Whilst the temptation to get a mobile app to market as soon as possible can be an appealing one, launching it without thorough testing can spell the end of all the previous hard-work.

A great experience is something which users expect of apps, regardless of their age, developer, brand etc. It may sound harsh, but there is very much a one strike policy, even for big name brands. The portability and amount of sensitive information stored on smartphones and tablets make them a very personal item, which users are instantly protective of.

The situation is amplified when it comes to paid-for apps, particularly as you can’t simply return it to the store for a refund. A recent survey commissioned by SOASTA, a cloud and mobile testing solutions company, asked adults what their biggest concerns where when it comes to purchasing an app. The top five answers were all to do with user experience, not more than 10% of people cited issues to do with design, functionality or other similar complaints. The top responses were:

•    Bugs (58%)
•    Crashes (57%)
•    Performance (48%)
•    Speed (32%)
•    App does not respond to gestures or swipes (30%)
•    Other (10%)

So, clearly app testing needs to play a key part in the mobile app development process. A separate survey, also commissioned by SOASTA, asked developers the primary reasons for not testing apps. The top two answers were cost (51%) and time (51%). Whilst undoubtedly mobile app testing is a costly and time heavy process it is a very necessary evil and will more often than not save time and money in the long term.

Interestingly the next three responses were the lack of a good Freemium solution (36%), testing software that is hard to learn (33%) and a general lack of testing skills at their companies (20%), perhaps showing that the app testing market in general is still to catch up with the explosion in app development itself.

Whilst trust from consumers is still a big issues in the app market, the importance of in-depth and effective testing is essential, not only to ensure the success of your own apps, but to improve the image of the app industry as a whole.

Image source: Flickr