Top Rated Application Testing Companies in Canada

Testing applications is an essential part of software development, both for ensuring compatibility and functionality of a project, but also the user experience. As a result, there are a wide range of testing types used to cover every aspect of the software, including:

A project in development may need several or all of these testing processes to ensure it delivers on features and functionality, depending on the type and scope of the application involved. Testing is like proofreading a social media post, finding the problems before they are released for all to see. Not testing is how you end up with that one tweet that goes viral, saying 'there' instead of 'their'. Classic.

Testing can be a complex process too, requiring both experienced testers who understand what to look for in terms of problems, but often includes volunteers who offer their own experiences in using a product for the first time. These impressions of untrained users often deliver the most effective feedback and running testing clinics to incorporate this kind of feedback is one of the biggest challenges for a testing process.

While it is possible to automate some testing, manual testing provides the most accurate insight and detail of just about every aspect of the process. It's like getting Siri to give you a summary of what happened on Married at First Sight, watching it yourself is always better!

Whilst it is more complicated than automated solutions, here is how to perform manual testing:

The most important part of this process is probably the first stage, understanding the specification document that explains what it is the application should be doing. It is through this that testing can assess performance and identify areas where that specification is not being met.

A test plan outlines the various tests to be undertaken, including how the test will be carried out, who will be testing, how feedback will be collated and so on.

APIs are at the heart of app development today. Connecting and transferring data between different systems and software makes APIs the ideal layer for ongoing testing during development. Because it contacts both data and things like user interfaces where it receives input, APIs cover almost everything an app is doing during use. Test the API and you test the majority of the functionality.

The monitoring and testing of API performance can be automated using software and is able to constantly monitor actual performance against expected to spot issues quickly and early. This kind of testing can assess functionality, performance, reliability and security, and provides fast validity of the build to speed up overall development.

API testing is frequently used as a consistent and ongoing testing solution while other manual testing, such as UI and feature tests, are carried out at specific points in the development process. This leverages the benefits of both types of testing, with automated API tests quickly spotting build errors and manual testing providing the more detailed feedback only use can offer.

Whilst manual testing is an important process for all applications, it can bring logistical and cost challenges which is why it is most often used at specific points in the development process to deliver the most valuable, cost-efficient feedback on a project. Automated testing, such as API testing can provide a broader focus and fast, frequent feedback throughout the development without impacting the budget in a significant way.

The purpose of API Testing is to check the functionality, reliability, performance, and security of the programming interfaces. In API Testing, instead of using standard user inputs(keyboard) and outputs, you use software to send calls to the API, get output, and note down the system's response. This is all carried out automatically with results collated and ready for the testing team almost immediately.

Testing varies depending on the scope of an app and its development process, and unsurprisingly, the cost can change to reflect that too. However, it is important that after building your app, you test it to determine if it's ready to be launched. Most app development firms (32%) said app testing and deployment cost less than $5,000AUD. In a close second, 31% said it cost between $5,000 - $10,000AUD.