For those familiar with our Testing the Limits series, you may have noticed that I like to throw in an open-ended, fill-in-the-blank question every once and awhile. So instead of keeping these questions exclusively for our guests, I thought I would open them up for you, our readers.

So if you’re up for it, go ahead and answer these 10 questions for software testers in the comments field below:

1. My favorite part about being a QA professional is ____.
2. If I had to quit my job as a tester, I would become a _____ because _____.
3. The testing subject that I’m interested in learning more about is ____.
4. The worst bug I ever found would have resulted in _____ if it hadn’t been discovered.
5. If there was one thing I wish people would understand about testing, it’s that _____.
6. I’ve never understood why developers _____.
7. I think that tester certifications are _____.
8. My experience with the Agile methodology has generally been  _____.
9. If I had to suggest one testing book to read, it would be ____.
10. When I’m not testing software, you can find me ____.

Thanks for participating. Have a great weekend everyone!

As you may have heard it was a big week here at uTest Nation with the announcement of a first-of-its-kind, free mobile app analytics tool – Applause. And if you hadn’t heard yet, then you can stop clapping… that’s the name of the tool.

Applause analyzes more than 50 million reviews and ratings across 1 million iOS and Android apps. The tool was launched by the forward-looking research arm of uTest, uTest Labs. Until yesterday, there had been no way for business and technical owners to gather insight into what users like and don’t like about their app – other than manually sorting through mounds of data and thousands of reviews. Even then, the data was likely to be subjective at best… and inaccurate at worst. This is why Applause is, well, a big deal.  

Yesterday’s announcement was reported by numerous business and tech publications. So how does the press feel about Applause? If you didn’t catch the news, here are a few of the more prominent stories right now:

• uTest’s Mobile App Genome: Forbes (Peter Cohan) “You might think that a start-up should focus on one product and try to make it a success before branching out. But Southborough, Mass.-based uTest – a 120-person start-up that bills itself as the world’s leader when it comes to ”in-the-wild app testing services” that would have found Apple (AAPL) Maps’ six most epic fails before launch — is betting about 10% of its peoples’ time on a two new business initiatives”… Read More.

• New Analytics Service Applause Ranks App Quality: ReadWrite (Dan Rowinski)
  “Businesses with several popular apps on Google Play and Apple’s App Store need to know what people think of their apps without having to slave over the notoriously skewed star rankings and comments. They want to be able to parse that data to know where they need to get better. Mobile testing company uTest set out to do the extremely difficult: quantify app quality. Wednesday morning it released a new product called Applause designed to do just that”… Read More.

• uTest Launches Applause, An iOS And Android Mobile App Analytics Dashboard: TechCrunch (Romain Dillet)
  “Boston-based uTest just announced a new product, Applause. It’s a mobile app analytics service that has two key advantages. It works across Apple’s App Store and Google Play and it gives an easy-to-understand score, reminiscent of other scoring services such as social influence startup Klout.”…Read More.

• uTest Unveils Applause, a ‘Klout for Mobile Apps’ Analytics Tool for Businesses: The Next Web (Paul Sawers)
  “uTest serves as a marketplace for ‘in-the-wild’ software testing services. With its latest Applause product, it analyzes more than 50 million reviews in the App Store and Google Play, constituting somewhere in the region of 1 million apps.”…Read More.

• Want to Know How Your App is Doing? Just Listen to uTest’s Applause: Boston.com (Michael Morisy)
  “Should you invest your limited developer resources into a design overhaul or streamlining the purchase process? uTest’s new Applause service lets you quickly analyze customer reactions and helps steer you toward a better product.”… Read More.

• uTest Launches Applause, Trying to Crack the Code on What Makes a Great Mobile App: BostInno (Walter Frick)
  “Applause crawls both Apple and Google’s app stores to see what users are saying in the reviews that get posted. While the app stores give a simple view of how much users like an app, based on a star rating system, Applause goes farther.”…Read More.

• Read more …

For months we’ve hinted- ever so subtly – that something BIG was on the horizon. Well, the wait is over, and today, we’re pleased to finally make that BIG announcement: uTest Labs has launched a new mobile app analytics tool called Applause.

I know that’s a lot to take in all at once, so let’s break it down piece by piece. First up, Applause.

Applause is a new type of app analytics tool – one that analyzes more than 50 million reviews & ratings across 1 million iOS and Android apps – enabling companies to monitor and measure mobile app quality and user satisfaction.

Applause provides an intuitive 0-100 Applause Score, which synthesizes user satisfaction, app quality and the overall amount of applause that users give an app. This enables brands to measure and improve their app experience, compared with competitors’ apps. It also grades each app across ten Applause Attributes, which enables companies to measure how their app stacks up from version to version, and against the competition.

