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According to Statista, the number of mobile devices worldwide will increase by 3.7 billion during the next three years. Taking into account the mass digitization forced by social distancing and followed by remote work and education, it is not hard to believe. Meanwhile, eMarketer reports that smartphone users in the US spend 88% of their mobile time on apps. Of course, the numbers can vary across countries. The general tendency, however, is rather clear: people prefer apps to web view in browsers. ...

You have an idea that you think can improve some people's lives, and you’ve decided to turn it into reality. Sometimes, however, assumptions don’t match existing market needs. So how can one predict if people will be interested in a new product? There is a way: to research the target audience thoroughly and test your idea through MVP. A minimum viable product, that’s what the abbreviation stands for, helps to understand the actual demand. Therefore, it prevents investing time and money into an initiative without a strong product/market fit. In this article, we will tell you a bit about MVP, its advantages for a startup, and specific QA services that will benefit an MVP.

What Is a Minimum Viable Product

An MVP is a “proof of concept” version of a new product. As a rule, it introduces the basic functionality that will make the core of the product and be significant for potential users. ...

Sometimes it is difficult for a company to ensure thorough testing of software using internal resources. The reasons may differ. For example, some devote all their resources to the development and testing shifts in the background. For others, it is not economically reasonable to create the necessary conditions for in-house testing: hire and train specialists, invest in the technologies, etc. In such cases, QA outsourcing companies come to the rescue. Even before the quarantine, the IT industry was actively using outsourcing, outstaffing, and freelance services. But in 2021, the number of remote employees doubled. Many companies became less cautious about long-distance cooperation. In the end, the pandemic forced the entire world to shift to the remote mode in a few days. As it turned out, it was possible to maintain the processes functioning even with teams out...

Well-written documentation lies at the core of an efficient QA process. Documentation brings structure and logic to the testing activities. In a way, it unites project team members around the same goal, providing a clear understanding of the hierarchy, tasks, and expected outcomes. One of such documents is a Test Plan. In this article, you will learn:

• what a software Test Plan iswhat a software Test Plan is;
• how it is different from a Test Strategy;
• what role it plays in the project;
• types of plans;
• why a team needs a Test Plan;
• and, most importantly, how to draw it up.

Before proceeding to the definitions and explanation, we’d like to explain one more important term from the QA field – a test artifact. Test artifacts are by-products generated during the software testing process and shared with the project team. Simply put, these are documents that bridge the communicati...

Though QA business analysis is very significant for a company's advancement on the market, people tend to confuse it with market analysis, UX research, data analysis – probably, with all other analytical activities. Actually, it is not surprising, given the blurry line between roles and responsibilities each of the mentioned activities implies. Meanwhile, it may seem complicated to decide what falls under the responsibility of a Business Analyst during quality assurance procedures and what should remain a task for QA engineers and a Team Lead. We decided to clarify this matter and, explaining the ties between BA and testing, the role of a Business Analyst in the QA process, and the place of this professional in a quality assurance & testing company.

Who Is a QA Business Analyst?

A QA Business Analyst is a member of a product development team whose task is to bridge the gap between an IT team and a business team. Usually, this specia...

Software development companies are in hot pursuit of automation testing service whether it’s set up in-house or as outsourced testing. End-users are demanding higher quality apps with more advanced, intuitive features, which has spurred the evolution in software testing methodologies. Manual software testing is by no means obsolete, but it is not sufficient as a single approach to delivering high-end, bug-free products. It is time-consuming, overly-dependent on human resources, and it doesn’t ensure reliable and consistent outcomes. However, automating every aspect of software testing is not the ultimate solution nor the end goal. Managing too many test cases can be counterproductive and impractical that can cause the testing cycle to slow down with delayed feedback to developers. All too often, teams scramble to automate everything only to run into...

Methodologies in software development are processes, tips, and tools that allow you to create the right environment for development. Knowledge of different methodologies makes it easier to select the right technologies and optimize the development process. There are a dozen of software development methodologies, each with its pros and cons. Waterfall Model and the V-Model are the most commonly-used classic approaches. Scrum and Kanban are the most popular among Agile methodologies. So let's take a look at the pros and cons of the most popular methodologies.

Waterfall Model

Although widely-known, this model will not suit every project. Nevertheless, it is relevant in case timing and compliance are the priority, and a team commits to finishing each stage with a correct and completed solution. The highlight of this model is the sequence of stages. Each upcoming phase starts only after the previous one ends. From the QA engineer’s perspective, this model contradicts one of t...

SaaS is short for Software as a Service, but you must know that already. Every cloud-based solution that functions mostly online via web browsers can be defined as a SaaS. Such applications are convenient, available anytime, easy to access and come with a variety of payment options. SaaS is only one of the variations of cloud services. Together with PaaS (Platform as a Service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), DaaS (Desktop as a Service), and other solutions driven by similar logic, they are united by an umbrella term XaaS (“you-name-it as a service”). But let’s focus on one of its types for now :) SaaS solutions are very diverse in terms of their features and purpose. We are speaking of:

• email services (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.);
• office suites (Office 365, Google Suite, etc.);
• CRM systems (HubSpot, Zoho, etc.);
• cloud storage services (Dropbox, IDrive, etc.);
• and many more.

The functionality and compl...

This post is co-authored with Olha Hladka, a QA Engineer at QA Madness. QA specialists familiar with test design techniques find it much easier to create efficient test suites. By employing a particular technique, we get guidelines on what to test and how to define test conditions. In other words, each test design technique helps to convert available data into efficient test cases. In this post, you will learn about five commonly-used test design techniques that will help you ensure maximum test coverage and reduce time spent on testing activities.

What Is Test Design?

Let’s start with the basics. Test design is a stage of the quality assurance process, during which we create test scenarios and outline the structure of testing activities for the project. A QA team decides on how to escalate test coverage with minimum effort.

When And Why Do We Need Test Design?

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