Before Release: How Focus Testing Helped to Reveal Critical Bugs

Request for focus testing

US e-learning startup produced an interactive mobile application for adult English learners. The application consisted of mini-games such as meaning matching, word search puzzle, and sorting game.

It was designed to study while having fun and we would admit was pretty good at it.

The startup intended to launch the app and required a focus testing by non-native English speakers. It was really important for them to know how the application would be perceived by its target audience.

Unexpected findings

Several critical functional bugs were found. The application turned out to behave improperly under some types of Internet connection. Moreover, users’ progress calculations were wrong, and there were some usability and graphical issues.

Having focus testing results in the hand, the client decided to request complex independent testing by team. Testing activities included verification of system logic, positive and negative testing and a pre-launch one. Thanks to that, all the bugs were fixed, and the product was successfully released. For now, it has over 10000 downloads in Play Market!

А stitch in time saves nine!

What if that critical functional bugs wouldn’t have been spotted? Post-release fixes would have taken around 30% of the project budget. Besides, the first impression of the app would have been spoiled.