The Role of Regression Testing in Maintaining Mobile App Quality

Anthony Morha
0
1.2K Views
Dec 15, 2023

In the dynamic world of mobile app development, where innovation is continuous and user expectations are ever-progressing, confirming the smooth functionality of mobile apps is paramount. This is where regression testing and mobile device labs like LambdaTest emerge as a dynamic force, driving a new era of quality assurance. In this article, we delve into the essential role of regression testing in confirming mobile app quality, with the revolutionary impact of leveraging a mobile device lab.

Mobile apps, serving as the digital pillar of modern life, undergo recurring updates, feature improvements, and error fixes to stay aligned with the growing needs of users. But, with every single code modification or introduction of new traits, the threat of unplanned consequences—regressions—emerges large. These regressions, if left unnoticed, can compromise the integrity of the entire mobile app and erode the user experience.

Regression Testing in Quality Assurance

At the heart of the QA strategy lies regression testing—a proactive approach aimed at systematically re-evaluating the mobile application to ensure that current functionalities remain intact. It acts as a shield, ensuring that no new bugs, regressions, or disruptions accompany and that the program continues to work as intended.

When a new build is to be validated, the QA specialists perform the functional testing to check the changes in the existing and newly added functionality. After performing this testing, the experts proceed with regression testing. They find out whether the new advancements or upgrades have caused any functionality flaws or glitches in the app functionality.

One of the most significant facets of QA (quality assurance) is establishing robust regression test processes, which guarantee that software application is developed with the utmost integrity and reliability throughout the complete development process.

Check out our UI (user interface) comparison tool to easily capture and compare User Interface screenshots.

The below graph illustrates the significance of the Regression test:

What are the distinct types of Regression Testing?

● Unit Regression Testing: This type of involves testing independent units of code to confirm that alterations made in one unit don’t cause any side effects on other units.

● Partial Regression Testing: In this method, a subset of test cases is picked from the current test suite to be executed, concentrating only on the software segments that are likely to be affected by current changes.

● Full Regression Testing: This approach includes executing the complete test suite, covering all test cases to confirm that the modifications made to the software have not introduced any issues or regressions.

● Selective Regression Testing: Here, test cases are chosen strategically based on the impact analysis of changes, prioritizing the critical parts that are likely to be impacted.

● Progressive Regression Testing: It is implemented incrementally, wherein fresh test cases are added to the current test suite to cover the newly added or modified features.

● Retest-All Regression Testing: In this approach, all the test cases that have formerly failed are re-implemented to verify whether the fixes have resolved the flaws.

Understanding Regression Testing: Maintain Mobile App Quality

1. Functionality Assurance across Updates:

● Challenge: Updates and new traits might inadvertently introduce errors or influence current functionalities.

● Role of Regression Testing: By systematically retesting the complete app, regression testing confirms that current functionalities remain intact, preventing the introduction of new problems with every update.

2. Rapidly Detecting Regressions

● Challenge: Changes in one section of the codebase can result in unintended failures in other areas—called regressions.

● Role of Regression Testing: Sudden identification and resolution of regressions are facilitated by the regular retesting method, ensuring a bug-free and stable app.

3. Verification of Bug Fixes

● Challenge: Fixing one issue might inadvertently introduce new issues or affect other parts of the specific mobile app.

● Role of Regression Testing: After an error fix, regression testing confirms that the particular issue was resolved without causing negative influences elsewhere, managing complete application functionality.

4. Confirming Cross-Version Compatibility

● Challenge: The diversity of mobile gadgets results in users running distinct application versions concurrently.

● Role of Regression Testing: Testing across various versions guarantees backward compatibility, ensuring users that the application remains functional, irrespective of the version they are using.

5. Preserving UX/ UI (User Experience and Interface) Consistency

● Challenge: Changes in the mobile application may indirectly affect the user interface or degrade the complete user experience.

● Role of Regression Testing: By validating the application's user interface and functionality, regression testing maintains a positive and steady user experience across updates.

