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Beta Realm new beta app!

Sharin

Be one of the 1 testers to apply

Sharin detects and connects all networked devices including other iPads, Mac, PCs in your WiFi neighbourhood and helps you transfer your files to and from your multiple cloud accounts seamlessly. You...   more

Visit Beta Realm for more beta apps!

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Social Network Testing

Most applications today are already integrated with existing social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. With social networking sites, people find most apps easy to use. Integrating applications to social networking sites enhances the functionality of the product itself, helps increase the rate of downloads and higher usage. Authors of apps conduct Social Network testing as a rule to ensure the quality of the integration of their product and social networking sites. Here are some tips for effective Social Network Testing:

Branding Asset:

Check if the brand asset for the social networking site is used appropriately.

Testers may look for branding guidelines for the specific site to be used.

Make sure that no other image replaces an official brand asset of a site.

Buttons and Redirections:

Change of state of a tapped button is useful, it helps the user recognize which button he/she tapped.

Testers must check that user is redirected to the appropriate link or application of the social networking site.

If the user has the app, then it must be redirected to the app, otherwise a link in browser must open.

Signing in/up via Social Network site:

When testing the Sign in/up of the app via SNS, testers may use dummy accounts. (You can register many accounts in SNS, just verify it and make it look like a legit user.)

Validation of data input in SNS must be in sync to the output on the product, or vice versa.

App Permissions/Privacy/Security:

Product integrated with SNS must have app permissions.

All permissions needed must be enlisted to the app permissions of the SNS. (basic info, e-mail, camera, location, etc.)

User must be able to allow, deny, remove the app permission on their SNS profile and this must effect on the product but not affect how it works.

App permission details must be correct.

Other data within the SNS of a user must not be integrated unless specified in the permission and works with the functionality of the product.

All permitted details of the user must be secured on the product.

Interrupt/Network:

Make sure that appropriate behavior occurs during interrupts.

Appropriate error message is displayed when conducting interrupt actions especially when it comes to network. (‘No internet connection’, ‘Login Failed’)

Posting/Sharing:

Make sure that the posted/shared data is base on the selected privacy of user.

When the product being tested is not yet released, make sure that the posted/shared info to the social networking sites is in private.(We wouldn’t want any spoilers now, would we?)

Generated hashtags, links must be displayed properly.

Applications integrated with social network sites are truly an ease to the users. But there’s more to it if tested well. Conducting Social Network Testing will help the author increase the confidence and quality of their product. Social Networking Sites enhance the exposure and improve the app’s popularity. This will help increase the loyalty of the user to the product. Just remember that social network testing is just one contributor to the quality of the product; this can still fail if the user experience is not good (refer to blog entitled: User Experience Testing).

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Beta Realm new beta app!

Barangay Basketball

Be one of the 100 testers to apply

"The son of a former hardcourt superstar, Wax is looking to prove that he is a basketball superstar in his own right. Follow his story as he learns, from the four basketball masters in Barangay 143, t...   more

Visit Beta Realm for more beta apps!

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What's Good About Being a Tester?

Salary is one of the major concerns when choosing a career path or applying for a job. So which job can give you the best in terms of pay? Based on my research, one of the top 10 highest-paying jobs is in the IT/Computer - Software industry, which includes “Testing”. Testing for the uninitiated is the process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding bugs, and the process of validating and verifying that a program, application or the product is working based on the requirements provided.

Aside from getting paid with the desired salary, one of the perks of being a tester is the privilege to test an application before it is released in the market. How cool is that? especially if you’re addicted to games. Imagine that you were the first one to experience the app and had the chance to finish all the stages while doing your job as a tester. Believe it or not, this sort of job lets you earn money and also enjoy while you’re at it. Sadly of course, you can’t brag to your friends about the app you are working on until the application is finally released.

