Mobile Test Automation Framework: 10 Mistakes You Can Make

Mobile development can be a challenge to test. There are too many variables to test manually, such as version compatibility, input values, and different environments. Necessary features can be missing or simply wrong in some scenarios, or device features, such as GPS, aren’t accurate enough for automated testing. What’s more, third-party services and integrated components may change constantly.

Read on for tips that will help you nail automated QA and not let it derail the entire project.

What Is a Mobile Test Automation Framework?

Mobile test automation frameworks are the environment to run automated tests for your iOS and/or Android solution. They save time on all the manual inputs, achieve higher consistency, and keep pace with product quality assurance. The time savings are enormous as long as you manage the testing process correctly.

It is essential to choose the best mobile app development framework for your project from the start. Migrating somewhere else can be painful, especially if you have to maintain the product and/or release updates regularly at the same time. It is less of a problem in QA, but you would still be wise to avoid the common mistakes while choosing a mobile test automation framework.

Mistakes You Can Make

1. Having the Wrong Automation Mindset

Before you start testing automation, set some reasonable goals and how they will materialize in deliverables before you consider even choosing a simple mobile test automation framework.

2. Not Centralizing Your Tests

If you don’t already have a test management solution, you should immediately find one and make it your default tool. A test management tool is essential to keeping track of all your tests. This can be either manual or automation tests, or both. Then, when you start splitting up the manual and automated efforts, you are less likely to miss fundamental problems in testing that require manual attention.

3. Not Exploring Pricing Enough

The cost of test automation can be high. That is why it’s essential to choose the right solution and scale your team according to the number of testers and devs you already have.

4. Not Preparing for Cross-Platform Challenges

A good example here could be mobile games. While some games support a keyboard and mouse and will be even better to play on them, KBM inputs are only universal functionality in some mobile frameworks. Given this, investing in a mobile test automation framework should be able to handle things according to where your software may have come from or will be ported to.

5. Not Looking Into the Framework’s Future

What’s the secret to picking a framework that will be around for years? Community support! The number of developers and companies working behind the scenes on a project can make all the difference when you need an answer. If it is open source, embrace it!

6. Not Considering Adoption Challenges

There are a lot of mobile test automation frameworks out there. For example, Appium is about applying Selenium concepts to mobile solutions. There are also solutions like Espresso that are designed to be very accessible. So, which mobile test automation framework should your team use? The answer is: it’s up to you, depending on your needs. 

7. Not Accounting for Redundancy

Test automation is where you do most of the work once and then keep refining it to save time. However, picking the wrong framework will mean you are almost looking at more trouble than it’s worth.

8. Not Studying Scope Limitations

You may even be running a setup where the app is essentially a way to access the web application available at your company’s URL. If that is the case, you should probably decide against XCUITest.

9. Not Looking at Performance

Automation testing is vital to a robust test suite. But the more tests you create, the longer they all take. If you’re trying to run hundreds of tests and not getting them done quickly enough, then check out Espresso, which runs at super-fast speeds to help your testing stand up to even the most stringent deadlines.

10. Not Asking Around

People are the most critical judges of a solution. Consistent and active contributors to social channels are your best bet. Look at their comments and questions, and see if they have raised any doubts or problems with the framework.

Conclusion

Choosing the proper framework is one of the essential parts of your mobile test automation process. Unfortunately, there are many mistakes to avoid when choosing a mobile test automation framework. Trust me, following these rules, is worth the effort.

I am also happy to hear your feedback, suggestions, or ideas about what you would like me to write more about. Don’t hesitate to comment below if you want to discuss this article further.