SQA Blog: Want faster, cheaper, more accurate mobile QA?
Want faster, cheaper, more accurate mobile QA? Right this way please…
In a recent mobile app testing survey, 84% of QA organisations said they need to test on real devices in order to be successful. Almost 18% of companies state lack of time to test mobile apps, 65% say they do not have the right tools, and 52% cite lack of devices as reasons for not performing mobile testing.
We’re on a mission to change all that.
You need it, right? So let’s make it better.
As a software developer or mobile QA tester, you already know that Quality Assurance (QA) is essential for delivering your apps well. You know real-world feedback is essential to releasing your app as quickly as possible, to preventing app abandonment, and to delivering the perfect customer experience.
And yet, you’re up against a whole bunch of challenges. The cost of outsourcing at scale is almost always prohibitive, but managing large fleets of devices in-house is complex and time-consuming.
- Testing on real mobile devices costs a lot
- Emulators may be more convenient, but they lack accuracy
- Bugs and errors can directly impact your bottom line – so you NEED great QA testing
- Unprecedented pressure for high quality, mobile-first UX
- It’s time-consuming and unwieldy testing multiple devices simultaneously
It’s an issue that’s affecting all industries – mobile phone manufacturers, content providers, game and app developers, IT consultants, service providers – the issues are the same. In fact, while 84% of organisations said that testing on real devices is crucial for success, the majority lack the tools, time or physical hardware to do it well.
While in-house testing labs may provide a solution to some of the challenges, the reality of mobile QA testing is dauntingly complex and time consuming, and the unreliability of traditional USB hubs has been a huge barrier.
Until now.
So what’s the answer?
Spoiler alert: there really is no one-size fits all solution. The solution to this complex challenge lies in finding the right balance of emulator and device-based testing for you. And that balance needs to be as unrestricted by budget, scalability and time as possible.
Cambrionix’s enterprise managed USB hubs rethink how users are able to run tests. By removing the roadblocks of traditional USB hubs, they free you up to gain deeper insight, more accurately, with more reliability, faster than before.
One of our customers has recently reported that it has increased operational capacity by as much as 500% through the use of proprietary software, Cambrionix hardware, and a suite of purpose-built tools.
How do Cambrionix hubs help?
Cambrionix’s industrial managed USB hubs are a unique product, purpose-built to help mobile QA testers and software developers solve these challenges. They do this through:
- Safe, reliable, fast charging
- Comprehensive compatibility with any device and any operating system
- Easy device management
- Power saving with intelligent power requirement analysis
- Compliance with health and safety
- No more dreaded USB endpoint limitation
- API software to integrate into your processes
- Scalability
- Stringent performance testing
Designed by engineers for engineers: ThunderSync3-16
Issues for large and small enterprises
The mobile market is dynamic and hard to keep pace with. Whether you work for a large enterprise or a smaller business or start-up, chances are you’re going to encounter hurdles with mobile QA testing due to cost, scale or speed – or all three. Factoring in the different devices and operating systems as well, the complexities are extremely challenging. Outsourcing is costly, and in-house is often not feasible. And that means sometimes missing out on real-world feedback altogether.
Competition is tough. Never before has it been as hard to acquire – and as easy to lose – new users. If your app has bugs, people won’t use it. It’s that simple, and that brutal. Therefore, it’s crucial for today’s businesses to do whatever they can to address contextual factors, no matter what their budget, scale or time frame.
Skimping on QA to get your app out at lightning speed becomes a false economy when a bug pops up after a launch. Without rigorous testing based on real occurring events, you risk falling behind your competitors.
So how do you find the right solution?
What to consider when choosing your managed USB hubs
First, you need to define exactly what it is you want your USB hub to do. Ask yourself:
- Does it just need to charge devices?
- Do you need to monitor or control the device?
- Do you also need to sync (transfer data) to and from that device, perhaps to erase or load new content onto it?
- Does this need to be as quick as possible, or is speed not a concern?
- Do you need safe, reliable charging 24/7
You’ll also need to consider device management.
Do you need to manage your devices from one central location? USB charging with a charge and sync device allows you to manage all plugged in devices over a network, performing security or OS updates from a central location. This means you don’t need to physically move each device to update it.
If you’re only talking about four or five devices, it’s not really an issue, but when you have hundreds, being able to run 96 devices from one host computer can save you some serious amounts of time.
Even trying to work out how many devices you need to test can be complex. You should choose devices that your target market or customers use, making sure you test on at least 25 – 30 different devices. Aiming for around 80% of all use cases is a sensible target, and the remaining test cases can be performed manually.
Building your own test lab means you are in control of the devices and can help your testing protocols. Using USB hubs in your lab enables easy deployment of devices, automated test processes, easy creation of an internal test lab, shortened processing times, synchronised front and backend deployment – in short, the ideal development and testing environment.
No other industrial managed USB hub is purpose-built for mobile SQA
With quick, convenient, reliable, real mobile device testing at scale, Cambrionix’s unique purpose-built industrial USB hubs remove all the traditional challenges of testing on USB hubs. Your in-house testing environment is more robust. You have more opportunity to test and research unrestricted by lack of budget or time. You’re more confident about bugs and issues. And your app is more likely to succeed out in the real world.
If you’d like to read more about the benefits and technical specifications, please download the full guide to SQA testing here.
About Cambrionix
Cambrionix is the leading provider of intelligent USB hubs for mass mobile device management. Cambrionix’s range of USB hubs, software and tools, support many of the world’s biggest businesses to succeed across a range of industries including hardware and software development, technology, logistics, education, healthcare and retail.
You can click to find out more about Cambrionix’s USB hubs here and the Cambrionix Connect software here.
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