Being a tester does not only focus on having fun, but it will also help you improve yourself as a person. Did you know that your mental stamina increases when you’re doing a long period of mindless repetitive testing, and that it will boost your creative thinking when you’re trying to discover new bugs or the underlying causes of existing bugs? It will also help develop your communication skills, because you will need to work with a group of people to describe the exact nature, location and means of producing the bugs you find. Isn’t fun to be a tester? ツ

As a tester, you’ll have the freedom to choose where you would like to work. - work from office or home? Ü If you choose to work in an office then you will be able to meet different kinds of people with interesting skills, learning from them and expanding your own IT knowledge. While choosing to work from home can actually save you a lot of money and you can avoid commuting hassles like traffic as well, all you’ll need are test devices (iOS/Android) and a stable internet connection and you’re good to go. So what are you waiting for? Be a tester now!

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Beta Realm new beta app!

ClayGo

Be one of the 10 testers to apply

Location-based interactive app that engages people to build a cleaner community............................................................................................................................   more

Visit Beta Realm for more beta apps!

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Beta Realm new beta app!

Rafael

Be one of the 100 testers to apply

Rafael is an app aimed to be more than just a travel companion: - With Rafael, your protection from everyday (danger) is the app’s top priority. When (activated), your journeys are tracked and measur...   more

Visit Beta Realm for more beta apps!

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Beta Realm new beta app!

Rafael

Be one of the 100 testers to apply

Rafael is an app aimed to be more than just a travel companion: - With Rafael, your protection from everyday (danger) is the app’s top priority. When (activated), your journeys are tracked and measur...   more

Visit Beta Realm for more beta apps!

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Triggering Crashes and other Critical bugs

Bugs come in all packages.

Once in awhile, a simple glitch or a disfigured element pops out of nowhere and annoys anyone that stumbles upon it. Whether it be a flickering extra limb, eerily attached to a character model; a featured image spilling out of its container; or even a button that stops functioning after a specific series of actions has been executed - no company would want to have anyone using their software product be exposed to these nuisances. 

Nevertheless, there are times that these issues are waived either to be fixed in the application’s succeeding version or not even fixed at all just to meet target deadlines and releases. The basis for such decisions is how severe the issue could affect either the entire user experience or the businesses involved with the product.

Now that we’re discussing severity, let’s tackle those issues that, no matter how near the deadline is or how costly the fix may require, resolving them must be held in utmost priority. If not, the end user will most likely lose confidence on the product should any of them encounter these ‘Critical’ bugs.

Needless to say, the most severe of them all is the ‘Test Undoable’. This simply means that the app could not run in all or some supported platforms/devices such that any further tests cannot be performed. It is a no-brainer that this kind of problem must be fixed if we are to provide a working product. Aside from it though, there are still so many serious bugs to watch out for.

First of, we have Crash bugs. Ever experienced using an app that just suddenly closes itself without any notice? Yep. That’s a crash. There are quite a few things that cause crashes. One reason could be that a section of the code is impossible to execute due to what may just be an oversight in the program’s flow. Another would be a memory leak incurred because the application was not equipped to handle increasing memory usage while someone operates it. Furthermore, infinite loops in the program could cause memory leaks and consequently trigger crashes. In short, they happen because the application could not manage an ongoing process anymore.

Next, we have Freeze bugs. These issues are somehow similar in nature with Crash bugs mainly because they are both related to whatever keeps the Application running properly -  or simply put, its ‘engine’. Freeze issues, as the term implies, are occurrences when the entire display and functionality of the app stops indefinitely. As with Crash bugs, they could be caused by programming mistakes and memory issues. However, they could probably result from incompatibilities with the device’s display capabilities as well.

Crash and Freeze bugs could be reproduced by using different methods depending on the nature of the bug. There are some that could be done by pressing buttons simultaneously. Some happen because a certain sequence of actions was made. Memory leaks, on the other hand, are mostly replicated by doing a specific action over and over again because there are faulty functions that generate lots of memory usage without ways of freeing memory afterwards. Summarily, one needs to be as creative has he can when exploring the application.

Let’s proceed to Blockers - or otherwise known as ‘Showstoppers’. Bugs under this category are either problems in design or, yet again, programming faults that prevent the user from progressing with the application’s natural continuity. No user would want to start using an app while expecting to accomplish something but only to be stopped short on his tracks by a blocker and end up wasting time.