6. Effective Test Maintenance

● Challenge: As the mobile application progresses, maintaining and updating test cases could be tricky and time-consuming.

● Role of Regression Testing: Automated regression testing accelerates effective test maintenance by letting QA testers to improve and adapt test scripts to modifications in the mobile app rapidly.

7. Supporting CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)

● Challenge: In agile application development, balancing quality, performance, and speed in CI (continuous integration) cycles is critical.

● Role of Regression Testing: Automated regression testing smoothly incorporates into Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment pipelines, providing quick feedback on potential concerns and ensuring a reliable and constant deployment process.

8. Validating Integration Points

● Challenge: Mobile applications often integrate with various APIs, services, or third-party elements.

● Role of Regression Testing: It validates that these integrations remain seamless, ensuring that the mobile application interacts correctly with external services and manages compatibility with varied elements.

9. Reducing the Threats of Production Issues

● Challenge: Unidentified problems in production can damage the application's reputation and user satisfaction.

● Role of Regression Testing: By catching problems in the testing period, regression testing considerably reduces the threat of releasing a version with serious bugs into the production environment.

10. Optimizing Testing Efforts

● Challenge: The test scope can be extensive, and implementing all test cases for every release might be impractical.

● Role of Regression Testing: Selectively implementing relevant test cases based on code variations optimizes testing efforts while confirming that crucial functionalities are comprehensively verified.

Significant Steps to Perform Regression Testing

Regression testing in software and QA testing usually involves the following steps:

1. Test Suite Selection: Select which test cases from the current test suite should be run during regression tests. Such test cases must cover the software's core competencies and impacted areas.

2. Test Case Prioritization: Define the value of the chosen test cases and their potential effect on the software app code. This allows effective resource allocation and confirms that high-priority test cases are executed first.

3. Test Environment Setup: Set up a test environ that should be like the production environment to replicate real-time situations.

4. Test Execution: Implement the selected test cases in the test environ. This can be performed manually or with the aid of test automation tools. The emphasis is on confirming that recent software upgrades or changes haven’t created new flaws or caused regressions in present functions.

5. Error/ Bug Reporting: If any flaws or regressions are discovered during regression testing, it is critical to document them in a defect tracking system, giving complete details, including steps for reproduction, actual behavior, and expected behavior.

6. Defect Verification: Once the detected issues have been fixed, it is crucial to conduct retesting to check that the flaws have been rectified and the software app is functioning as intended.

7. Regression Test Maintenance: As the software evolves and undergoes changes, it is crucial to update the regression testing suite accordingly. This certifies that subsequent regression tests encompass the most recent areas and functionalities affected by the modifications.

It's imperative to remember that regression tests might be done at several levels, such as system, unit, and integration, depending on the intricacy of the software app and the project's exclusive requirements.

LambdaTest: Elevating Regression Testing Effectiveness

In the pursuit of efficient regression testing and managing mobile app quality, LambdaTest emerges as a strategic game-changer. Here's how LambdaTest aligns with the objectives:

1. Comprehensive Device Coverage

Access an extensive set of real devices and browsers through LambdaTest, confirming complete regression testing across distinct environments.

2. Scalability and Parallel Testing

The platform supports parallel testing, allowing QA teams to execute testing concurrently on various devices, saving precious time & resources.

3. Incorporation with CI/CD

Smoothly incorporate LambdaTest with CI/CD pipelines, confirming that regression testing is an essential part of the continuous development lifecycle.

4. Real-time Testing and Debugging

Conduct real-time testing on real-world devices, letting teams to interact with apps and troubleshoot issues promptly.

Tools Performing Successful Regression Testing

● Selenium: Selenium is an open-source app automated testing tool for testing websites and mobile applications. It is considered one of the finest automated Regression testing tools for web app testing. Selenium supports distinct browsers and platforms for automated browser tests.

