Where is this coming from? Here at OMate, we’re involved with a lot of software development. So we thought we’d share our experience to see whether others share our experience. This work is not meant to be a definitive guide, but merely some of the pearls of wisdoms we’ve uncovered along our work. Whether you are just researching about building apps or are a veteran code master, we hope you find this article useful and would love to hear whether you’ve had similar experiences and if the tips here have helped.
Why do you need Test Cases? When building your mobile app, don’t create test cases only after you have built it. They should be drafted during the Analysis phase of your project. Test cases help clarify the purpose of the app and how users are meant to achieve it. Moreover, it can help you focus your build efforts since you are only testing for a limited range of scenarios. Trimming off useless features,designating who your ideal clients are and only building stuff they need. Less is indeed more.
Pen and Paper
Simple Tip 1 : Use a Pen and Paper – sounds ludicrously simple (hence why I called it simple tips) but what we’ve found is that, depending on what you use, your ideas/thought process/ hence quality of your work will be aided/hampered by the medium in which you are working in. Again, this is just our opinion, but we’ve found that by going back to the basics of pen and paper, we’re not limited by the constraints of design software. Coming up with Test Cases requires deep thought into understanding your target user and how they will behave around your app. So you need the freedom and flexibility of the good ol’ pen and paper. Then once you are happy, feel free to use MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint and the usual slew of digital tools to analyse and encapsulate your ideas.
Simple Tip 2 : Start with Base Case – start with one user and they use the app without saving and they make minimum decisions within the app to accomplish the goal of the app. As you start writing down step by step what a user does, note down at which points the cases can “branch out”. Eg are there save points, can they choose multiple products, who really did shoot Roger Rabbit? So once you are done writing the base case, you can then start writing the rest. Here’s an example
- Base Case – User purchases basic product
- Case 1 – User purchases customised product
- 1.1 – Without Saving
- 1.2 – With Saving
- Case 2 – User purchases customised product & Basic product… etc
Simple Tip 3 : New Users are your Best Friends – this is where a fresh pair of eyes can really help. Remember how you have been using the Pen and Paper to do your deep thinking. Well, the flipside is that you’ll be very tunnel visioned and so deep within the Matrix, you may miss the obvious and the fact that your mobile app doesn’t have a payment gateway for purchasing cool in-app items. So either get a friend/colleague who understands what the app does (mockups would be great – more tips on that in a future blog!) and get them to start listing out possible ways they would use the app. You’d be amazed how blazingly obvious some scenarios you may miss.
Simple Tip 4 : Experience & Limits – the cure to Analysis Paralysis – Anyone engaged in any design work be it blog writing, app design, woodwork… will always face the risk of “it’s not perfect, I’ll just tweak this a little.” The same applies to coming up with Test Cases, you could potentially be analysing for a very very verryyy long time. Finding someone who has done a similar app to you (and hope they are very very nice or you can make very very good coffee) to get their input can save
you quite a bit of time. If you’re trying to climb a mountain, ask a mountaineer for advice. Alternatively, there are plenty of Meetups and Pitch Fests out there at various Business/Tech Incubators. They’re a great source of experience. Limits are also a great tool – the simplest is, I’m going to work with 10 test cases because that’s all the time I have. You can also create a set of rules eg We’re only going to design this app for kids between 3 and 7. Especially when you are at the conceptual stage, all you need is good enough so you can move on. As you develop your concepts/design, you’ll find what’s important which will turn something good to great. Usually not for everyone which is fair enough. That’s why you build another app just to service another niche.
Key Takeaways
- Create Test Cases before you go into Build – it will help develop your concept and gain more clarity on what you’re trying to build
- Pen and Paper – oldies but goodies, they help free your mind and gives you permission to be playful
- Start with Base Case – then branch out. Our mind works sequentially, being able to focus on one thing at a time. So should your Test Cases.
- Experience and Limits – get people who are experienced and not experienced to give you a hand. Set limits and rules so you can move your project forward.
Thanks for reading and remember, keep it simple!