Blockers are generally easier to spot. Normally, they could be found just by trying to use the software as any person would. Moving forward in any app may require lots of functions to go through. There is a chance that one of the buttons along the way does not work, or a necessary key to an objective may not even be available at all due to a wrong design implementation.

Another kind of issue under Critical bugs are those that corrupt or reset the application’s saved data. Having these problems reach the market would cause a lot of uproar from potential customers and therefore lead to huge and inevitable profit loss. Besides the reimbursements or compensations that the company has to provide, it may lead to customers losing any motivation they have in continuing their patronage of the product.

Data-related issues could be triggered by toying with the application’s functions that are linked to data storing such as databases or saved data folders. Commonly, these are the saving, version update and account transfer features.

Yet another to mention are In-App purchase issues. In other words, these are cash-related bugs. When a user is charged for something that he does not receive, loss of confidence happens which then translates to loss of profit. When a user receives something premium that he was not charged for, loss of profit again occurs. Anything that involves money will always be a red flag in software development.

For purchase issues, the best way to hunt bugs is to interrupt the application while transactions are taking place. This can be done by phone or video calling the device, pressing the home button, disconnecting the internet or terminating the application during the time that the application displays its loading animation during the transaction.

Finally, we have legal and copyright issues. It is pretty self-explanatory as to why they are listed here. Any lawsuit filed against the company due to infringements or other violations of the law is sure to affect not only profits but also its future as an established business.

The app might require much more scrutiny if legal issues are to be filtered out. Usually, these deal with unacquired licenses or images that look mostly, if not exactly the same as copyrighted ones. Should parts of the app feel unoriginal, there is a possibility that it might have been taken from legally-bound sources.

If any of these Critical issues are encountered, they surely must be reported without question. The repercussions of having them exposed for anyone to come across might just be great enough to impact the profitability of the product in the long run. It is of ultimate importance that these things are not left undetected and unaddressed.

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Beta Realm new beta app!

Roarz VR

Be one of the 100 testers to apply

This is a virtual reality game that requires you to have a VR HMD and 2 android phones with gyro. It is an improved version of Roarz in the App Store. Try it now!   more

Visit Beta Realm for more beta apps!

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Beta Realm new beta app!

Novicedge

Be one of the 100 testers to apply

Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 v Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1 Version1.1   more

Visit Beta Realm for more beta apps!

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Interrupt Test

Have you ever received a call while playing a mobile game? How did the game behave during and after the call? Did the game suddenly close? If your answer is yes, then you just found a bug by Interrupt Test!

Interrupt Testing in mobile applications can be done even by non-testers. While using a phone application during our daily routine, we sometimes receive calls or sms, which then diverts the device’s process from the application, or to put it simply - “interrupts” the application. Incoming calls and text messages are the most common type of interrupt. Other examples of interrupt are system prompts, alarm, multitasking and terminating the application.

When the application is subjected to an interrupt, it should still be able to function properly. Most especially in games with continuous gameplay, like those in the rhythm and time-constraint category, the application must be in a paused state when the interrupt is in effect. Upon resuming, be sure to check that the app behaves as intended.

Get ready to do the interrupt test in applications offered by Beta Realm. Check them out!

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User Experience Testing

Authors may improve their products upon checking the UX dimensions stated above, and deliver a more quality-assured product to users. Always remember that users use your product to achieve something, and this should be the goal of your product.

As time goes by, generally speaking, people tend to use products that are convenient for their needs. Why would anyone choose a complicated way when there are easier options? Especially now, in a generation where technology plays a huge role in society. Web and Mobile applications are at the tip of our fingers. Most times, the perspectives of the user and the author of an app don’t usually meet. Just because no one is complaining about the product doesn’t mean that it already meets user satisfaction. No one would ever waste their time complaining unless they could get in touch with the author easily. That’s why there are authors who conduct User Experience Testing, because achieving the intended goal of the product always relies on the customer’s experience.

There are common reasons why the user stops using the product and looks for a better one, or visits the product but wouldn’t use it any more. Some of the negative user experiences are:

The user doesn’t understand what the product does.

There are some features that don’t fit their needs.

