Star Wars: Do Character-based Apps Need Robust QA?

Whether it’s marketing, gaming, or any kind of consumer-oriented activity – having a digital presence is inevitable. It is very much evident from the recent promotions and digital buzz that has been created around the Star Wars movie release and its unique character ‘the porg’. Surprisingly, the character has been very much successful in creating the required buzz around the film’s release with its peculiar mannerisms.

This shows how important it is for development teams on such projects to create a character that consistently elicits the kind of response that draws the expected reaction from the audience.

Disney and Lucasfilm’s recently released and distinctly promoted movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi has already crossed the $500-million mark globally. While the movie is grossing accolades from its fan base across the world, some special characters had made their entry in the digital space way before the release. The recent release brought the pet-like character the porg, which made its presence across various digital platforms and has been gaining a lot of attention. You can even see and use a porg moji on Skype! Likewise, the adorable R2-D2 have also got a fair share of promotions across various digital campaigns earlier.

Porg’s growing popularity is expected to bring in million dollars for Disney via its merchandise or with online games. For instance, the bird-like character has got so famous that Disney has launched a Facebook Instant Games mini-game named as the Porg Invasion. This has been possible, as the character was consistently portrayed in a peculiar manner across every digital display and got recognized for the same.

Similar kind of Omni-channel marketing and promotions via various digital offshoots is possible not just with scrupulous planning by marketing teams, but also with flawless development of characters across varying platforms. For instance, when the audience connects with the characters, they must witness similar kind of behaviour across every medium. The behaviour need not be appealing, but it has to draw the much needed attention/response from the target group.

This cannot be possible and feasible without robust software testing and quality assurance of the components within the applications. Applications that are built and revolve around a character must be effectively tested to give the desired look and feel to the end user.

How do enterprises operate and ensure performance in a challenging consumer environment?

The role of Application Performance Management (APM)

With latest technical upgrades and application of new and interactive technology solutions, applications are getting smarter and much more responsive. Consequently, it is important to test these applications for the desired performance, accessibility, and end-user experience. Application Performance Management is a process to manage the performance and availability of the software application. It monitors every aspect of the application, including its reflexes under varying network configurations and evaluates any possible hiccups in the process.

The process leverages various automation tools and frameworks to conduct these tests and assess the performance. In a way, APM is responsible for conducting a full diagnosis of the application across diverse environments, and by implementing relevant methodologies. APM ensures that the overall health of the application is intact and performance is as expected.

A report by MarketsAndMarkets has estimated the APM market value to go up to $4.98 Billion by 2019.

Build a secure environment for testing the application

Any given application is expected to give results and perform in an environment with certain factors. When it comes to testing, there are ways in which this environment can be created or virtualized for testing purposes. Nevertheless, it is important that the set-up is secure enough and should not expose the application to any possible vulnerabilities.

It is recommended to create a testing infrastructure and include various factors that could be present in the live environment. Service Virtualization is an effective way to emulate various factors that could be present in the actual environment.

Testing from the beginning of software development cycle is critical

Pokémon video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo has been a hit amongst gamers and they have been extending its range in the series. For instance, a recent report has announced the re-release of Pokémon Crystal on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. These character-based games can be a hit only when the performance of the character is in line with the theme of the game.

Software Application Testing is thus very much critical, and it needs to be performed throughout the development cycle. For instance, in an Agile set-up, both testing and development teams collaborate to develop and test fragments of the application to identify any possible errors or performance hiccups. Methodologies such as DevOps and Shift-Left play a critical role in assessing the performance of various factors within an application.

It has been proven that early testing helps to catch bugs way ahead and cut down defects. Moreover, in a Digital Transformation scenario it helps to ensure the desired consumer experience.

Maximum Test Coverage is critical

Automation of tests and the right implementation of testing tools is important for teams to ensure that maximum test coverage is achieved. This helps identify bugs or any performance or functional hiccups with the application. Hence, when tests are written or frameworks are utilized, the focus should be on maximum test coverage.

In addition, it is critical to recognize and segment test cases for regression testing. Regression testing tools can provide a bug graph that can help in the resolution of issues. Any kind of automation in testing can help track the issues and build detailed reports for further reference.

In Conclusion

As the consumer market scenario gets more challenging and demanding, Software Testing and Quality Assurance are becoming a matter of boardroom-agenda and strategic decisions for businesses. There is absolutely no scope for error. Furthermore, it’s not just about the monetary investments, but particularly about the reputation and the brand recall they intend to build. Any kind of flaw or fiasco in performance of these applications and the character can result in reputation loss and overall loss of business objective.

Cigniti’s TCoE Framework is designed to provide a holistic and integrated way to achieve excellence for a testing organization or unit. The proprietary framework consists of core elements addressing all aspects of an organization. Connect with us and leverage our established Software Testing Centers of Excellence around Mobile, Performance, and Security Testing.