Essentially, Applause fills a massive blind spot for companies in more accurately measuring their mobile app efforts. Until now, companies simply knew how many stars an app had in the respective app stores or counted downloads. Now, with Applause, brands can quickly and easily see results of deep data analysis and make informed decisions about where to best direct resources to provide the best customer experience possible.

Companies can utilize Applause to look shallow & wide – to compare how their app is performing among all apps in their category (social media, gaming, retail, etc.) or deep & narrow – to see how a particular app is performing across a series of deep, data-driven attributes over time and versions.

More information can be found on the shiny new Applause website. Go check it out.

And now for the second part of today’s new: The formation of uTest Labs.

uTest Labs is our recently formed research & development group. Its charter is to develop solutions to forward-looking problems or challenges that the market hasn’t clearly articulated yet. The overarching goal is to advance the cause of developing and testing web or mobile applications that simply delight users.

Co-located in our Massachusetts headquarters and Seattle offices, uTest Labs is led by some of the company’s top technologists and marketers, who have been given the resources, breathing room and directive to take big leaps and tackle big issues.

This “labs” approach played a major role in the earlier launches of AppGrader and uTest Extensions – and we intend to launch more big things from this group in the future.

Anyway, sorry for the wait. There’s much more to come, so stay tuned.

Until then, happy testing.

How many screens are you using right at this moment? Most likely you’re reading this post on one of the several digital screens you’re operating simultaneously. If so, you are a multi-screen junkie, along with the majority of tech consumers today.

In a world full of screen-jumping  users, a single device no longer has the ability to capture our full attention. Jumping back and forth between smartphones, TVs, PCs and television sets is a typical day in the life of a multi-screen junkie.  We might screen sequentially, moving between two devices, or simultaneously using multiple devices at the same time. Doing so empowers us, making us feel more efficient.

Google recently conducted a study to better understand consumers’ digital interactions. In the study participants logged each of their traditional and digital media interactions in a mobile diary over a 24 hour period.  Participants were also given a survey to understand behavior associated with using multiple screens.  With 1,611 participants and 7,955 hours of activity, Google found that:

Our time online is spread between 4 primary media devices; smartphones, tablets, PCs/Laptops, and TVs.  During each interaction we spend approximately 17 minutes on our smartphones, 30 minutes on our tablets, 39 minutes on PCs/Laptops and 43 minutes watching television. The device we choose to use at a particular time is often driven by our context; the amount of time we have or need, the goal we want to accomplish, our location and our attitude and state of mind. 

Device fragmentation presents unique challenges to developers, marketers and digital advertisers. However, there are ways that businesses developing software can use cross-platform consumer behaviors to their advantage. So how can brands adjust their development, marketing and operations strategies to fit this new mold of consumer behavior? Google has some ideas. Here are Google’s 8 multi-screen lessons to think about:

1. “The vast majority of media interactions are screen-based, and so marketing strategies should no longer be viewed as ‘digital’ or ‘traditional’. Businesses should understand all of the ways that people consume media, particularly digital, and tailor strategies to each channel.
2. Consumers turn to their devices in various contexts. Marketing and websites should reflect the needs of a consumer on a specific screen, and conversion goals should be adjusted to account for the inherent differences in each device.
3. The prevalence of sequential usage makes it imperative that businesses enable customers to save their progress between devices. Saved shopping carts, “signed-in” experiences or the ability to email progress to oneself helps keep consumers engaged, regardless of device used to get to you.
4. Consumers rely on search to connect their experiences across screens. Not only should brands give consumers the opportunity to find them with multi-device search campaigns, strategies such as keyword parity across devices can ensure consumers can find the brand when resuming their search.
5. Read more …

We’ve seen it time and time again, programs, websites, mobile apps and companies getting a wave of bad publicity (and there is such a thing as bad publicity) for data leaks or questionable user privacy decisions. Giant companies like Sony Playstation and Zappos got hacked and had private user information (including emails and passwords) stolen. Then the Path incident brought to light the fact that mobile apps sometimes access unnecessary user information. Most recently, reports came out of free apps and apps for children collection questionable data.

Stories of data leaks and privacy breeches are fairly common these days, but they still somehow catch us by surprise every time. That’s because users are outraged when a new leak happens, but not much is being done to address cyber security. Let’s change that. No more hoping it doesn’t happen to you or promising yourself you’ll address security later, today is Rex Manning Day Data Privacy Day!

Hosted by Stay Safe Online (by the National Cyber Security Alliance), January 28 is official Data Privacy Day. Started in 2008 as an extension of Europe’s Data Protection Day, today is intended to “empower people to protect their privacy and control their digital footprint and escalate the protection of privacy and data as everyone’s priority.” From Stay Safe Online:

In our online world, data is free flowing.  All of us – from home computer users to the largest corporations – need to be aware of the personal and private data others have entrusted to us and remain vigilant and proactive about protecting it.

