Automating Regression Tests for an IoT Based Smart Home Mobile App

Mobile Application
- Prepared by Zivitha Menon

Our client is a prominent player in the smart home industry, specializing in cutting-edge IoT-based smart sensors. With a focus on harnessing the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), they develop world-class smart home products. As part of their commitment to quality assurance, we implemented an automated regression testing process for their IoT-based smart home mobile app.

The mobile app, available on both iOS and Android platforms, serves as a gateway to their range of IoT-based smart sensors. These sensors include smoke alarms, water leak detectors, and garage door sensors, all designed to enhance the safety and convenience of smart homes. The app seamlessly integrates with these sensors, allowing users to easily provision and customize their features according to individual preferences.Through the app, users receive real-time push notifications on their smartphones in case of a water leak or smoke alarm activation. This ensures timely alerts and swift response to potential hazards. The provisioning of the smart sensors to the user's Wi-Fi network is facilitated through either the SoftAp mechanism or the Sound-based mechanism, providing flexibility and ease of use.

At iLeaf Solutions, we have a long-standing partnership with the client, providing comprehensive mobile app and cloud development services. By implementing automated regression testing for the IoT-based smart home mobile app, we have successfully reduced the time required for each release cycle. To learn more about this project and explore our latest projects, please visit our portfolio.

The Challenge

One of the major obstacles we faced was the growing line of white-labeled apps. With every feature addition, modification, or update in our smart home app, our dedicated team of testers had to manually verify all the changes and perform regression testing not only on the smart home app but also on the numerous white-labeled versions. This process demanded an immense amount of time and effort, ultimately impacting our delivery deadlines. Recognizing that this time and effort would only increase with the expanding number of white-labeled apps, our experienced testing team proposed the solution of automating regression tests to overcome this challenge.

iLeaf's Process

Communication

We discuss to ensure that we have the exact idea of what is required

Collaboration

There's regular interaction with the client to ensure things are on track

Development

Begins according to the needs of our client

Result

The final output will be a perfect match to our clients requirement

iLeaf Solutions' automation testing team undertook a comprehensive analysis and devised a regression test suite suitable for automation. The team differentiated between test cases that required manual execution and those suitable for automation.For automated testing, iLeaf's skilled automation engineers utilized the Appium framework. This framework was selected because it allowed efficient automated testing of both iOS and Android versions of the smart home app using a single codebase. By leveraging Python scripting, the team accelerated the development process.

To enhance test coverage and accommodate multiple sets of data, iLeaf adopted a data-driven model of testing. The team also followed the Page Object Model architecture, ensuring easy maintenance and modification of the test scripts. Additionally, they implemented a wrapper class that increased test stability by wrapping all the Appium commands.Given that certain test cases relied on database testing, iLeaf integrated MongoDB into the scripts. They wrote queries, fetched data, and conducted assertions in line with the test cases.

To address the client's requirement for scalable automated tests across diverse testing devices with different operating system versions and screen sizes, iLeaf opted for a cloud-based solution. Ultimately, they chose AWS Device Farm due to its extensive device pool and cost-effectiveness. This cloud-based solution facilitated obtaining video footage of failed tests, streamlining the process of reproducing and debugging issues. Project management was conducted using JIRA, while version control of the automation scripts was handled through Bitbucket.org.

Technologies employed included Appium, Python, MongoDB, AWS Device Farm, Xcode, Android Studio, and GitKraken.

The Result

Efficient Regression Test Automation Framework for iOS and Android:

iLeaf Solutions' Test Automation team successfully implemented a robust regression test automation framework, ensuring stability across both iOS and Android platforms. This comprehensive framework covers a wide range of test cases, satisfying client requirements and reducing the time required for each release cycle.

Enhanced Delivery Deadline:

The client expressed high satisfaction with iLeaf Solutions' regression automation test suite, as it positively impacted delivery deadlines. The automated scripts effectively met the client's needs, resulting in a significant reduction in manual efforts.

Streamlined Testing Process:

By deploying automation scripts, iLeaf Solutions minimized manual efforts, allowing testers to focus more on exploratory testing. The test automation engineers diligently conduct automation tests during every release cycle and proactively maintain and modify the scripts to accommodate feature changes in the mobile app.

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