Some plug-ins are needed to use the app, but the user doesn’t have it or they dislike it.

Too complicated way to use a feature that should be easy.

The user doesn’t find the product’s design attractive.

The product contains broken links, site errors, misspelled words, and poor grammar.

The user doesn’t find the product secure.

The user needs configurations to use a feature of the product.

User Experience Testing helps the author understand the point of view of the user for their product. Conducting this will help them gain understanding on how the user wants to use their product. Apparently User Experience is measurable in different dimensions that may affect how the author improves his/her product in the most preferred way for the greater satisfaction of the user. Some of the dimensions are the ff:

Utility - Is the function of the system fit for the purpose?

Usability - Is the system easy and efficient to use?

Aesthetics - Is the system attractive to the user?

Authors should note that UX is beneficial in all stages of the development; the earlier they test their product’s concept, the better. The most beneficial phase is in the early stage, users will be able to visualize the concept of the product even in working prototypes or visual presentation. This stage allows the authors to foresee certain ups and downs that may possibly happen to their product. Testing even after the product is completed or even releasing an initial build of the product (for Beta Testing) is also very beneficial, because it allows the user to interact with the final product and allows the author to find additional usability issues.

How can you perform UX Testing?

1. Determine who the target users are.

All users of the product have their own expectations on how the product will work. Authors can research on who the users will be and what products they need.

2. Determine the objectives of the product.

It is the best way to achieve UX testing with specific goals. Authors can evaluate the process and understand what or where improvement is needed.

3. Let target users use and contribute to the product.

Since they will be the end users the product after development, allow them to share their thoughts regarding the product. Authors usually allow them to contribute with the use of checklists, or let professionals(QA) do their job based on the user’s mindset.

4. Review the feedbacks.

Authors can review the feedbacks from users and determine how to meet these improvements.

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10 Tester Principles

When you hear the word "Principle", what comes into your mind? 

No, it's not the head of the school nor a member of the royal family. Rather, it is an essential evidence-based framework that serves as the cause, the pushing force, and culprit of a single belief, thought, or an act. Moreover, it comes in different forms and  origins. In order to be a good tester, one must acquire and act: acquire knowledge systematically and turn their principles into actions. But let's focus more on the technical point of view, shall we?

1. Testing shows the presence of bugs - Nothing is based on perfection. As humans are imperfect, so are the systems and technology that they have created. Uncontrollable defects are always present. This is the primary reason why testing is one of the backbones of every system. However, it does not guarantee a hundred-percent defect-free system, but rather reduces the occurrence and applies proper solutions as to prevent greater problems

2. Exhaustive testing is impossible - this method is not feasible. Every work has its own limitations. A single human being cannot focus on several things at the same time. Systems are complex, complicated even. As much as testers want to give due emphasis and assessment in every aspect, technical factors make it impossible to conduct exhaustive testing.

3. Early testing - This method can save time, power, and energy. Prevention has always been better than cure. The earlier the detection, the lesser the risk of greater problems. This gives the developers the window to fix the documented defects before the release.

4. Defect clustering - This method aids testers to focus on specific modules depending on the collated similar actual defects. Moreover, this bridges testers towards the developers in replicating the bug.

5. The Pesticide Paradox - Different defects require different solutions. If done otherwise, documented bugs will increase. In order to prevent this, changing the test cases and scenarios parallel with the updates will essentially help. Also, cases require regular reviews and tests as to potentially find more defects.

6. Testing is context dependent - test cases are tailor-fit for a specific system. Hence, test cases for Project A cannot be the same set of test cases for Project B. As each project is unique in its own way, so are its test cases.

7.  Absence-of-errors fallacy - Applying solutions on noted defects won't qualify a project for release as there are other criteria being considered such as: a. Actual Market: will the project increase or decrease in sales? b. End Market: will the customers maximize and increase their interest in the new features?

8. Keep your devices close - testers should have more than one device, mostly updated and contains different OS versions for better testing, assessment, and documentation.

9. Get another pair of eyes - Two heads are better than one. Many pair of eyes are better than one. It's never wrong to ask for help when in need. As health conditions are unpredictable, it is essential to find a helping hand - and eye - on the team.