Protecting user data and privacy is a two-fold job. First, you have to make sure your website, software or mobile app is secure from attacks and “innocent” data leaks (leaks not resulting from a malicious attack). For developers, there are a lot of angles to consider when it comes to security. Websites have to protect against SQL Injections, Cross Site Scripting, weak password requirements, poorly encrypted data, backdoor access and a slew of other website security threats. Mobile app security involves paying special attention to password requirements, users authentication and authorization, data encryption and other exploits. Security is such a nuanced field that the best option when it comes to making sure your application is secure is to enlist the help of a security testing expert. A security expert thinks different than a general software tester and you’ll need their “hacker” mindset.

The other half of good privacy protection is carefully considering what user information your application or site needs to access. Don’t ask for unnecessary information or permissions. When it comes to a mobile app, inform users about the features and information your app is accessing in a carefully worded privacy notice users must agree to before using the app. In both cases, be sure your terms of service clearly explains what your company does with the data it collects, how the data is stored and how long it is kept. Being clear and up front with users gives them the chance to decide if they are comfortable with your company’s data privacy practices and can make them feel that you take security seriously.

Want to be sure you’re protecting your users but don’t know where to start? This Software Security Testing whitepaper will get you going in the right direction. Mobile app security is even more complicated. For a more comprehensive look at mobile app security, check out this Mobile Security Testing whitepaper. Stay Safe Online also has a few tips for companies looking to beef up their security.

If you’re looking to celebrate Data Privacy Day, check out the Resources for Everyone page at Stay Safe Online. This page has a collection of studies, articles and tips (conveniently divided by application type) that will help you get a feel for the current cyber security and privacy climate. Knowing this will help you protect your own online data and can serve as a guide as you develop and test apps. Keeping this information and these weakness in mind will help you create stronger, safer applications.

Today maybe the official Data Privacy Day, but a dedication to online privacy and security really should be top of mind all year round.

There are several ways to go about software testing. Some companies test entirely in-house, some outsource all their testing, some rely on beta programs, others use crowdsourcing. Many companies use a combination of testing scenarios.

“According to a recent report from analyst company Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC), software testing is one of the most important tasks for 91% of IT departments, and almost all believe it is crucial to outsource this activity. The report also revealed that three-quarters of companies already use service providers with onshore and offshore capabilities to provide testing services,” wrote Computer Weekly.

So if you’re not keeping all the testing in-house, how can you be sure it will see be successful and up to your standards? It starts by being prepared, knowing what you need and having continued dedication to your choice.

Here are a few particular focus areas to make sure the integration of your in-house testing and outside testing goes smoothly and ends in success.

• Know why you’re considering outside help

There are several reasons companies seek outside testing help:

- Limited in-house testing team
- Working with tight time frames
- You need an expert you don’t have on staff
- To free up your in-house team to deal with more important testing tasks
- To cover a wider testing matrix
- To ensure your product works in-the-wild

Knowing why you’re seeking outside help is vital to choosing the correct auxiliary company, having a successful experience and successfully integrating your in-house efforts with the outside testing.

• Clearly define roles

Figure out what you’re going to keep in house and what you’re going to move to the new team. Redundant testing and small tasks (like regression testing or bug fix verification) are ideal for an outside team and will free up vital in-house testers to work on pain points, new features and critical bug fixes. Moving a portion of testing out of house is a great way to ensure testing is comprehensive and complete while allowing your in-house team to focus on what’s most important. Clearly defining the roles of each team with help keep everyone on task and avoid unintentional work overlap.

Read more …

Will the way in which developers build mobile apps today remain the same a few years, months or even weeks from now? Probably not.

Countless new apps are being launched daily, and the features and technicalities of these new applications are what analysts tend to hone in on. However, what most of them fail to recognize is that end user behaviors drive this evolution. In fact, the user experience will be the driving force of change in the way mobile apps are developed in the coming years.  SDTime’s Suzanne Kattau says Forrester has released a report outlining some of these changes that mobile app developers should prepare for:

“The report, written by analysts Jeffrey Hammond and Julie Ask, explains how modern mobile applications will evolve over the next few years and what development teams should prepare for now. If you’re a developer looking to build modern applications that will deliver contextual customer experiences, there are UI changes coming that you will need to understand, according to the report.

‘When developers design user interfaces today—whether it’s for a laptop or for a mobile device—we think that that application is totally what the user’s going to be focused on,’ said Hammond, principal application development and delivery analyst at Forrester. ‘So we try to design the applications to catch the user’s eye, to involve them, to totally engross them. But think about what’s going to happen when they have to be able to see the road or make sure that they don’t trip and fall while they’re getting cues from these applications.’

