Mobile devices are a very important part of the modern application development and testing industry. A recent survey shows that almost 53% of the total internet traffic is controlled by mobile devices. So, by implementing advanced strategies like Selenium mobile testing, the developers can verify the performance of their web apps and other applications on mobile devices.
Selenium is one of the most popular automation tools in the present app industry. While conducting mobile testing, the developers can use Selenium to use advanced strategies for handling testing obstacles on mobile environments.
With this article, we will discuss some of the most advanced strategies for Selenium mobile testing on real devices. We will also discuss some of the best practices that can help developers optimize their testing processes to deliver high-quality mobile apps.
Exploring The Challenges of Mobile Testing
The challenges of mobile testing are quite unique compared to traditional web testing. The major reasons are the varying screen sizes, operating systems, network conditions, and huge range of devices. It is also a complex process to ensure consistent performance across different platforms and variations in the testing regime.
To overcome these challenges of mobile testing, developers must tailor their testing approaches so that they can not only utilize the full efficiency of the testing environment but also improve its productivity.
Using Selenium for Mobile Testing
Selenium is a very popular automation tool for web testing. This tool offers various capabilities for mobile testing through popular frameworks like Appium. Using Appium, the testers can extend Selenium functionality to mobile platforms. It also enables testers to automate the test cases on various popular mobile platforms like Android and iOS.
So, by combining Appium with Selenium, the developers can create reusable test scripts, run the test cases on multiple devices simultaneously and also integrate Agile Methodologies like continuous integration and continuous deployment.
Advanced Strategies for Executing Selenium Mobile Testing
Now that we have understood the major challenges of mobile testing and the basics of Selenium mobile testing let us discuss some of the most advanced strategies for this process:
- Device Cloud Integration
While working with mobile devices, the developers will realize that it is a crucial parameter to run the test cases on real devices. This is because emulation and simulation software cannot replicate the physical parameters of a device. So, while running the test instances on this software, the developers cannot understand the impact of parameters like low bandwidth, broken screen, or user interaction errors.
However, it is a very expensive and time-consuming process to maintain an onsite device lab. To solve this issue, developers can use cloud platforms that integrate real device testing through thousands of devices accessible through remote servers. While using cloud platforms, the developers can also access outdated devices and older browser versions that are impossible to find in the market.
LambdaTest is one AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that provides access to more than 3000 different combinations of real devices, operating systems, and browser versions. You can leverage its online device farm to test at scale on real Android and iOS devices.
- Parallel Execution
As modern mobile apps consist of more than 1000 different elements that require thorough testing, it will take several months to complete the entire test instance by individual testing. To boost the time-efficiency and also to improve the test efficiency, the developers can integrate parallel testing with the test environment.
Using this process, it is possible to initiate thousands of different test instances on multiple testing configurations and devices at the same time. Many experts suggest that the proper use of parallel testing with automation testing helps to complete the entire testing instance within just a few days.
Parallel testing also simplifies the process of rolling out frequent application updates, as the developers do not have to worry about a lengthy process.
- Dynamic Element Identification
Modern mobile applications, especially web apps, consist of multiple dynamic elements. Dynamic elements are those elements that change their position or behavior depending upon the device, user interaction, or any other parameter. So, the developers must consider these factors and adjust the test instances properly to accurately test these elements.
Some of the advanced strategies for handling these elements include employing dynamic element identification techniques such as XPath. The developers have to deploy these techniques with regular expressions or custom attributes. With this approach, the testers can ensure robust element identification in dynamic mobile environments. It will also help eliminate the possibility of flaky test instances.
- Network Virtualization
As we already mentioned earlier, all the users from the target audience will not have access to similar network conditions. Therefore, the developers not only have to guarantee the functioning of the application on high-speed networks but also on unstable networks, including high latency.
So, by combining Selenium with network visualization tools like BrowserMob Proxy or Charles Proxy, the testers can simulate various network conditions. These simulations help evaluate the application’s behavior accordingly based on the fluctuations in the network or other dynamics.