10. Keep calm and be thorough - If not in a relaxed state, the mind functions differently. It is good to keep your cool at all times if possible, or at most times in order to give the brain the chance to work properly. In testing, there is always a need to be consistently keen in checking EVERY SINGLE DETAIL so as not to compromise the project. The mind must always have greatness in details. If at the first, and second, and third time you fail, make sure that the next time will be different no matter how many times you fail.

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2016 Testing Trends You Might Want To Look Out For

Testing and Quality Assurance currently has an increasingly important role as users grow more unforgiving whenever they find defects in the software and websites they use. With this in mind, here’s a list of a few trends for testers to be mindful of if they want to keep improving:

1. Python is gaining momentum

Since Python is easily understandable (almost like regular English) to most who are familiar, the demand for developers knowledgeable in the said language is steadily increasing. Testers who have knowledge in Python will have certain advantages.

2. Shorter schedules means larger demand

There will be an increase in the demand for more testers since quality still has to be kept in check given a much shorter schedule. 

3. Prevalent testing on Mobile

Usage and demand for electronic gadgets such as smartphones grow every year, as such, the demand for software for these gadgets is also growing. 

4. Agile Methodology adoption

Given shorter development life cycles due to increasing demand, software companies will likely have to adopt an agile approach to developing their products. Testers will also have to adapt to this environment over time when tight schedules are given. 

5. Communication is key

The cost of developing a product increases over time. Testers will have to be clear and concise in their communication with Developers in pointing out defects to shorten the amount of time between exchanges; this way, the cost of development may be decreased.

These are only a few of many rising trends for now. There may be more in store for testers and the software industry in general this year, as we improve our processes and technology. That’s all, folks. Thank you and good luck in your testing endeavors!

References:

http://intland.com/blog/agile/test-management/what-are-the-software-testing-trends-for-2016/

http://blog.smartbear.com/test-automation/software-testing-2016/

https://saucelabs.com/resources/white-papers/sauce-labs-state-of-testing-report-2016.pdf

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Me and My Smartphone

Advantage of a Techie

Haven’t you heard? “Techie” is the new word for cool! The word is automatically associated with someone who always has one foot in the future, is someone constantly up-to-date on different technologies, the one who owns every new gadget introduced in the market, or always into the latest trends and news in the IT industry. Or perhaps it’s that relative, friend or colleague of yours whom you always run to whenever you have trouble fixing that blue screen issue on your computer, so very much like a ‘doctor on call’ who has no trouble removing pesky viruses in your laptop. To be a ‘techie’ is like being the go-to guy in your organization, and like a Swiss Army knife, a techie is an indispensable ‘asset’ for anyone to have. As a techie you’d always have that extra edge that is certainly an advantage in today’s world.

A Techie Tester!

So how about in the world of mobile game testing? How could a techie apply his or her wondrous knowledge to break the monotony of a game? Since a techie inherently understands the different strengths, weaknesses and opportunities that technology can offer, a role of a techie tester shifts from being a ‘typical player’ to both a ‘player and tester’. Oftentimes, a techie tester acts as a user advocate, because they are able to view the pros and cons of an app as a typical user and report it first-hand to the developers as an expert. That being said, once a strong foundation between a tester and developers are formed and a tester is seen as an excellent contributor or someone who ‘gets it’, someone who can further improve and lessen the bugs in the apps they are making, then a tester is bound to reap rewards and opportunities that await in the world of app development!

Being a techie in this ever-demanding and fast-paced world of the mobile app industry equips and benefits you with a host of numerous advantages:

Knowledgeable in Device Platforms and Firmware. It’s no surprise here that a techie knows it all when it comes to the latest gadgets available. Sometimes before it is even out in the market they already know the features and what new stuff the gadget has to offer. And since a techie would probably own a beast - a top-of-the-line smartphone (or if not, maybe any decent smartphone) - they can be counted on in terms of identifying the device’s compatibility and which device would be the best to use to perform an app testing on. They might even own a wide variety of devices, and it is a sure advantage being a tester as you can be of great help to developers, reporting compatibility issues or giving them a heads-up if there is any odd behaviour occurring only on a certain platform or firmware.

