process, new code builds on bad code – that can be time-consuming and costly to ferret out and fix. With a QA team working alongside the development team in your Agile environment, bugs are corrected before they’re built into the released product.
When your app is released and features work as promised, your brand earns points for integrity from customers. When features malfunction, your brand loses points — and customers are likely to subtract more points when they’re frustrated than they award when they’re pleased. This impacts the overall success of this app and carries over to affect the success of future apps you develop.
Fixing bugs after release could also mean recalling your product and losing presence in the marketplace. That’s worse than delaying the launch in the first place.
Fixing bugs prior to launch with the help of a reputable app testing company means releasing good code. That creates happy users and a solid foundation upon which to add features and upgrades.
3. What Impact will Operational Malfunctions Have on our Reputation in the Market?
Relying on end users to test your mobile app, rather than enlisting mobile app testing services, is risky. Most users won’t bother to submit feedback. Their version of mobile testing likely consists of deleting your app and replacing it with one that works. Trying to save money or speed time to market by neglecting QA and testing can irreparably damage your reputation.
While it’s tempting to view development as a revenue generator and QA as an expense, investing in development and then bypassing QA to save money costs more in the long term – both to your bottom line and your reputation.
To make the most of your budget, spend judiciously on development and allocate the necessary resources to hire the right mobile testing company.
This strategy, along with insights from the three questions above, will help you better manage the risks of bringing a mobile app to market.
For more information, check out our post The Right Mobile App Testing Services for the Job (and How to Find Them!)