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There was a time not too long ago when web sites and web applications prescribed directions on how each should be sourced to be properly viewed and utilized. For example, on many sites there was a banner that would proclaim that this application or website should be viewed using a certain browser and a specific version of that browser.
Over the past 10 years those banners have slowly disappeared. Instead, we are now faced with “The Shift,” where users dictate how they want to use the applications and websites. Evidence of “The Shift” can be seen across the enterprise, from BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to BYOBI (Bring Your Own Business Intelligence). While a seemingly small change, “The Shift” can pose a giant challenge for the software community.
In the good old days, software developers had to create, test and validate that their application or website worked on a prescribed browser. The responsibility was on the user to then ensure they had the right browser and only accessed the app or website using the proper source. This meant the software developers’ and testers’ task was relatively simpler, having to only design programs for a well-defined, finite combination of target browsers. Unfortunately, those days are gone.
Today applications and websites live in a very competitive space. They have to not only work on a range of browsers, in varying versions, but also through any mobile platform (which includes device, OS, browser and network combinations) that the user selects. If the applications or websites do not function to the user’s expectation in any of these various combinations, they can easily be lost to competitors.
One of the common strategies developers and testers now deploy to maintain a competitive edge is to rely on application usage analytics. From these analytics, information can be gathered on the distribution of use and can then be applied to target development and testing for specific browser versions and mobile platforms. Frequently analytics reports show heavily concentrated use on a few select popular mobile platforms and a long tail of usage distribution among others. However, making decisions on concentrating development and testing efforts only on the heavily used mobile platforms is dangerous. This could leave out select groups of users — like early adopters who may be moving to a new device or laggards who tend to linger on older devices.
Usage analytics also may not reflect any external events that could affect the market. A new product introduction such as Samsung Galaxy S5 or an iPhone 6 can shift usage dramatically to new devices, and software versions. Most developers and testers are not aware of upcoming releases of devices, OS updates, browser changes and other elements that are critical to their users. Even if there is a level of awareness, not everyone has the means and abilities to procure all of these ahead of time to test and validate their applications. This can inhibit the success of an application or website based on its potentially lowered useability and overall compatibility.
So what is the right strategy to release relevant and configurable applications amidst “The Shift”? In order to reach the comprehensive market of consumer, developers and testers need to use a multi-pronged approach to research their target devices, OS and browsers. An increase in cognitive analysis on the developer level needs to go into this rather than a dependency on product managers or business analysts to prescribe target web and mobile platforms.
A new global product roadmap needs to be created by enterprises to ensure changes that are external to the enterprise are captured and planned for. A good understanding of device, OS, browser and network changes and when they are planned, is essential preparation. Once this information is known, testing in those new mobile platforms should be planned either before the release either using real mobile platforms or emulation (only when it is not available). Combining this with a better insight into current usage analytics will help ready apps for user consumption.
Raj Rao is VP and global head of Software Quality at NTT DATA.
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