- Visual Testing
It is very important for the developers to ensure the visual consistency of all the elements present in the user interface of the application. This is because, depending on the screen size or the display resolution, certain elements might change their positioning.
Using tools like Applitools Eye, the testers can use Selenium to perform visual validation of mobile apps. To perform this process, the testers have to capture screenshots and compare visual elements pixel-by-pixel. It will help identify critical errors like layout discrepancies, UI glitches, and rendering issues.
It is very important for the application developers to repeat all these test instances across all the devices on which they are planning to guarantee the compatibility of the application.
- Performance Testing Integration
By using performance testing with Selenium test cases, the testers can understand the proper functioning of both functional and non-functional aspects of mobile apps. It is also possible to execute these testing processes simultaneously while using Selenium mobile testing.
Performance monitoring tools like Gatling or JMeter can be integrated with Selenium for simulating real user interactions and also measuring mobile app performance when it is put under various loads. Performance monitoring also helps understand the behavior of the application based on unwanted traffic or multiple user interactions simultaneously.
This process helps developers identify performance bottlenecks at the earlier phases of the development cycle to optimize the application’s performance and also enhance user satisfaction. These are some of the critical parameters that not only help maintain the application’s stability but also create a positive brand reputation.
- Continuous Monitoring
As mentioned earlier, modern mobile applications are constantly evolving and integrating various changes. Moreover, companies roll out frequent updates to add new features or fix existing ones. So, it is important to implement continuous monitoring for detecting issues proactively and ensuring the ongoing stability of mobile apps.
The developers can also integrate tools like Dynatrace or New Relic to monitor their application’s health, user experience in real time, and performance metrics. It is also advisable to integrate automated alerts and notifications so that the teams can respond promptly to any abnormalities or performance issues.
The final goal for this process is to minimize application downtime and enhance the overall reliability.
Best Practices for Selenium Mobile Testing
Now that we have understood some of the best strategies that can help the developers tackle the challenges of executing mobile testing with Selenium, let us go through some of the best practices that can help further elevate the standards of the development process:
Creating A Comprehensive Test Plan
Before beginning the mobile testing process with Selenium, the developers must create a comprehensive test plan. This test plan will not only consist of all the details about the target devices and operating systems but will also contain reference points about failures and their possible resolution.
Using this test plan, the app developing companies can also create basic awareness about the current status of the application development industry, even for the non-technical members within the team. While creating the test plan, the developing companies must also include the required details about all the tools and platforms that they are going to use.
Maintaining the Testing Balance
Although automation testing has a crucial role in improving efficiency and streamlining mobile test cases, it is important for the developers to understand that all test instances cannot be automated. For example, it is almost impossible to execute exploratory testing without the intervention of a human tester.
So, it is crucial for app-developing companies to create and maintain a proper balance between automation testing and manual testing within the app-developing companies. As a starting point, the developers must automate those test instances that are repetitive in nature and do not require any dynamic data sets.
It is also important to remember that integrating automation testing is initially an expensive process as the developers have to add various tools, dependencies, and libraries that are crucial for the proper execution of these test incenses.
Creating Comprehensive Documentation
While developing and testing the mobile application, the developers and testers must maintain a comprehensive documentation about the complete processes. This documentation will serve as a reference point during future updates.
It will also store the information about all the bugs and errors that have been detected within the application interface so that the testers can avoid them in future testing instances. It is also important to regularly check the test code and ensure that it stands up to the changing application standards and also the market requirements.
In this regard, we also advise the app developers and testers to constantly survey their target audience. This survey will provide crucial information about the changing requirements and help them customize their application infrastructure accordingly.
The Conclusion
To master mobile testing on Selenium with real devices, the developers have to use a combination of tools, advanced strategies, and best practices. Testers also need to understand the unique challenges of mobile testing and adopt advanced techniques such as device cloud integration and parallel test execution. These processes can not only help streamline the testing process but also improve the test coverage to deliver high-quality mobile apps.
Finally, by embracing these strategies, the teams can empower themselves to navigate the complexities of mobile environments effectively. The final goal for this process is to ensure the seamless performance of mobile applications in this ever-evolving era of the modern application development and testing industry.
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