Ease in Finding “User Interface” and “User Experience” related bugs. This can be a really great advantage for any tester, to spot at the onset any User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) issues  in an app. Since most techies are avid gamers and enjoy playing video games, they know very well what could ruin good user experience or whether a certain app is not user-friendly. Aside from reporting critical issues, these are very essential factors that a tester can report to developers. And it is always additional kudos points to be able to pin down these kinds of issues.

They have a keen eye. They can be often counted on in terms of following strict ruling and compliance, since they excel in how delivery should be in a streamlined and user-friendly manner so that developers and their apps can reach the global market and target users, and at the same time comply with mobile guidelines. Having a techie tester who is adept and updated at mobile compliance is like having an internal reviewer, and that can also be an additional point!

Are you one of them?

A techie feeds on technology itself. Riding the waves of technology is part of their life and the most amazing part is sometimes it also becomes their job. Being in the front-line of the latest news and trends in technology, techies serve the most important function in understanding how a certain app fails to meet - or how it can meet - the needs of the users. As the world evolves more and more, the technology becomes a part of our daily life and our society. So are you one of them? If you haven’t yet considered yourself as one, then get involved, be in, and join the bandwagon of the coolest people!

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Beta Realm new beta app!

Abernathy Inc. App

Be one of the 1 testers to apply

This app serves as means of communication between the employees of Abernathy Inc. This will help to connect their thoughts and ideas to run through the projects and serve our clients well.   more

Visit Beta Realm for more beta apps!

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Tester’s Mindset

How does being a tester sound to you? Does testing appear as something which anyone can do? Well, at first, that’s what I thought. But now, I see that being a tester requires one to be able to think differently than most people. I believe that “A tester is somebody who knows that things can be different”. Testers play a critical role in application development, they place themselves in the customer's shoes and act as a user’s advocate for everyone who expect an application to be as flawless as possible.

Before we continue, Let’s take a peek into a tester’s mindset and see what he considers is important while testing an app. Here you go...

Prioritization. As a tester, you need to understand what should be tested and what should be given less priority. This will also allow the development team to fix the most crucial parts of their application as quickly as possible.

Be documented. Not only in main test scripts. During execution, it would be better to document every result in detail, for future reference and for bug reporting. Testers should always have a screenshot or video of the bug encountered as proof, because without the right details a bug report is useless to a development team.

Think like the user. Remember, your job is to find bugs before the software reaches the hands of users. Pair your technical skills with an end-user’s mindset and finding the best, most valuable bugs possible will be easy. During this part, a tester focuses on what we call User Experience testing.

Explore. Don’t rush things! Explore the software, ‘test to break’, and be willing to suggest improvements; these are all attributes that make up the attitude of a good tester.

Learn from your mistakes. Nobody is perfect! So, it is normal to make mistakes, but learning from others and from your own experiences will make you a better tester. Testers can do no wrong with these questions: How can you improve your bug report next time? How can you prioritize better during the next test cycle?

Be Honest. Report any items missed during the execution that will lead you to come up with solutions faster. Note that even a simple error can cause problems in the future.

Be always updated with the latest Technology.  Knowledge updating is a continuous process. We should always work towards sharpening our skills to succeed in this competitive environment. So, are you updated?

Attitude. Believe that one of the most important things in the work life of a tester is to have a good working relationship with developers. Build a good relationship with the development team for smooth communication during the execution, and you may add them to your circle of friends. Remember, attack the issues not the person :)

Do not Assume. If you have any doubts, don’t hesitate to ask questions like “Does this work as intended?” or “Does it work on all devices?”. As the saying goes, “Nothing works, whatever “works” means, we’ve tested it.”

Be a Good Observer. You need to observe and understand test progress and make necessary changes if it is off-track, in terms of schedule or testing activities. This mindset will essentially help you to keep yourself updated and ready with a course of action for any situation.

In day-to-day life, I’ve started to feel that good testers always want to improve, and there are always new things to discover. So let's get started!