The latest innovations on the rapidly progressing mobile development scene mean that delivering a perfect app is key to meet the client’s requirements. As the iOS continues to advance, the iOS app testing services have a significant importance in making certain that your App executes well on different devices and various iOS releases. There are two primary approaches to testing: It is very much clear that there are two types of transactions, that is, manual and automated. Each has its merits and demerits hence the need to know when to apply each so as to get the best results.
In this article I will consider the benefits and drawbacks of manual iOS app testing as the main type of testing, and pros and cons of automated testing for the same purpose, so that you can decide what is the best way for your application.
Table of Contents
What Is Manual iOS App Testing?
This type of iOS app testing entails the testers using the app normally on a device with an aim of ascertaining the working status of the app. In manual testing, one follows a specific process to test the application and takes different actions such as having interaction with different menus and testing by entering different values and it tests the reactions and response of the app.
The benefits of manual iOS app testing are as follows.
Human Insight and Flexibility
Despite the advantages of automated testing, manual testing plays an important role as far as understanding of the using experience is concerned. Testers can determine whether an app is user-friendly and how simple it is to navigate an app, and certain things which are NOT easily pointed out by automated tools, such as UI flaws or undesired user interactions.
Better for Exploratory Testing
That is why manual testing is most effective when in new territories or when hunting for new bugs. It is perfect for those cases where the tester does not have a script that will define various test cases and gets the opportunity to experiment with the app for a while in order to find some bugs.
Ideal for UI and Usability testing
The testing of the User interfaces (UI) and app design aspects is usually most effectively done through manual testing. A human eye is capable of recognizing what is visually more appealing and what remains more user friendly, thus making the app look and ‘feel’ refined.
Cost-Effective for Short-Term Projects
When the app under test is not very feature rich or when we are working on small projects then it is not feasible or cost effective in the short run to invest time and money on setting up automated test scripts.
Cons of Manual iOS App Testing
Time-Consuming
Doing the tests manually, especially when the application is large, will take a relatively large amount of time. Where one has multiple features, screens, and workflows, each has to be tested independently and running such tests every time after updating or releasing a new version is time-consuming and costly.
Prone to Human Error
It has been realized that manual testing is often done by people and as such it can be characterized by errors. Testing is prone to defects going unnoticed, failure to capture some specific edge conditions or omitting some of the steps in the input commands in a time-constrained environment.
Limited Scalability
Manual testing is not a very efficient way of testing especially in large and complex projects. One major disadvantage of this approach is that as the complexity of the application increases it becomes almost impossible to test features one at a time.
Lack of Repetition Efficiency
Thus, manual testing fails in the scenarios where regression testing is performed for each modification. Consistently running through the same set of test cases may make the tester bored and hence may make test results less effective.
What Is the Service Of Automated iOS App Testing?
Automated testing on the iOS apps entails the running of test cases through scripts and or tools. Automated test scripts are prepared for imitating the end-user and to check the various features and characteristics of an app without having to involve an actual human being.
Benefits of the Automated iOS App Testing
Faster Testing Process
Automated testing in most cases is much faster than manual testing since it can easily be used when conducting regression tests. Once automation test scripts are established, they can be executed time and time again without the need for further adjustments and this will make it faster in the long run.
Highly Reliable and Consistent
Automated tests are conducted by the machines; as a result they are more accurate as compared to the manual tests. When a script is developed it will follow the set instructions and produce the same results over and over again without any hitch from humans.
Scalability for Large Projects
In particular, automated testing is capable of handling large and complex applications in a way that manual testing cannot hope to match. Test cases run in parallel on different devices and platforms, which makes the solution highly scalable with regards to the amount of test cases.
Perfect for carrying out Regression and Load testing.
Automation is ideal for repeating tests often as is the case with regression, performance and load testing. It confirms that every feature of the app runs as expected to avoid user dissatisfaction by having, for instance, what was formerly usable become useless due to the application of updates or new features.
Cost-Effective for Long-Term Projects
Although the initial setup cost for automated testing can be high, it pays off in the long term for apps with frequent updates and large-scale features. The ability to re-run tests quickly and consistently can drastically reduce overall testing costs over time.
Cons of Automated iOS App Testing
High Initial Investment
AN important thing to note is that the initial setup to automate iOS app testing is very resource intensive. One will have to enlist the services of experienced developers to write scripts besides having to invest in automation tools which can be costly especially for small projects.
Lack of in UI and Usability Testing
No automation tools can mimic a real user so the goal must be to create as real an environment as possible. They fail to have a feeling of whether it is comfortable to use an app or if it is appropriately designing. To take an example, automated scripts fail to notice the UI bugs or the design flaws that manually would be easily pointed out by the testers.
Maintenance Overhead
It’s important to note that your app isn’t static, so your automated test scripts cannot be either. Slight modifications to the GUI or functionalities in the app under test can; inarguably disrupt renderings and assessments in existing scripts, to which effort is required to uphold and modify your automation framework.
Complex Setup Process
Creation and coding of both manual and automated tests might be long and difficult especially when faced with large applications. It involves the use of test automation tools and understanding of scripting languages and thus not very flexible for small groups that may not have such skills.
Manual iOS testing vs. automated iOS testing: when to use one and when the other?
It is therefore important to have an understanding of when each of the approaches has to be used for optimum testing.
Manual Testing = Time management + Efforts; The Scenario when to Use Manual Testing
Early Stages of Development: Manual testing is more suitable for an application at its early stage of development, where we have not yet had a set of fixed functionalities to be tested over and over again.
UI/UX Testing: Though, while testing the look and feel of your app when you need to assess the feel of the app, then this is very useful.
Small-Scale Projects: However, if you are planning to run a project which has fewer functionalities and features, then it is beneficial to test it manually.
Ad-hoc or Exploratory Testing: But if the test cases are not pre-defined or if you wish to test a few scenarios on the fly then, the best bet is manual testing.
Now let us discuss in detail about the categories of the automated testing When to Use Automated Testing
When to Use Automated Testing
Regression Testing: Automated testing is most suitable for when you have to make several iterations of the same functionalities after the updates or new releases.
Large or Complex Apps: In large context applications where there are several functionality and constantly changing, the automation is more effective in testing.
Performance and Load Testing: Automation is more suitable in the testing of how an application is compatible with large or high usage loads and much more.
Long-Term Projects: If there will be a need for augmentation and constant updating of the app then it is less costly to incorporate automated testing.
Conclusion
Such types of iOS app testing services are – Manual testing services and Automated testing services Every type has its pros and cons. It can be definitely applied to exploratory, usability, and small scale testing, mainly, because it allows for flexibility and human intervention. In contrast, automated testing is best utilized with routine testing, large-scale and long-term projects. If you know how to utilize both and when it is better to use either, you will have a stronger and effective testing approach because it will give the best outcome to ensure the iOS app is of the highest standard before it is released to the consumers.