Development of Methods for Introduction of Automated testing in the Field of Mobile Applications

The emergence of iOS and Android operating systems and the release of their fateful versions of iOS 6 and Android 4.4 in 2012-2013 completely changed the world as we see it. Mobile devices began to penetrate into all spheres of human life, and by the end of 2018, the total number of smartphones has already exceeded the number of desktop and laptop computers worldwide, and the total number of downloads of mobile applications has already exceeded 100 billion. Mobile phones and the pace that has come with them have already firmly entered everyday life. However, the acceleration of the life rhythm has also created new challenges for the IT sector, and the reduction in production cycles has become the largest of them. The sphere of mobile products has faced this trial most acute, as the closest to the source of this acceleration. Nevertheless, despite the fact that more than 6 years have passed since the beginning of the active distribution of mobile devices, a practical methodology has not yet been established to automate testing processes, which take up to half the time of the entire production cycle. This work is devoted to the study and solution of this problem. The work highlights the differences between mobile devices from desktop and portable that are significant for mobile testing. A description of the distinguished features and their influence on the quality control processes is given. Then, on the basis of the distinguished features of testing in the field of mobile products, as well as the experience of real organizations gathered in the course of the research, a common methodology is synthesized for introducing automation into the testing of mobile products and services. Finally, the created method is tested on a real project experimentally. The experiment confirms the effectiveness of the developed methodology and ultimately the project continues to work with it.