Something different for the blog this time – I’ve been reading a new book that Daniel Knott has published on Leanpub. It’s called ‘Hands-On Mobile App Testing‘ and it’s intended to give a good start to those in the software testing industry who are getting started in mobile, as well as those who have been in the area for a while. In fact Daniel himself describes the book as:

“A guide for mobile testers and anyone involved in the mobile app business.

Are you a mobile tester looking to learn something new? Are you a software tester, developer, product manager or completely new to mobile testing? Then you should read this book as it contains lots of insights about the challenging job of a mobile tester from a practical perspective.”

It’s a very well researched book and Daniel has clearly put a lot of time and effort into writing it. As someone who also trains testers who are getting started in mobile then I liked the logical flow through the chapters. The book starts with a chapter explaining why mobile is different and setting the scene for more specific areas that are re-visited in more detail in subsequent chapters. I particularly liked the section “Mobile Testing Is Software Testing” because it’s important to note that testing on mobile is complicated and that should not be overlooked.

Useful Information

The book contains a lot of specific technical information relating to mobile, meaning that it also serves as an interesting read for someone who may want to know more about the subject but not necessarily apply specifically to testing. The section on business models, for example, is certainly widely applicable. Keeping the information in the book updated may well be a challenge, given the pace of change in the mobile world, but by using Leanpub I hope that’s something that Daniel will do.

The Customer

I appreciated the focus that the book puts on the customer; in mobile the customer is so close, and can leave feedback so quickly, that a key testing skill is understanding them and using that understanding to drive testing. The book goes into plenty of detail in this area.

Covering Common Areas

You’ll also find some very useful information on the areas that I typically get asked about by testers who are new to mobile; areas such as device fragmentation, hardware dependancies, using simulators and automation. The book is full of helpful hints and tricks, and is also a great reference source. There’s also a whole chapter on mobile test strategy that would help both test managers and testers who are new to mobile.

Mobile Automation

Automation is an area where mobile is relatively immature when compared with desktop, and I was pleased to see a whole chapter dedicated to the subject. If you are choosing a tool, there’s some great hints on how to go about making that decision, as well as information on the current tool landscape.

Conclusion

The book then concludes with sections on important skills for mobile testers and a look to the future of mobile. Some of the important skills explained are just as applicable to software testing in general, rather than mobile specifically, but the chapter does then get more mobile specific. It was also interesting to read Daniel’s thoughts on the future; the mobile world moves so quickly that what’s future now very rapidly becomes present, and already we’re seeing some of the future technology described being available for us to test (and buy).

Overall I found the book to be a really useful addition to my library. There are not enough books on mobile testing as this is certainly one I would recommend. It’s not just about mobile application testing either, there are sections on mobile web as well as information about the mobile world in general. Hopefully Daniel keeps updates coming via Leanpub to keep it current.

If you want to know more about mobile testing then I would certainly recommend that you take a look at the book.

You can get Hands-On Mobile App Testing from Leanpub.

Note: I was provided with a free reviewers copy of the book for the purpose of writing this review.