Currently, app developers and mobile advertisers thrive off the ability to fully engage users in an app. This will make the change from a fully engrossed app experience, to a more peripheral interaction, difficult for developers to adjust to. Here are some of the possible UI changes developers should be aware of:

Multiple Modes of Input

“UIs are going to change focus from touch to voice, according to the report. ‘When you strap that device onto your arm (before a run, for example), you’re not going to look at it anymore until you’re done with your run. Voice takes over,’ Hammond said. ‘Also, when you’ve got applications that are in the car, the natural mode also shifts to voice. But you don’t only want to have voice because, if you’ve got an application and you’re in a crowded restaurant, you’re going to want to shift back to touch. So developers have got to be able to essentially support multiple modes of input.’

Hammond said that developers need to even understand which mode is going to be the preferred mode. He said there’s no reason for developers to not take advantage of the microphone that detects ambient sound and say, ‘Oh, well, with the decibels here, I can’t really understand voice input so I’m going to automatically shift to text input or touch input instead.’”

Wearables and Connectables

Excuses are common in the workplace. They seem to be more common in tech companies. If they weren’t, Dilbert would have been out of print a long time ago. But excuses inside tech companies who don’t test their software? In that case, they can be something of an epidemic.

And what are some of those excuses? Here are a few we’ve heard over the years:

1. “It’s working fine on staging.” – Applications always seem to work differently on staging than they do in production, don’t they? This leads many companies to only test before a major launch. What changes can happen in the time an app goes from staging to the real-world? Anything and everything! Users can access the app on different browsers and operating systems, or in the case of mobile apps, they are likely to use an app on a variety of devices, carriers and in disperse locations. In other words, a lot can change from staging to production, so there’s no excuse for not testing “in the wild.”

2. “We didn’t have enough time to test.” – This excuse is common within companies that tend to view software development as an assembly-line process, with testing being the final stage or “last line of defense.” The problem here is that when projects fall behind – which they almost always do – testing is done hastily at best, or worse, not at all. Ideally, the testing team is involved throughout the entire SDLC, but that’s a topic for another day. By the way, if you’re a tester, and you find yourself in this situation, this is actually a very valid excuse, but I digress…

3. “It’s okay, we’re a startup.” – Being lean and agile (and likely resource constrained) doesn’t give you the excuse to skip testing. If anything, startups should be more concerned about testing and quality, as they are making first impressions and/or trying to disrupt an entire industry. Poor quality will help them achieve neither. In our view, startup status should never be used as an excuse for not testing properly.

4. “It’s in beta, users will find the bugs.” – If that’s your excuse, rest easy knowing that users will indeed find the bugs. But will they report them to you in an easy to understand bug report? Will they effectively communicate the severity, frequency and steps to re-produce? The answer to that question is probably “no.” We see many companies use beta as an excuse for poor quality and as a substitute for professional testing – don’t be one of them.

Read more …

Last summer, we announced Apphance – our new mobile quality tool. One of Apphance’s biggest features is crash reporting, which gives developers unparalleled information about app crashes that happen in-the-wild.

But for iOS developers, interpreting crash reports can sometimes be difficult. Before submitting an app to the App Store, developers must remove the symbols from their builds. While this makes their build files smaller (and easier to distribute), it also makes it impossible to read the stack traces when the app crashes. To overcome this limitation, iOS developers must add the symbols back to their stack traces after the fact. This process is called symbolication, and it’s necessary for properly interpreting any crash reports from an iOS production application.

In the past, symbolicating a crash report was time consuming, sometimes taking almost an hour to complete. Today, we’re introducing a new and improved approach to symbolication in Apphance that makes the process nearly instantaneous. When Apphance receives crashes, they are symbolicated almost immediately and made available in the Apphance panel. That means that you’re seeing crash reports when they happen, and not after a significant delay.

This new symbolication process is straightforward and simply requires pre-processing your build using a special script, which can be downloaded from the Apphance help topics. Simply download the script, pre-process the iOS app archive for your build, and upload the outputted symbols file to Apphance. From that point forward, any new crashes from that build will be symbolicated automatically.

If you’re uploading builds to the App Store, then you should definitely use Apphance for crash reporting. And now with instant symbolication, you can have complete symbolication of your crashes nearly instantly. Get started by checking out the symbolication article in the Apphance help topics.

Wrap-Up

Symbolication is one of many great features we have coming soon. Have a great idea for our future product releases? Drop us a line and tell us what you think.

I’m new to uTest – just started at the beginning of January. But even so, I can’t help but already look at the world through a uTest lens. Last week, for instance, I saw the news that the FAA had grounded Boeing’s new flagship 787 due to lithium ion battery fires both in the air and at the gate. United was forced to ground all six of the 787s they have in service – costing them a fortune.

Here is the story from The Verge:

What does this have to do with software testing? Software developers are extremely lucky in one way – they can, unlike Boeing, make changes and update an application after release. And software, in most cases, isn’t a matter of life or death.

Read more …