Web-Apps
During the past years, there has been a strong focus on mobile apps. There are reasons for this - such as quick start-up times. Mobile apps matured, functionality increased. They became available on all major platforms. Today, these apps are large, require frequent updates and effort, necessary for continuous development and improvement, is a burden.
In between, first-in-class web applications improved a lot. Modern web apps load as quick as mobile apps, provide similar or better user-experience, are up-to-date, and may provide broad and deep content. In a number of cases a modern web app may be a good successor for mobile apps, allowing to spend resources on service enhancements instead of implementation effort for different native app platforms. This article describes the reasoning for modern (progressive) web applications and how ADVENAGE can support you on your way towards a first-in-class web app offering.
Context
Modern front-end frameworks such as React, Vue, and Angular enable the change from slow starting websites to comprehensive, digital touch-points. Adjacent technologies are leading to web apps starting up at speed of mobile apps - or are even beating them.
At the same time, mobile networks and public WiFi access evolve and provide unleashed access speed to the web.
Unlike mobile apps, progressive web apps are not limited in broadness and depth. And web apps are evergreen - there is no need for continuous updates through the particular app shop.
Finally, web apps are one-fits-all by nature - there is no need for separate app development for Android, iOS etc.
Given that, progressive web apps seem to be an option for replacing mobile apps not requiring the full support of the mobile operating system or do not need to work offline.
In some other aspects, the requirements for mobile apps and progressive web apps do not differ significantly. Both need data from the cloud or particular web services. There is no significant difference between them in terms of qualifiers such as security, user-orientation, and comprehensiveness of connected services.
But as always in context of significant changes, web apps in the role of most vital company's digital touch-point increase quality requirements in terms of availability, security, functionality, and performance. In the old days of more or less static websites, manual visual control of release updates was common practice. With feature rich progressive web apps, quality requirements increase. Functional testing during development and test phase as well as continuous active service monitoring becomes imperative.
Progressive Web App Testing
Development Phase
With modern web apps, testing starts along with development or prior to development. Unit tests are developed together with components and components are unit tested continuously during development. A broad set of tools are available for this task and need to be tied to the development chain.
Integration Testing Phase
After component development is finalized, integration of components is in focus. Objective is to integrate components developed before and test them in an integrated landscape. This testing bridges department- or vendor-borders and shall provide insight on business process compliance regarding all digital elements of the process chain.
Integration testing is usually triggered and monitored by IT departments.
Business Readiness Test
Usually the Integration-Tests left out 3rd parties being relevant for the end-to-end business process view of end-customers. Examples include logistic partners, banks, print-shops, etc. Objective of the Business Readiness Tests is to provide insight on product readiness from the business perspective. BRTs are driven by business departments and include final tests to be fulfilled before going public. They are important to avoid hanging processes and cognitive dissonances of end customers.
Business Readiness Tests also need to verify, that the solution demand matches the solution performance. So business simulation tests or load tests should be part of this testing phase.
Production Phase
When a new release comes into production, it need to be monitored. Business first is, that the web app and connected services are available and working, usually 24x7. This should be monitored using active monitoring solutions.
Given that, next level is to track end-customer journeys - not necessarily limited to singular touch points - such as customer self-care via web or mobile app.
ADVENAGE Contribution
ADVENAGE supports customers in scope of web enablement projects. Our contribution may comprise
- Digitalization strategy development support
- Technical business strategy development support
- Business transformation support
- Project development support
- Business readiness evaluation
- Development and implementation of testing concepts
- Monitoring of existing and new business processes
Get in contact for a workshop on business digitalization.