Since the testing phase is one of the latter parts of the software development process, people sometimes give in to temptation and try to save money by choosing the cheapest testing team available without ever verifying whether or not those individuals are up to the all-important task. Even worse, some developers and their superiors decide getting professional testing is not necessary and friends and family members can handle the responsibility.
It is understandable that you may have a heightened concern about costs, especially after possibly investing more money than expected to bring the software to life. However, if you skimp on spending during the testing phase, it could cause your software to falter before it ever has a chance to succeed, only to become a wholly wasteful venture that never profits. With that in mind, there are certain questions reputable software testers know have to be answered during a worthwhile testing process.
Whether the Software Functions Properly
You may have heard the joke that’s sometimes tossed around in technology circles about how some people say that a certain element of a software title is a feature and others consider it a bug. Ideally, you don’t want those kinds of split opinions and it should be clear whether a function of the software is working as intended or not.
There are some telling signs that your software has bugs. By hiring a professional testing team, it’s possible to uncover them and get them fixed before customers sound the alarm about a preventable issue that makes your site dysfunctional and annoying.
If the Software Is Adequately User-Friendly
Professional software testers will also make sure the software is built in such a way so people will genuinely enjoy using it. In other words, they’ll check to see if it’s user-friendly. There are certain industry-dependent features that might be advantageous for different types of customers.
When launching software that allows customers to make online bookings at your bed and breakfast, it would be important for the booking engine to automatically send messages to users and confirm successful reservations. You might also want the software to include a calendar feature that lets people evaluate rate differences for specific days.
On the other hand, if you’re selling clothing via the software, it would be useful for people to see a live inventory tracking feature. Time-pressed customers might also appreciate a progress bar that tells them how many steps remain in the checkout process, as that functionality could reduce the all-too-common issue of virtual shopping cart abandonment.
If people get fed up when interacting with your software or don’t understand how its features work, they will likely give up and spend their time elsewhere. At the very least, they probably won’t have good impressions of what you offer, and that’s bad enough when you’re trying to turn a profit.
How the Software Works on Various Platforms
Because of how technology has evolved, many people would say it’s foolish to design software that only works on computers. Individuals love their mobile devices and often expect the software they use to operate in the cloud so it works the same, or very similarly, on tablets, computers, and smartphones.
When trying to keep costs down as much as possible, consider getting in touch with a company that offers offshore quality assurance, such as QAwerk. At that company, the testers are familiar with testing software on six platforms, from Linux to iOS. Testing is a highly orchestrated process, so even if you need complete testing performed on several platforms, it’s possible to get that necessity taken care of without spending too much money.
If the Finished Software Mimics Your Initial Concept
Undoubtedly, software titles go through numerous changes from the time the ideas for them are first conceived to the day they get launched to the public. Even so, software testers can make sure the software they’re evaluating is reasonably close to the product you initially envisioned when starting this project from scratch.
If it is not, you might risk making customers feel alienated and causing other stakeholders to believe you let them down. Both possibilities could negatively impact your ability to fund this project or future ones.
These are just four of the many things software testers look at when seeing if products perform as they should. However, they’re all aspects that could dictate how profitable your software venture is and how much money you save.