● Watir: It is one of the preferred app testing frameworks in Ruby. Watir is an open-source Ruby library for automating web browser testing. It is a perfect tool for automating Regression test suites.

● Serenity BDD: It is an open-source app test framework that allows you to write top-quality automated Regression and acceptance testing.

● Silk Test: It is an automated functional and Regression test tool for software apps. It aids with cross-platform, regression, and localization testing of all types of applications like native, web, and hybrid apps.

● QA Wizard: It is an incredible tool that automates both functional and Regression testing of Java, web, and Windows apps and performs load tests of mobile apps.

Effective Automated Regression Testing on the Cloud

To perform cloud-centric automated regression testing using Selenium and LambdaTest, follow these steps:

1. Set up an account in LambdaTest: Sign up for a LambdaTest account and get the important access credentials.

2. Configure Selenium: Install the Selenium WebDriver on your PC as well as relevant dependencies in your development environment. It lets you interact with browsers and automate testing.

Integrating Environment Variable in Selenium automated scripts.

Java

● For TestNG & Junit:

lambdatestUserName = System.getenv("LT_USERNAME");

lambdatestAccessKey = System.getenv("LT_ACCESS_KEY");

NodeJS

● For Jasmine-Chai & Mocha-Chai:

let username = process.env.LT_USERNAME,

accessKey = process.env.LT_ACCESS_KEY,

Python

● For PyTest & unittest:

lambdatest_username = os.environ["LT_USERNAME"]

lambdatest_access_key = os.environ["LT_ACCESS_KEY"]

●

● For Protractor-Jasmine:

exports.config = {

lambdatestUser: process.env.LT_USERNAME,

lambdatestKey: process.env.LT_ACCESS_KEY,}

● For NUnit:

var lambdatestUserName =

Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("LT_USERNAME

EnvironmentVariableTarget.User);

var lambdatestAccessKey =

Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("LT_ACCESS_KEY",

EnvironmentVariableTarget.User);

Ruby

● For RSpec:

username: ENV['LT_USERNAME'],

accessKey: ENV['LT_ACCESS_KEY']

PHP

● For Behat:

$user = getenv('LT_USERNAME')

$accesskey = getenv('LT_ACCESS_KEY')

3. Creating regression testing: Utilizing your preferred programming language, generate test scripts with the Selenium WebDriver API. Such scripts will define the assertions and steps for your regression testing.

4. Incorporating LambdaTest with Selenium: Through LambdaTest Selenium Grid executes your testing on the cloud-centric infrastructure. Configure your Selenium WebDriver to link LambdaTest by mentioning the LambdaTest URL, username, & access key in the scripts.

5. Selecting preferred credentials: Define the desired platform, browser, version, and other related capabilities in your scripts. This confirms that your tests run on the preferred configurations accessible on the LambdaTest platform.

6. Running the regression testing: Execute your regression testing using the LambdaTest infrastructure and Selenium. Such tests will run in the chosen browser environments provided by LambdaTest, letting you validate your app's functionality across varied browsers and OSs.

7. Observing test implementation: Evaluate the status and progress of your regression testing through LambdaTest's API or dashboard. You can check test logs, video recordings, and screenshots, to identify any glitches encountered during the test implementation.

8. Analyzing test outputs: After the tests are done, review the test outcomes to detect any unexpected behaviors or failures. LambdaTest gives thorough logs and reports, allowing you to debug and troubleshoot any flaws that arise during regression tests.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Regression testing allows the delivery of superior-quality applications and user experience. After choosing the appropriate tool, you can leverage it to detect all unpredictable bugs and get rid of them early in the software development lifecycle. Moreover, the role of regression testing, coupled with the effectiveness of a mobile device lab such as LambdaTest, becomes indispensable. This future-ready approach guarantees not just the stability of apps, however, also a consistent and exceptional user experience across varied devices.

Embrace regression testing and elevate your testing strategy with LambdaTest for a smooth and quality-driven mobile app journey. Happy Testing!