Gen Next, as well as GenY today survive on apps. Our apps are the constant that never fails, even if our electricity does. But ever thought about where and how your apps are modified before reaching your pocket? We caught up with Avinash Tiwari, Director and Co-founder of pCloudy to find out more about the process. Excerpts:
What exactly is app testing?
pCloudy.com is a platform where organisations and even individual app developers test their apps. This goes through different levels of testing which is now going from manual to automated, meaning faster progress. Testing an app means getting down to the minute details and moulding the app to reach the audience, as well as making it enticing enough for potential buyers and consumers.
What kind of apps does pCloudy test?
It's hard to categorise them, but a lot of apps related to payments like e-wallets are in the payment phase, and many sales apps and banking apps are trending. In recent times, we have seen many apps like Hotstar, that are categorised as content streaming apps, coming into the market. Educational apps are also on the rise but most of them are online learning for professionals. School-level apps are also on the rise, but online learning apps are more popular.
How long does it take to test an app?
There are certain high-level guidelines that need to be followed. The challenge with our testing is that the number of devices in the market is quite large and testing them is time-consuming. We help testers find the right set of devices based on their consumer segment and the right device setting based on the app market segment. This is the primary guideline to decide whether I want to sell my app on 10 or 20 devices. It takes anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour to test an app on one device. So if I have 20 devices, I need to test it on...well, you do the math.
Is there a consistent pattern in the type of apps created based on content popularity and so on?
In the pattern we have seen, youngsters are more open to tech and app testing. They want it to be automated, unlike the previous manual method. The young crowd is more adaptive towards new tools and technology that enters the market.
Who is the end user?
While testing, a tester has to play two roles. He has to play the tech role and has to find a solution, but he also has to act as the end user and design accordingly. Often, testers don't understand the end user perspective, which is why techniques like crowd testing become quite relevant.
In a global market, would you say India is progressive in the app testing domain?
India is one of the major destinations for global companies that are getting their apps developed and tested. If you look at the number of apps and number of testers, India is the third highest, following US and Europe. The market is growing fast.
