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Technology has touched all aspects of our lives and healthcare is no different. Now at the touch of a button you have access to anything that you wanted to know about eating healthy, staying healthy, doctors and their availability etc. Whatever you can think of, related to, healthcare is now available in the form of an app.

A developer designs an app based on the ideas that he has. However, before this app is launched in the market, it needs to be tested and made foolproof. So, if you are looking to enter the healthcare field with an app, there are some things you need to test in your app.

The user interface (Source)

For any app, the user interface is of utmost importance. More so for healthcare apps because most of the ends users will be patients who will want a comfortable way to interact. Also in medical apps, a large amount of data needs to be entered and that too on a regular basis. The app therefore, needs to patient centric and patient friendly. It would benefit a great deal from an inbuilt memory to take care of the patient’s history – a factor that will come in handy for the doctor. In terms of design, it should have a positive impact on the patient hence you need to test it for a ‘feel good’ design factor.

Integration with other apps(Source)

Healthcare is a large field. One single app might not be able to fulfill all the requirements of the patient. Hence, a compatibility with other apps is essential. Once a patient becomes comfortable with a particular app and its interface, he would not like to change it. He would rather look for an app that offers the same comfort as a doctor. Hence, it is important to test the compatibility of the app with others.

Patient Privacy(Source)

In the field of medicine, privacy is very important. You need to test the app for its ability to keep secrets. Patients share many personal details and his/her medical history on the app which is very sensitive data and obviously should not become public. Though, in case the app does collect data for whatever reason, it needs to be brought to the notice of the end user in the form of a privacy policy that explains to the end user all about it.

Security testing

Security and authenticity testing is always an important step to be taken while launching a healthcare app. The app should comply with the regulatory bodies such as HIPAA.

Usability testing

Before taking out an app into the real world, it’s imperative to test it for its usability yourself that would get you an idea as to how well the users in real world would be able to use that app.

Performance and compatibility across platforms

People might not have the same phone but would like to have the same healthcare app and exchange notes with their friends. An app therefore needs to be compatible and be able to perform across different mobile platforms like Windows, Android etc. Often in making the app compatible, some features get omitted. As a tester you need to test compatibility, performance, as well as functionality of app across platforms.

Error Messaging

Any app is supposed to work well when a certain set of instructions is followed but what happens when there is an error on the part of the end user. Ideally, it should not process information and send out error message. A tester needs to address this issue as well and ensure that the message sent will help rectify the problem.

Functionally foolproof (Source)

Before releasing the app in the market, test it for functionality. This needs to be done at different levels. At the patient level, at the doctor’s level, at insurance provider level etc. In case of an app that requires location like running and fitness, you need to check the accuracy of the geographic location.

The market is flooded with many healthcare apps but the reason why some are more popular than others lies in their design as well as testing. A user who is spoilt for choice will not compromise on any factor. Your job as a tester then remains to ensure that the final version of the app that is launched in the market meets the entire criterion set up by the end user and gives accurate results.

TechArcis Mobile testing services include device testing, App testing, Functionality testing. This helps to release their products with accelerated time to market, generates quicker ROI & brings better brand reputation. To know more about our Mobile testing services, contact us today.

Other Resources

• The Importance of Strategizing in Mobile App Testing
• 5 Mobile Application Testing Goof ups
• Mobile Automation Testing – How can CI and Cloud help?

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