Many real-world problems can be solved with a software or an app. By solving those problems, businesses can be that much closer to their (potential) customers and have a deeper relationship with them. This is why a lot of businesses are now investing in native apps for their customers.

Developing an app is actually the easy part. There are so many resources that you can utilise to create an app that works on multiple mobile devices. The real challenge lies in designing the app and making sure that the features added to it are delivered successfully.

After all, the delivery of those key features in a well-designed app is the key to solving users’ problems. Before releasing the app or new updates for it, you need to make sure that the app itself delivers a positive user experience.

It Starts with the Design

Planning is always the most important part of a sprint in app development projects. Without careful planning, it is impossible to determine the right features to add – and not to add – and how those features should work in the hands of users. Even the best feature set cannot guarantee success for the app is the delivery is not up to par.

When planning an app development, one of the most important things to think about is whether the features you add actually add value to the whole app. There is no point in adding features that users seldom use or rarely need since those features will only add clutter and make the app less usable. That’s not how you keep users happy.

The features you drop or don’t add are as important as the ones you do. Designing the in-app interactions between users and the features you offer is also a key component to app success. Combined, the two guarantees that users can find the features they need and immediately notice the problems you are trying to solve with the app.

An Ongoing Process

Another thing to take into account before developing an app is the fact that app development is an ongoing process. As soon as you finish one sprint or a development cycle, you start evaluating it, collecting important insights, and planning the next cycle. After all, the app needs to be maintained and you have to make sure that the same positive experience is delivered with every iteration.

This is where integrating testing into the development process becomes very important. The planned features and the overall flow of the app need to be tested regularly. The purpose of extensive testing isn’t just for maintaining consistency, but also to make sure that key features always work as intended no matter what changes are made to the app.

Most development teams are already familiar with CI/CD cycles, in which continuous integration and continuous delivery of small, incremental updates are optimised in such a way that the app continues to get better with every iteration. CI/CD cycles can be integrated with testing in a seamless way, especially when standard best practices are adopted.

Regression Testing: What Is It?

There are many tests that can be integrated with CI/CD pipelines. Testing codes against coding best practices, for example, allow developers to maintain a certain standard while keeping the app functional in the long run. Coding standards are particularly useful for when you add new team members or replace existing ones since the handover will be as smooth as it can be.

For functions testing, however, it’s worth considering regression tests. Global App Testing, a leading provider of testing resources for app developers, has a good article on how regression tests are incredibly useful. In simple terms, a regression test checks the features and existing functionalities of the app when changes are made.

The purpose of regression testing is straightforward: it is performed to make sure that new changes don’t break existing functions. The process can be automated and completely outsourced as needed, but you must not skip this particular test if you want to maintain functionality and positive UX. When faults are discovered, the app can be rolled back to a previous version.

Regression testing is rerun with every iteration. That makes this type of testing easier to automate since you already have predefined runtimes to be repeated. There are also tools designed to expand regression testing based on common user behaviour, so you can take steps to make regression testing more accurate.

Improving Regression Testing

Sticking with regression testing as a way to ensure good delivery of features within the app, there are ways to optimize the tests even further. First of all, a complete test of all features are not always necessary. This is where automation comes in handy. Rather than running the full test every time a new update is pushed, even the smallest one, you can test features that are affected by the update.

Selective regression tests are also handy for pinpointing the cause of an error. You can roll back the app to a specific version and compare how features behave in that version and the new one. You have the option to run regression tests as a hybrid test and combine the testing methodology with other testing types. The test lets you keep track of recent changes more accurately.

Cost is usually a big challenge, especially from business point of view. Allocating more budget and resources (including time) to do extensive regression tests is never an easy decision to make. That said, integrating regression testing into the CI/CD pipeline ensures quality of delivery and allows for the app to continue to please users.

At the end of the day, that’s the biggest advantage of doing regression testing. When users are happy with the app and the features it offers, they are more likely to remain active. Avid users will even start promoting your app and inviting more users. These accelerations make regularly performing regression tests well worth the investment. Delivering positive experience will no longer be a challenge when you know that users can benefit from the features you offer through the app.