Complete Guide to Interrupt Testing!
Tags: testing
Published: 2020-01-30 10:14:16

As the name suggests, “Interrupt testing” is a way to test the system with conditions that could be a cause of disturbance while working with an application/software in the real world. 

Common types of interrupts are:

Phone ringing while playing a game or messaging
An incoming message while filling in details in a web form 
The device suddenly shuts down
Switching between applications

Interrupt testing is a term generally used in the context of mobile (application) testing which is used as a part of feature testing to ensure every component of the mobile, as well as applications, work in sync. 

The best approach towards Interrupt Testing:  

1--Well-versed with end-users: The most important aspect is to understand what the end-user wants.
 
2--Create device groups: Categorising mobile app testing scenarios into different groups having individual priority levels – low, medium and high. The idea is that as and when a new feature gets added, it reflects across the various devices in use, be it old or newer ones. Hence the latest and most advanced devices get priority over older ones in terms of verifying whether the device is performing well with new features being added. 

3--Go beyond traditional standards: Adhering to current standards and practices, a mobile application should be tested beyond traditional techniques such as boundary values, equivalence classes, acceptance criteria, etc. An experienced tester must thus be capable of testing beyond just a few predefined criteria. 

4--Test on multiple data networks: Data networks are classified as LTE, 3G or Wi-Fi over which the speed of data may vary greatly. The mentioned ones are a faster network category in comparison with slower networks like Edge or GPRS, hence the testers are expected to test the performance of a mobile application with different network settings to identify what kind of interferences are to be dealt with in a specific type of network. 

5--Test in different languages: Verifying the functioning of a mobile device across different languages is used to analyze whether the application is capable of supporting language used in a particular nation. Every language has a different set of characters having different sizes, therefore the length of characters is what really differs across different language sets. 

6--Test all hardware features: Hardware is the most essential component to test in order to verify the software functions in the desired manner. For instance, sensors such as – proximity, gyroscope, acceleration, magnetic, location, etc. are used a lot in present-day digital communication. It is important for a tester to understand the technicality involved in the operation of such aspects to be able to apply the same for testing mobile applications or mobile devices in general. So a hardware and software combination enables the proper functioning of camera, storage, microphone, display, etc., because every component is from a different manufacturer owing to different specifications.  

7--Test updates and install procedures: System updates are a very common phenomenon with today’s operating systems. Every major mobile platform offers tools so that when a newer version or a feature update is released, the application which already exists in the user’s system, must reflect the update.  

8--Test usability in multiple ways: By usability we mean the simplicity or ease with which a user can access the components or the user interface of any mobile application. An ideal approach to achieve this end is to query customers whether them about their preference or just to understand how they visualize an end user’s perception of an application. Thus a test must revolve around testing the simplicity of the UI in the context of ‘usability testing’.

9--Restrict permissions: Permissions are granted to an application to protect user’s data. Often while downloading an application we come across a dialogue box asking about permission to access information on the phone. Thus permissions must be set in accordance with a specific application’s need to function.