testing applications

By Jim, 3 July, 2013

Forum
iOS and iPadOS
Hello everyone, I may be asked to test an app and was just curious what the process is for testing someone's application. Thank you. Hope to hear from you soon.

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By BrianSchmidt on Friday, July 26, 2013 - 19:45

Testing can mean a few things, depending on what the developer is looking for. For Example: 1) they are looking for "device coverage". This means that they'd like you to test the game on a device they may not have, or have easy access to. Eg, "Hey, I need someone to test on an iPod touch 4th gen running iOS 4.3" 2) They are looking for gameplay feedback; is the game too easy, too hard, to hard to understand, etc. 3) They just want you to try the app as a 'customer' and see if you run into any problems. 4) They want you to really put the app through the wringer and look for crashes or other various serious bugs. Look at every menu, try every button. Do your best to "break" the app by stressing the app, for example by tapping randomly as fast as you can 5) some combination of the above. So it's best to ask the developer what you'd like them to look for. Also, a good tester will keep pretty good notes. So if you find a problem, you can say pretty closely to exactly what you did to get it to misbehave.

By Pat Pound on Friday, July 26, 2013 - 19:45

In reply to by BrianSchmidt

Well I don't know of any specific procedure but here's a piece I wrote on the subject http://patstapestry.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/tips-for-accessibility-testing-of-ios-apps/
Sorry about that. I must have used the wrong words or forgot to say how I would get the application. That is one concern I have. iPhone is not like android where you just get the application file is it? I hope I don't have to have a developer account.
depending on what the developer is using, it can be pretty easy. There is something called "Test flight" that many iOS developers use that makes it very easy. Otherwise, it's a bit of a pain in the neck. In either case, you do not need to have a developer account to test iPhone apps.

By Jim on Friday, July 26, 2013 - 19:45

In reply to by BrianSchmidt

Cool. Thanks!

By kithri on Friday, July 26, 2013 - 19:45

In reply to by Jim

Well, I don't know about working with specific developers on their own apps, but my guess is that you might need their permission to get the beta or alpha versions. However, any app that is available in the public domain such as in iTunes, is available for anyone to get and try. I've been downloading a few of the free apps and testing them to see how well they work with voice over and sometimes you actually get lucky. Good luck!

By sockhopsinger on Friday, July 26, 2013 - 19:45

In reply to by Jim

The best thing to do is to contact the developer of the app you might be testing. They should tell you how they plan to get the app to you. IF it is through TestFlight, it is a very simple and straightforward process. Good luck.

By That Blind Canuck on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 - 19:45

Hello, I too have been asked to provide some feedback on an app through Test Flight and was curious to know if anyone had insight on the process. Thanks!

By Ekaj on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 - 19:45

I've never been formally asked to test an app for accessibility, but that would be very nice. But just last week a sighted staff member of a local nonprofit organization in which I'm involved, came to my apartment to meet with me about this. I'm helping to test out a new goal-tracking website that this organization is launching. I did this before with another website, but this new one seems to be a bit better in terms of accessibility and general use. The staff member who met with me took good notes, and paid close attention to what I was doing and what VoiceOver and Chromevox Classic were telling us. I've also been testing out something for the local bus company. I received one of their newsletters via email not long ago, and in it was a request for testers. So I sent a message to the email address given, and got back a reply from one of the guys working on this new app. It is an online trip planner of sorts, and fortunately it works very well with VoiceOver and Chromevox Classic. However, I have not received any response to my feedback. So I don't know what's going on. Perhaps they're just being flooded with feedback or something.