Test Automation

B est Pr actices

Which

test

C ases

should be automated?

A test case or use case scenario is a simulated situation in which a user performs
determinate actions when using a particular app. Some typical test cases can be
automated and it would be a very idea to do so to save money, time and keep users as
happy as possible!
Depending on your app, you may want to writes specific test scripts for certain features
and actions. Nonetheless there a few criteria to decide which tests to automate.

TestObject GmbH

Which

test

C ases

should be automated?

1. A utomate

the most frequent test cases

There may already be a number of tests that youre manually running as routine
tests to check basic functionality on different devices and after every minor
update.
Those tests might be a good start for test automation, since they are executed
repeatedly and running them manually might lead to errors, such as forgetting
a step, so that the results might not be reliable.
Above all performing repetitive test is time consuming and extremely boring,
so dont let the talent of your testers get wasted on something a script can do
better.

TestObject GmbH

Which

test

C ases

should be automated?

2. A utomate

test cases that are easy to automate

Automated test cases that are easy to automate to have positive results on
your ROI: it will take a little time to write effective scripts that will save time
and money in the long run.

TestObject GmbH

Which

test

C ases

should be automated?

3. A utomate

test cases that have predictable test results

You can automate test with conditional actions, which have a predictable
results e.g. if you click on the icon, the app must be launched.
Those kind of tests, which state the obvious are not obvious at all. There are
apps which pass every in-app test, but when a user tries to launch it, nothing
happens.

TestObject GmbH

Which

test

C ases

should be automated?

4. A utomate

the most tedious manual test cases

Manual testing can be tricky at times, thats when automated testing get his
big spotlight.
Software testing is always tricky but it becomes even trickier when it comes to
mobile app testing. Every device is different and every manufacturer changes
Android a little bit to personalize it, so manual testing can become tedious and
complicated.
Luckily for us we can automated those tests so to get the exact and right
information that we need to know about our app.
In conclusion: automate generic processes as much as possible so that you
have time to look in detail into issue and bugs.
No app is going to be perfect, but you can try to get as close as possible,
because end-users are unforgiving people!

TestObject GmbH

Which

test

C ases

should be automated?

5. A utomate

test cases that are impossible to perform manually

Some tests cannot be performed manually, i.e. you maybe can perform them
manually, but you just see that something isnt working, but you dont know
why.
Performing an automated test in this case can also indicate the cause of a
certain action/series of actions not working. Again saving time, saving money
and boosting your ROI.

TestObject GmbH

Which

test

C ases

should be automated?

6. A utomate

test cases that run on sever al different hardware and /or

soft ware pl atforms and configur ation

With todays device fragmentation, testing on as many devices as possible is of

the most important things to do before making the debut in the app market.
So writing tests that can be run on different devices, from different
manufacturers, on different OSs and OS versions will save you a great amount
of time.

TestObject GmbH

Which

test

C ases

should be automated?

7. A utomate

frequently used functionalit y

Frequently used functionalities come often with high risk conditions, for both
the device and sensitive user data. Without proper testing, apps might have
negative effects on the end-user device, such as:
Loss of functionality ( e.g. loss of data connection)
Unexpected high data usage
Battery draining 2-3 times faster than normal
Security or privacy exposure.
Some apps ask more permission than actually necessary and data leakage can
cause unwanted and unnecessary exposure of the users data.

TestObject GmbH

10

D ecide Which Test C ases To A utomate

Every test has its own place in the testing process. The majority of test can be
automated, but there are a few tests that need to be performed manually.
This graphic gives you an overlook of what should be tested when during an apps
life cycle.

TestObject GmbH

D ecide Which Test C ases To A utomate

The success of automated testing is determined by the testing strategy: you

must create a test automation plan, identifying the initial set of test cases (that
will serve as groundwork for future tests) and the testing tools youll be using.
Frameworks are an important tool to choose: there are many different kinds
of automated UI testing frameworks and it might get really confusing. But
choosing the right one, is one of the keys to mastering test automation.
Another tool to choose is the testing tool itself: will you be using emulators or
real devices? Will you buy all the devices or will you be using a remote online
cloud service?
After having set the agenda and found everything you need, the real work
begins. What action will your automated tests perform?
Try to keep your tests as easy and short as possible. There is no sense in
writing a test which is large, complex and difficult to edit and to debug. Small
and logic are the recurring keywords.

TestObject GmbH

11

D ecide Which Test C ases To A utomate

12

You can put all the pieces together later, grouping them, but making sure that
every small part is working properly. You can also write test as you develop
the app, instead of finishing one thing and then starting with the tests.
Test automation is all about saving time, so finding bugs and issues early in
the app code, makes sure that it will a quick fix, or at least there is not that
much code to check.
When grouping tests, you create test suites; when testing an app you can run
the whole suite or you can specify which tests in the suite you do not want to
run in a specific test cycle.
Tests can be organized by functional area, major/minor division in the
application, common function or set of test data. Tests can also be run
randomly or you can specify the order in which the tests are performed.

TestObject GmbH

13

What

to

K eep

in

M ind When Running A utomated Tests

Automated test scripts must be maintainable and updatable easily, when

changes are needed. Test automation is all about running test in less time.
Try to write tests that can run smooth and give reliable test results even if the
UI changes, especially in the first stages of the app. Test do sometimes rely
on objects coordinates; if the object changes place, the test can no longer be
performed because the object to be tested can no longer be found.
Thats why you should provide unique names/labels for your controls: this
makes your test resistant to UI changes and assures that your tests will run no
matter what changes in the UI. Location based tests are more unstable and
break easily.

TestObject GmbH

What

to

K eep

in

M ind When R unning A utomated Tests

Regression test for compatibility are very important as well: device and OS
fragmentation have to be taken into account when updating apps. Regression
tests are meant to check if the recently made changes have broken something
that was working before, not only on the latest device with the latest OS version
but on older devices with older OS versions as well.
Automated testing is now more important than ever before: apps updates have
to be released faster to the market, making app development a continuous
development process. Tools for continuous integration are designed to help
you keep track of bugs and issues as you go.
Whether automated or manual, mobile app testing should be done in the right
way.

And without test automation youll be soon out of the game!

TestObject GmbH

14

TestObject GmbH
Neuendorfstr. 18b
D-16761 Hennigsdorf
T +49 (0)3302 2097320
Email: info@testobject.com

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